Senior Spotlight: Independent Learning Experience

 Independent Learning Experience: Coaching and Learning as a Volunteer at

 Community Rowing, Inc.

By Katherine Mallett, TeenLife Guest Writer

As a senior at The Winsor School, I embarked on my Independent Learning Experience, also known as the ILE, with both trepidation and excitement. For my ILE I volunteered at Community Rowing, Inc., a boathouse in Brighton that encourages people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to begin rowing. A rower myself, I was thrilled to be spending 30 hours a week at a boathouse, but I entered the project completely unaware of all the wisdom and experience I would gain in the month I spent at CRI.

While I volunteered at CRI I focused on helping with their adaptive rowing program, which teaches both the physically and mentally disabled how to row. Adaptive rowing requires special equipment like shortened oars, pontoons for the boats and special seats so that the rowers can row even without the mobility of their legs. Often the mentally disabled rowers were children, whom I worked with twice a week after my own crew practices. Throughout their practices I could see them develop as rowers, having their own "ahah!” moments and bonding with their teammates.

I worked with many different groups of people during my time at CRI but I became especially close with a group of veterans I worked with a few times a week. Their group comprised of able bodied and disabled veterans, but I often worked with the able bodied rowers out on the water. Most of these men suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but I honestly would never have known because they are the some of the most outgoing and genuine people I have ever worked with. Each day they came to the boathouse with huge smiles, just itching to get out on the water. Their enthusiasm surprised me a little; when I was learning to row I vividly remember my frustration and impatience with the wacky technique and hard workouts.

After a couple weeks shadowing the veterans' coach, John Sisk, I was actually certified as a coach myself. I was surprised by the amount of responsibility I was given during my time at CRI; I was treated like a fellow coach and never felt like a high school rower intruding in the boathouse. As a certified coach I was even allowed to drive the coaches motorboats, which I soon found to be extremely difficult as I tried to watch the rowers to my right and drive forward simultaneously.

At first coaching was awkward, I could never quite articulate what I was trying to correct in my rowers strokes. I tried using all sorts of creative similes, "pretend you are rowing on a table top! And remember not to squish the sponge at the catch!” but often these did not click. Then one day John had me go out in a boat with the veterans and I finally found my element. In my own boat I could show the rowers exactly what I was talking about and could even race them at the end of practice. I saw more and more things click as I coached and I finally discovered why my own coaches enjoy coaching me so much. There is no greater feeling than seeing your rower succeed, even if the victories are small gains in technique.

I plan to continue volunteering at CRI this summer, and since I am going to school in Cambridge next year I may be able to help out during the year as well. I am now working on planning a veterans' learn-to-row event in June, which I am very excited about. I love being able to give back to the sport that gives me so much, and the people I meet and experiences I have working at CRI are priceless.

-Katherine Mallett is a 2010 graduate of The Winsor School in Boston