Poetry and Rowing Become One

Nine people moving together as if one.

Rowing is very much like poetry. it has a special cadence, a special rhythm, making it a graceful form of expression.

If rowing is poetry, then Juliet Thompson is a poet.

On September 10, when most of us were getting ready for school, Thompson was traveling to Seoul, South Korea to compete for the United States Women's Rowing Team in the Olympics.

Thompson began the journey of a lifetime, a chance to showcase her poetry to the world.

"I always wanted to be in the Olympics...I think every little kid thinks about it," Thompson says.

For most of us, the Olympics are a catalyst for our imagination. They spark fantastic dreams about winning the race and being in the spotlight. For Thompson, the dreams were a reality--but so was the intense work.

To become a member of the women's rowing team is an exhausting four year process. National testing is conducted each year in November and February. During the year of the Olympics, a winter camp is held. Last December, Thompson left school at Thanksgiving and went to Seattle, the site of one two rowing training centers, for three weeks. She was evaluated by the Olympic coaches, went through technical drills and competed in seat races.

The other training center, fortunately for Thompson, is located in Boston. Thompson was able to train with the Boston center in the morning and with Radcliffe in the afternoon. Seven hours of rowing each day.

In June, Thompson competed at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis where the two training centers faced off. Thirty people, including Thompson, who raced with the Boston center and whose boat came in second, were invited to another Olympic camp.

The top three boats from the Nationals then traveled to Lucerne, Switzerland for an international competition. Thompson's eight-women boat finished third behind Romania and East Germany. Thompson describes Lucerne as "beautiful...with an incredible regatta."

After Lucerne, it was back to camp and back to more cuts. Twenty-two women were left, and, for the next four weeks, from mid-July to mid-August, they trained constantly. This was an "absolutely horrible time" for Thompson. Not only was the racing methodical, but "you have to get up and race your friends. It drains you," she says.

All the years of training and dedication came down to this final month. Only the top eight rowers in the U.S. make the boat. Thompson made it. She was in the bow. She was off to Seoul.

Brilliant Sea

A sea of faces. Banners flowing in the Asian sky. The countries march forth, first Greece, then...then the U.S. Juliet Thompson is there. She is representing Harvard, the U.S. and her family. Juliet Thompson has brought her poetry to Seoul.

"I had my hands above my head," Thompson says. "I was screaming and crying. When I found my parents in the crowd, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I turned and hugged my teammates."

The day of the race came, but it did not bring good fortune. The U.S. boat finished in sixth place behind East Germany, Romania, China, Russia and Bulgaria.

"I've been so busy that I haven't been able to analyze what happened," Thompson says.

Thompson learned a lesson about hard work. "We believe that if we work hard we'll get what we want, but that's not always true," Thompson says.

After the race, Thompson's world turned further inside-out. Her sister, Harvard freshman Jessica Thompson, who was in Seoul, became extremely sick and needed emergency surgery.

Her sister's illness caused Thompson to re-evaluate the importance of winning and the importance of family. "I learned that my family is most important and that my sister my best friend," she notes.

The rest of Thompson's stay in Seoul was spent "dancing by night and nursing by day." She also got a chance to explore Seoul. "The city is brand new, different from any American city," Thompson notes. "The Koreans were friendly, but, as a people, not very spontaneous," she adds.

Thompson expresses regret for the bad press the Koreans received in America. "The Koreans did an excellent job," she says. "It was tough for Americans because there was so much security and it was so limiting."

Of the 165 countries that exist in the world, 161 came to Seoul. "The Olympics accomplished more than the United Natioins does," Thompson says. "It says something about the citizens of the countries."

The circle of Thompson's Olympic experience is completed by the people with whom she rowed. "I will always know and care about where they are," says Thompson, who was the only team member still in college.

"Rowing establishes a link with people that is very uncommon in sports and other arenas in life," Thompson notes.