This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/10/2012 12:00 AMSarah Trowbridge has worn lots of colors during her rowing career, donning the blue and yellow of the University of Michigan; the red, white, and blue of the United States; and at one point, the green and white of Guilford High School. But for the first time this summer, Sarah will get the chance to add another color to her wardrobe in bronze, silver, or even gold as she competes in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Sarah, a 2001 Guilford graduate, will fulfill a lifelong dream later this month when she travels across the Atlantic Ocean to compete for the U.S. as a member of the women's doubles rowing team. Partnered with Margot Shumway, Sarah is just weeks away from her first Olympic experience, an opportunity that has been years in the making. No stranger to big-time international competition, Sarah knows the waters ahead will be rough, but the chance to win a medal would be the perfect complement to her stars and stripes.
"I think the most exciting part of it to me is the idea that 205 countries and 10,000-plus athletes will all be in the same place. That is really cool," Sarah says. "I am pumped because of the history in London, but it is important to not let all the excitement and hype break into your concentration. That part can be daunting."
Sarah has been a rower since her latter years at Guilford High School. She was introduced to the sport through the Blood Street Sculls before racing as a Guilford team of one in conjunction with the Lyme and Old Lyme rowing teams. Her talents were quickly noticed by the University of Michigan, which offered her an athletic scholarship, officially beginning her international athletic career.
For the last four years, Sarah has competed as a member of the U.S. National Team, training in Princeton, New Jersey for the opportunity she has been earned this summer. However, Sarah's chance to wear the red, white, and blue on the world's biggest stage almost didn't happen.
This spring, Sarah and Shumway traveled to Chula Vista, California to compete in the U.S. Trials for a spot on the rowing team at the Olympics. The duo finished in third place, seemingly ending their dreams, but the top-two U.S. doubles boats decided to join forces as a quad-boat, opening the door to London again for Sarah and Shumway.
"The best thing for us was when we got beat at the trials. It made us realize we need to change what we were doing," says Sarah. "I think it was an amazing moment to be able to analyze what we did wrong and really give a hard look at our shortcomings."
Still, the duo hadn't officially punched their ticket to London, needing a strong finish in the final Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. On May 23, Sarah became a first-time Olympian when she and Shumway took gold in Lucerne, turning years of dreaming into reality.
"There was a really big sense of urgency knowing this was the last opportunity for most of these countries, not just athletes, to have boats in the Olympics, and that was palpable around the racecourse," Sarah says. "There was a lot of pressure, but I think we thrived off that and the vibe at the racecourse. It was funny because I'm an athlete so I pictured many scenarios in my head, and of course, I pictured winning, but I remember being so shocked when we did win, even though we led wire-to-wire. I have been working for so many years and I've wanted to be an Olympian my whole life, and in seven minutes, everything changed. Becoming an Olympian totally shocked me, but I am very proud and excited going forward."
Moving forward, Sarah knows that things will only get tougher. She describes doubles rowing as a track athlete running a race as fast as they possibly can while staying in the same rhythm and step as a partner. Consequently, the relationship between Sarah and Shumway is at the forefront of the pair's success.
"It took us awhile to get to full speed, but now there is trust in each other completely on the water," says Shumway. "We take the good, bad, and ugly and make the most out of it."
As it gets closer to the start of the games on July 27, the pressure only mounts for Sarah, who says it has been a juggling act trying to arrange travel plans for her family while staying focused on training. But in the end, it will all be worth it if Sarah has a shiny new medal to hang alongside the rest of her rowing attire.
"I think we are going to do a very good job with what we can control," Sarah says. "We are going to execute the race plan, and ideally, be the best we can be on the final day of the Olympics."