Up Before Dawn

There are both upsides and downsides to early morning practices. Right now, as we hit October, it's dark for a pretty significant chunk of practice. Lights are critical; the coaches spend about five minutes every morning checking lights, replacing batteries, making sure we'll be seen. Coaching is more difficult-- it's harder to work on what you can't see. Also, it's just plain early. I was out of coffee yesterday and struggled to stay focused in the practice.

Upsides. We're done early, and our practice schedule doesn't interfere with classes. In a sport that practices off-campus and requires people to be present to make boats work, this is key. The water is usually fantastic. There's very little boat traffic most of the time-- or at least what traffic there is (fishermen) tend to anchor and stay in one place instead of waking us.

The best part is being on the river at sunrise. The dawn is incredible this time of year. As John Steinbeck would say, there is something true about starting your day on the water, working towards a purpose.

The video will be low quality, but hopefully you can see the awesome water and get a feel for the amazing light.