By Michael Strumberger
In six short months since my chilly midseason learn-to-row in February, I found myself at the heart of an extraordinary challenge — the Salt Spring Island Rowing Club's annual 'Race Around the Rock.' This daunting 88 km Coastal Rowing Relay event promised to test endurance, teamwork, and determination. Seated aft of my competent crew mate, Grey, we embarked somewhat frantically, ready to conquer the final 16 km leg of the race around Salt Spring’s rugged south-eastern coastline—each of us with our socks stuffed into the leg of our unis. A couple minutes in, we laughed at the realization that we were both still barefoot and it was going to be okay.
As the stroke seat, I set the rhythm and pace that would guide us through the most undulating waters of the whole race. Months of intense summer training fueled my stamina, but I was not prepared for the surge of adrenaline we experienced as we launched from Beddis beach. Our team’s Coastal 2x, “Pépe”, was cutting through the first waves at a snappy 2:10/500m pace, faster than either of us thought we were capable of sustaining, though we eventually settled down a bit for the long haul. With Grey's precise steering, we charted a very efficient route along the coastline, wasting very few meters.
Surpassing our own expectations, we completed our 16 km leg in a blistering (literally) 1 hour and 13 minutes, almost 20 minutes ahead of our estimated time. This was my first racing experience and I understand now, racing isn’t like training! We pushed ourselves beyond limits, drawing on hidden reserves of strength, knowing we had a chance to pass other teams. Economical communication synchronized our efforts to overtake competitors, one at first, then another, and then one more! The finish line drew closer, urging us—despite the pain—to playfully dig even deeper. We were hurting, we were going fast and it felt good!
In the final kilometer, we were having too much fun to let up. We cranked it to a zany rate 28 and a 2:05 split across the finish line. The elation was intense as we knew we had just surged from fifth place to secure a triumphant second for our whole team. The sense of accomplishment was pretty moving — not just for the medal, but for the camaraderie, belonging, and shared achievement. This event has ignited a passion that I'll carry forward, and I believe has brought our whole club—novices, juniors, masters and coaches—a whole lot closer as a team.
