My eight-year-old daughter, Olivia, who is inexplicably 21 next month, has just informed that in addition to being elected captain of the University of Washington women’s rowing team she has been awarded a full-ride (tuition and room & board) scholarship for her final year at university. She has also managed to fracture two of her ribs in the pursuit of her chosen sport.
Several thought come to mind;
• It’s now 10 years since I introduced Olivia to rowing on the River Wear in Durham, UK. I have a long-standing soft spot for this beautiful city and was visting a friend; by chance we took this excursion on the water in a small dinghy. Evidently this experience had a formative impression on Olivia who has been fascinated by the activity ever since.
• Needless to say I’m ridiculously proud of her achievement. The University of Washington women’s rowing team (The Huskies) is consistently ranked within the top 5 college teams nationally.
• Great news about the scholarship: now I can contribute a bit more to my retirement fund. Yay!
• I don’t understand the physics of the muscle-bone interactions as related to this sport but I am amazed by the power of biomechanical forces that can crack ribs. Olivia tells me this is quite a common injury in rowers.
• Are there any Professors of Psychology, preferably in Oxford or Cambridge (she wants to continue rowing) who want a lively, young PhD student in the autumn of 2006?
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