I started rowing in my second year of university at SFU. I joined with no intentions of making a national team or dreams of going to the Olympics. Frankly I didn’t even really know exactly what rowing was. I was by no means a natural, middle of the pack.
The SFU program was set up in a way that you could make it as serious as you wanted. For the first half of my rowing career I was definitely on the less serious end of things. I was there to keep fit and for the social aspect of being on a team.
After a few years of rowing I really started to improve. With some guidance from an amazing coach there was a shift into thinking that I could go farther in the sport.
Unfortunately it wasn’t as easy as just deciding I wanted to go farther in the sport. I can’t count how many times I have failed to make a final, or finished just off of a podium, or not even made it out of my heat.
There have been many times after a bad regatta where I thought maybe it’s time to hang up my oars and move on.
I would always come back and ask myself “do I still love rowing?” The answer thus far has always been yes, and if that’s the case then nothing else matters.
Years later, with many failed attempts, I have made my first Senior World Championships team, in an Olympic class boat. I couldn’t be more excited.
I have always told myself that I would only continue to row as long as I am truly loving it and still improving, rather than an end goal of making a team.
I think that sometimes we get too fixated on an end goal and forget to enjoy what we are doing in the moment. There was so much value in pathway took to where I am now. I found a true love for the sport in my first years of rowing, rather than being fixated on speeds or results.
I would never think that my story is inspirational. I just continue to do something that I love, and would encourage others to do the same.
Taylor Hardy, Light Weight Rower with the Canadian National Team.
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