Dear Washington: Tory Park
6/5/2023
A letter to UW by Washington Women's Rowing senior Tory Park
I didn’t know when I decided to come to UW that rowing would be a part of my college experience, in fact I didn’t know much about rowing at all.
Dear Washington,
I didn’t know when I decided to come to UW that rowing would be a part of my college experience, in fact I didn’t know much about rowing at all. Little did I know that it would become the defining part of my college experience. I am not exaggerating when I say that being a part of the Women of Washington has made me the woman I am today.
When I first arrived at the boathouse, I was in awe of all of the powerful people around me. Every day I felt giddy to be a part of something that seemed to glow with intensity. It felt crazy that I was somehow being placed in the same category as my teammates. I grew to learn that these women who continue to inspire me everyday and helped create some of my favorite memories were a group that would have my back at every turn.
Because I was surrounded by such impressive and seemingly fearless women, I have achieved things I never thought possible. Seeing my teammates tackling the most daunting challenges allowed me to expand the horizon of possibilities that I considered for myself. I never realized before rowing how much hard work is a learned behavior and not an innate skill. The same way my body is so much stronger now than it was the first day I set foot on campus, my mindset towards work has totally changed. There was no secret formula, just hard work, practice and the inspiration to do it for the women around me. My mindset towards training has completely evolved, but so has my approach to life in general.
I never realized before rowing how much hard work is a learned behavior and not an innate skill. The same way my body is so much stronger now than it was the first day I set foot on campus, my mindset towards work has totally changed.
While I have encountered some of the greatest challenges in my life as a part of this team, at the same time the whole experience has been so easy. Being on the team made so much sense and I genuinely loved coming to practice every day. Even though I spent more time rowing than I did anything else, that feeling of excitement I first experienced as a freshman never faded. In the last few weeks, as I took my last strokes out of Conibear Shellhouse, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to my teammates for making this such a positive experience, the coaches for taking a chance on me and to the department for supporting all of us and allowing me such a fantastic opportunity. So many people came together to make this an experience that has made an immeasurable impact on my life and I cannot express enough gratitude to you all.
Love,
Tory ‘23