Why I Row: Amy Tedder

For our third and final installment of Why I Row, former rower and assistant coach Amy Tedder wrote about why and how she joined LSU Rowing. 


I joined LSU Rowing the spring semester of ‘09 and had all kinds of preconceived notions about both the sport and the team. The previous semester I had an Italian class with Alyce Thibodeaux, who was the women’s captain at that time. Through a project we were assigned where we had to describe out interests and activities in Italian I found out that one of hers was rowing. As I was also one of tallest girls in our class (second only to her) this got my wheels turning.

I had been a competitive gymnast from the age of 7 to 17, so when I got to college and suddenly lacked the structure and discipline of a committed sports team, I felt lost. I was also rather tall for a gymnast and was relieved to discover a sport where I could utilize my height rather than lament over it. Eventually Alyce and I became friends, she recruited me a little, and I got on an erg a few times over that winter break. I showed up for Learn to Row and then the first new members’ 6am practice- ready to be intimidated and maybe even cut from the team. I was surprised to find a group of people who weren’t intimidating...and weren’t cut-throat either.

But one thing they absolutely WERE was committed. As I struggled with the early morning practice time I began to realize that the other girls in my boat counted on me being there just as much as I counted on them, and it gave me a new motivation to get to practice on time and earn my spot in a boat.

I can honestly say I know of no other sport that is more team-oriented than rowing. I have done individual sports my entire life so the transition to rowing was not an easy one, but I learned so many lessons about working together, being physically and mentally in sync, and realized the concept of “you are only as strong as your weakest member.” As I began to bond with the girls in my novice boat, and then varsity, I accomplished things I never thought I would. We ran together and pushed each other to 4, 5, 6, even 7 miles. We dropped split times together on the ergs, we held extra practices for our boat to earn the chance to go to SIRA. We won medals based purely on our hard work...we relied on each other and succeeded because of each other.

The relationships that I formed through LSU Rowing have already echoed far beyond just my time as a rower and an assistant coach. I can say the same thing about the lessons I learned and the things I accomplished.

As I look to continue my career as a Masters Rower in Philadelphia, I struggle for a way to fully express my gratitude to LSU Crew. It was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made.

(Stroke: Amy Tedder, Coxswain: Allie Petit)

Amy Tedder

LSU Rowing Alumna

Spring 2009-Fall 2010

Assistant Coach Spring 2011

LSU Class of 2010, BS in Psychology

Amy is currently living in Philadelphia and will be joining Undine Rowing Club as a Novice Master’s Sculler in March.

Why I Row: Erin Petersen

Erin's story is the second in a three-part series on current and past members' experience with joining the club.

My first few weeks of going to LSU didn’t meet my expectations. Before college, I thought that I was going to meet a ton of new people from my dorm and my classes and make so many great friends! I was going to avoid that freshman 15 and stay in shape even though my high school swim career was over. I was going to love every minute of college! 

Everyone says that these are the greatest years of your life, right?  

Well, that wasn’t exactly the case for the first few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I loved LSU, but something was missing.  I wasn’t meeting people like I had anticipated and trying to stay in shape was definitely a challenge. For the most part, I missed my old swim team.  I loved the sport and missed the camaraderie the most.  It was this longing for a team that compelled me to look into the club sports at LSU.

At first, I was hoping that there was a club swim team that I could join, since swimming was really the only sport I was good at.  However, there was no such team, and I had to look at other options.  Basically, I stumbled across the rowing website in my search for a club and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. 

I love being in, around and on the water so I thought that I would give it a shot.  I made sure to attend the organization fair at LSU’s URec and found the LSU Rowing booth to put my name on the email list. 

Before I knew it, I was at the dock for the first day of Learn to Reaux, nervous but excited.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  The current members of the team showed us the proper techniques to erg and quickly went over general rowing terms like starboard, port and “wayenough.” There were so many terms and new ideas being thrown at me that I was overwhelmed at first. Eventually, I was standing next to five seat in the Sting being told to step in the boat. The feeling of being on the water in a rowing shell for the first time was completely exhilarating. 

