Growing up, I participated in the sports that matter; the ones people care about. From the time I could walk until I was in middle school, I played recreational soccer just like every other kid that lives in the suburbs. I also started playing basketball at a very young age. That continued on through middle school into my freshman year of high school. I made the freshman team but chose to manage the team and keep the book as apposed to not playing much in games.

I've always been that kid in gym class that seems to be able to do every single sport. It gets frustrating for me to sit in a gym class and have to play with other students who can't even complete what are simple task to me. For example, throwing and catching a frisbee or kicking a soccer ball.

For some reason, I never really got into any of the sports I played as a kid and I just had an above average ability to play all of them.

Then in middle school, I joined the crew team at my school. But it isn't actually a part of the school. We get no funding from the school for this sport. I fell in love with crew weeks after I started.

I was really short as a kid so instead of rowing, I became a coxswain on the modified team and had continued doing that ever since. Even after six years and one additional foot of height and I still continue to cox the varsity boy's team.

I am in love with the sport as are most of the people on my team. We give our all every day and hate missing practices because we miss water time. Unfortunately, crew is one of the most underrated sports at the high school level and even into college.

Through my six-year coxing career I have struggled to come to terms with the fact that anyone that doesn't row doesn't care about the sport. Rowing shells and oars are the most expensive sports equipment, but we are the only team that receives no school funding. We have won countless Sectional and State titles but still everyone only cares about and attends basketball, soccer, and football games. It baffles me that we go to some of the biggest races in the country and no one outside of our team cares; but when another sports team makes it into a Sectional semi-final, it's the biggest and greatest thing ever.

I will continue to wonder why we get little to no recognition for our achievements but until I get an answer, we will just keep racing and kicking butt.