On May 12th, The Harbor School Rowing team went to New Haven, CT for a race. During races, a lot of people are usually overwhelmed with excitement. The feeling overpowers them with the cheering and hard rowing. Sometimes that feeling makes us forget the other more important things. Sadly, during one of our races, two boats were a bit too close, and one of our rowers was hurt. While racing, the two boats approached a turn. The boat behind the other boat was trying to get ahead of the boat in the front, and cut off the front boat. The oars from both boats got too close, and one of the oars from the other boat hit our rower’s arm. The rower was not severely injured, but even the smallest of injuries should be prevented at all costs. It is important to keep the safety of others your number one priority, no matter the situation. You must always stay mentally prepared to drive a boat. You can’t let your emotions risk you and the passengers’ safety. Being angry or under pressure is not an excuse to put the safety of others at risk. During races, boats must follow a couple of rules, just like rules of the road. One of those rules is to always go around a boat when trying to get ahead. Cutting in front of another boat can be unsafe and cause collisions, which can cause injuries. In this case, someone did get injured. This could’ve been completely prevented if the coxswain of the boat did not let their emotions get the best of them, and thought rationally before cutting in front of the boat ahead. Driving a boat can be fun, but you still have a big responsibility at your hands when you are at the helm. Whether you are casually driving around in your small craft, or in a very competitive race; you should keep safety a priority when you are driving or steering a boat.
-Karen Rubio
