Rick Hall will never forget his first row on Lake Carnegie. “It was a beautiful clear morning just before dawn,” says Hall of West Windsor. “The stars were still out and a full moon was setting. As we passed under the stone bridge where Washington Road crosses the lake, the water was like glass. The only ripples on the lake were from our boat and our oars. Our workout lasted about a hour. Near the end of practice, we saw the sun rise from the middle of Lake Carnegie.”
Several West Windsor and Plainsboro people involved in the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association helped the team win the Heebink Bowl trophy for the most team points in a recent regatta. CLRA is a community rowing club that uses some of the boathouse facilities of Princeton University. Area residents include Andrew McLean, Patrick Murphy, Kurt Levy, Rick Hall, Todd Rossi, Chris Lougran, Denise Dwyer, Alan DiScullio, Ken Sharp, Yavuz Kuban, and Bill Taylor.
Hall, 48, has lived in West Windsor since 1995. He graduated from Princeton University, and received a doctorate in physics in Berkeley, California. He changed careers to software development about 15 years ago and works at a small software company on Wall Street. He is married to Elizabeth Miller-Hall, a former assistant prosecutor in Essex County.
“I loved squash, but after a year-long break from the sport, I was out of shape and found myself being thrashed by colleagues that I used to crush,” Hall says. “I started rowing as a way to get back into shape for squash. I soon fell in love with rowing for its own sake.”
Hall joined the Learn-To-Row program of the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association (CLRA) in the fall of 2001. “Rowing is an amazing way to start the day,” says Hall. “We’re in another world on the lake. There’s no traffic, and when the coaches or coxswains aren’t yelling at us, there’s no noise except the wind and the birds.” Hall reports that he has seen cormorants, herons, egrets, swallows, and bald eagles on the lake. One time he saw a deer swimming across the lake.
“I’ve learned a lot from rowing, both about myself and about groups. Rowing is a team sport. How fast a boat goes depends on how well a crew works together. Guys learn about team work the hard way. At first, every guy in a boat tries to outdo every other guy in the boat. Inexperienced guys pull with mighty heaves on the oar, then rush for the next stroke without waiting for the boat to glide out. This kind of rowing can absolutely kill the momentum of a boat. Women tend to be a bit smarter. They focus on technique and on rowing together. As a result, women’s boats can achieve good speed. Guys start paying attention to technique the first time they are beaten by a women’s boat.”
“Very small changes in technique can make a big difference to boat speed. When everyone is in synch, rowing is like dancing. You feel everyone else in the boat starting a stroke with you at exactly the same moment. At the end of the stroke, as you pull your blade out of the water, you can hear everyone else pull out their blades too. If you’re in sync, the boat remains perfectly balanced as you prepare for the next stroke. All the blades are off the water and you can hear water rushing underneath the hull. The tricky bit is that even when a crew is working well together, things can fall apart with the next stroke. You have to remain focused at all times, even as you push yourself to the limit physically.”
“At a certain point in most races, generally near the beginning, I’m quite certain I’m not going to make it,” says Hall. “But I’ve learned to push against that physical barrier, and I’ve learned to not think too far ahead.”
“The lessons that I’ve learned from rowing and the bonds that I’ve formed have carried over into daily life,” Hall says. Diagnosed with bladder cancer about two years ago, Hall feels that rowing helped get him through it. The physical conditioning also helped, as well as exercise when he was recovering from surgery.
“The lesson about one stroke at a time helped too; I focused on getting through one day and one decision at a time,” says Hall. “But the most important benefit from rowing was the support I got from my teammates at the CLRA.” He received phone calls, E-mail, advice, references, flowers and plants, visits and meals, and books and cards.
Staying connected with friends and colleagues offered an escape from the isolation of cancer and provided many reminders of the pleasures of everyday life,” says Hall.
“Rowing has deepened my ties to community,” says Hall. “I try to recruit people whenever I sense an interest, because rowing is worth a try. Even if someone later decides that working out at 5:30 a.m. is not how they want to spend their mornings, they usually agree that early morning rows, when the moon is setting and the sun is rising, can be just amazing.”
Carnegie Lake Rowing Association hosts the annual Learn-to-Row program. A mandatory weekend session including both land and water introductions to the world of rowing will be held on Saturday, September 16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, September 17, noon to 5 p.m.
A swim test must also be completed and minimum age is high school freshman. Visit www.clra.com for application and more information. Cost: $300.
