More Than Rowing: How RowLA Shaped Nevaeh’s Rhodes Confidence and Grit

I joined RowLA in 2021, just after Covid hit and the summer before my 9th grade year. My mom asked if I wanted to try out the summer camp for a week. I knew nothing about rowing, but thought I'd give it a try. To my surprise I loved it and knew I wanted to continue my rowing journey.

Being part of RowLA has helped me to become more confident in myself, both on and off the water, by pushing me to try new things and take on more challenges. Whether it was learning to steer the boat with the foot rudder or the courage to take my first AP class, RowLA gave me the confidence to always say yes to new experiences.

Rowing can seem intimidating at first, and definitely very challenging, but once you actually get into your groove, all the basics become muscle memory. Physically, rowing never really gets easier because there's always something to improve, but you become more mentally aware. You start to understand and realize what it takes to become a great rower. For me, the mental part of rowing has been tough for me to learn and overcome, and is still something I am working on.

We usually rowed in larger boats so I found it especially difficult when I started to row in my single. It took time to adjust to the feeling of isolation and being in the boat by myself. But day by day I felt more at ease on the water and as my comfort level grew, so did my progress and that was very rewarding to me.

RowLA became like a second family to me. I've built everlasting friendships and gained sisters throughout my experience. Whether I needed a ride to or from practice or just someone to talk to, the girls and coaches were there for me and always had my back. I've met some of the best people at RowLA and will continue to hold them very close to me for a long time.

While rowing definitely has its challenges, I have also found it brings many joys. I love watching the sunrise in the early mornings with my girls, and seeing the bioluminescence make an appearance every once in a while. I love traveling with my team and making everlasting memories. But most importantly, I love racing with my team and watching us level up with each regatta.

My favorite regatta memory was my first Head of the Charles, when Coach Chelsea took us in the “Big Boy” (our rental car) to downtown Boston, where we watched a movie, ate food, and took some pictures under the bright city lights.

RowLA is special to me because it has become such a big part of my life and has opened up many opportunities for me, like the Craftsbury Sculling Camp with Arshay Cooper.

If I could talk to my beginner rower self, I’d tell her not to limit herself and not to be afraid to just go for it.

My hopes for rowing in college are to get stronger, faster, and to get that 7:20 on the 2k 8.

My advice for any girls who think they might not be able to row: just go for it. Embrace the full experience—because you might surprise yourself by finding out that you are better than you think.