Men's-Rowing

When Jean Bain got the call, he was sitting on a couch in his Morningside Heights apartment, unwinding after a Saturday afternoon basketball practice.

The first question prospective lightweight rowers ask when they get to Columbia’s campus is not necessarily about the team’s championships, extensive meditation, technical training, or even about the team’s lack of a boathouse in the spring.

This decade in Columbia rowing was one of contrasts: coaching turmoil against stable leadership, championships against conference-bottom finishes. As the men’s lightweight rowing team brought the first modern national championships to any Columbia rowing team and the first-ever lightweight title, the heavyweight men fought to qualify for the National Championship Regatta, peaking with a top-10 finish in 2010. The women’s team struggled to find consistent plans and coaching; despite standout individual performances, the team could not make it out of the bottom half of the conference.

The day was beautiful, crisp, and picturesque. A gentle breeze ruffled the water of the Charles River as the autumn sun illuminated the historic Eliot Bridge. However, the fall quiet was broken by a man in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Crew cap, whipping his arm from side to side and screaming down at the river, “Coxswain! Hard to port! Turn, turn, turn!”

I love being an athlete. This love affair isn’t new. I played tennis from the age of four, going with my mom to the courts every day for at least two hours. Then came swimming, getting up early before school and going back to the pool at night. At my sister’s suggestion, I joined my high school’s rowing team and ended up here, as a Division I rower.

When imagining men’s tennis head coach Bid Goswami, one might picture him at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center, hands locked across his chest as he stands behind the netting that separates the swarm of fans from the court.

If there’s one thing to know about Victor Pham, it’s that he prioritizes family over everything. Pham spoke in great detail of the sacrifices his family has made to make him a champion and how grateful he is for all they’ve done for him.