0 Shares

Rowing just wasn’t Chris Hull’s thing three years ago.

“I tried it once in the summer of 2013 and I really didn’t take to it at all,” the Olympia High School senior said. “I just wasn’t mentally or physically prepared for it.”

But all the blame can’t be placed solely on Chris for his lack of interest. The sport’s basic elements are enough to drive anyone away.

greene realty“The workouts are always hard, you’re uncomfortable, the weather is usually bad around here,” said Chris, while twisting the knife. “If you don’t like doing it, you’re going to have a miserable time.”

True, but Richard Hull, Chris’ father who also coaches his son at Olympia Area Rowing, was spot on with his assessment, as well.

“You have people,” Richard said, “when they do it, they love it, and that’s it.”

olympia area rowing
Olympia High School senior Chris Hull will row next year for Stanford University.

A little more than 18 months ago, Chris gave rowing a second chance. Stronger and knowing what to expect, the experience proved to be significantly different this time around. He is now one of those individuals his father is speaking about.

“He’s come a long way pretty quickly,” Richard said about his son’s progress.

That may be an understatement, considering this time next year Chris will be a member of the Stanford University men’s rowing team.

Chris received the news of his admission to the prestigious university in early April, approximately six weeks after visiting the campus and getting an opportunity to interact with the team.

olympia area rowing
Richard Hull (right) is the coach of the juniors program at Olympia Area Rowing. He was previously part of the Great Britain National Team.

“I was only there for one day, but I could tell it was where I wanted to be,” said Chris, who listed social sciences as one of his academic interests. “I got to be around the team and take in a practice. I went to some classes with my host. It was just an awesome experience.”

Chris will actually be continuing a family tradition when he rows for the Cardinals on scenic Redwood Shores lagoon. His father also rowed for a high-profile collegiate program.

Richard rowed for the University of Oxford, helping the Dark Blues defeat Cambridge in The Boat Race in 1987 before going on to row for the Great Britain National Team.

“I actually didn’t know my dad even rowed until we moved up here (from Los Angeles) four years ago,” Chris said. “I didn’t find out until a year after when he started coaching (the Olympia Area Rowing team). I guess I kind of vaguely knew he had rowed, but not to that level.”

olympia area rowing
Olympia Area Rowing high school team members pull a boat out of the water following a practice.

Richard, who has coached rowing for approximately 12 years, believed the best approach would be to not flood his son with rowing from an early age, and instead opt to let Chris stumble on the sport on his own.

“Plus, you don’t want to do what your father did. So with Chris, for many years, it was soccer and tennis,” Richard said. “I wasn’t pushing him toward (rowing). He eventually just gravitated toward it on his own.”

During his second go-around with the sport, things clicked instantly for Chris.

“I tried it the next summer and just liked it a lot better. I had some of my friends join with me, which helped,” Chris said. “I think I had to want to do it for me to be successful at it. It’s rough, but if you really want to do it, you’ll love it.”

olympia area rowing
The Olympia Area Rowing junior’s team has seen their numbers double in recent years. Many summertime camps exist to help middle school and high school students try out rowing. Photo courtesy: Olympia Area Rowing.

Before he heads to Stanford in the fall, Chris will continue to participate with Olympia Area Rowing’s high school team. The squad is comprised of 60 students from Olympia, Capital, North Thurston, Black Hills and Avanti high schools.

The team practices fives days a week on Budd Inlet and competes in regattas every other weekend with regionals being held in late May and the USRowing Youth National Championships taking place June 10-12 at West Windsor, NJ.

Olympia Area Rowing had 11 rowers advance to nationals last year.

“It’s a sport you can pick up relatively quickly, but it’s great when you can start at 13, 14 years old just so you can get the technique down and get a feel for it,” said Richard, who has seen his numbers double over the past two years.

olympia area rowing
Olympia Area Rowing juniors team rows year round. Photo courtesy: Olympia Area Rowing.

“We actually row year around,” continued Richard. “So, you can come down at different points of the year, but most rowers start at the beginning of summer because it’s nice here. We run several novice camps during the summer. We take it seriously, but it’s really low-key and we like to have fun. Word of mouth has helped us a lot. People have fun here and go tell their friends about us.”

To learn more about Olympia Area Rowing’s junior club, click here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
0 Shares