The thought of gliding over the water for that first time still gives me chills.  The first time taking a stroke, however, was the most awkward thing I had ever done.  I couldn’t get my oar out of the water; I slammed my fingers on the gunwale, and could not get the motion of rowing down at all. It was a bit frustrating at first but varsity members kept tell me that it would get much better and that it just takes practice.  Luckily, I believed them and made sure to set my alarm for practice on Monday morning. 

That sunrise over the lakes was the first of many, many more to come.

When I came to LSU in the fall of 2010, I never thought that the words “wayenough”, erg and regatta would become a regular part of my vocabulary.  If you had told me that I was going to be waking up every morning at 5:33am, I would have told you that you were insane.  If you had told me that I was going to be a captain of a college club team, I would never have believed you.  I would not give up a single moment of my time spent as a member of LSU Rowing.  There are so many wonderful memories I have from this club: that first sunrise, my first race, the first medal my boat won, the first time I realized that I was not only surrounded by my teammates, but my friends, and countless other moments that I couldn’t even begin to describe. 

Through rowing, I learned what it truly means to work hard and persevere. I saw the progress in my erging and rowing.  I learned what it really meant to be a part of a team and how to be a leader.

Joining the LSU Rowing Club has by far been the decision I’ve made since coming to college and is an experience that I will never forget!

(Pictured from left to right: Allie Petit, Erin Petersen, Liz McGehee, Mikael Estis)

Erin Petersen
19-year-old French and International Studies Junior
Captain- Varsity Women

Why I Row: Marc Kemp

Marc's story is the first in a three-part series on current and past members' experience with joining the club. 

Upon graduating high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I performed my training in Great Lakes, Illinois as well as Virginia Beach, Virginia. Currently, I am a Master-at-Arms Petty Officer First Class serving in the Naval Security Forces unit at the Naval Air Station New Orleans. There I am tasked with anti-terrorism, force protection, law enforcement, and physical security. I am decorated a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Vigilant Mariner, both of which I completed from May 2009 until February 2010. I am also part of LSU Rowing.

I enrolled at LSU a few months after completing training for the U.S. Navy. During those arduous six months, I had grown accustomed to being surrounded by a large group of people who were extremely tight knit and passionate about a common goal. When I got to LSU, I lost that feeling of esprit de corps and I missed it greatly. I enjoyed my going to parties and hanging out with friends, but there was something missing. I yearned to be more involved at the school that I treasured so deeply. I missed being part of something bigger than myself.

 My first encounter with LSU Rowing was in my Louisiana French class when I saw a girl wearing a black jacket with “LSU Rowing” emblazoned on the back in purple and gold letters. I was unduly impressed.  There was just something mystifying about that jacket. Maybe it was because I had no idea that LSU had a crew team or maybe it was the visions of Olympic races complete with gold medals and our nation’s flag flying triumphantly in the wind. Either way, I decided that I wanted to learn more about this uncommon sport. After a few quick trips to Wikipedia and the UREC’s club sports website and I was ready to start rowing.  

I went to the LSU Organization Fair and searched out the rowing table. Once I found it, I was surrounded by enthusiastic members telling me about the sport that they truly enjoyed. I put my name down for attending the “Learn to Row” days and got excited. At the end of that week, I showed up at the LSU dock and was quickly thrust into a shell. Once I got over the unsteady rhythm of a boat full of aspiring rowers I was hooked. I loved gliding on glass-like water just inches below me. I enjoyed feeling the connection between my entire body and the thrill of fast through the water. After that short introductory session, I knew I’d found the sport in which I belonged.

I started showing up to practice at 6:00AM. It was early February and cold and dark out on the lake. The water stung when it splashed into the boat and my lungs ached as I took in the frigid air. But the people I was with made all of that disappear. Everyone moved in sync with each other in extreme coordination towards a common goal: to move the boat fast, very fast. The boat is like a clock. There are many moving pieces and if one is out of sync, the entire thing gets thrown out of balance. To this day I still love the sensation of gliding perfectly balanced after a few strokes with oars out of the water.

After weeks of practices we were finally ready to go to our first real race. We travelled together on a bus to Lake Lanier in Georgia. We set up camp in the parking lot, hoisted the American flag atop an old oar standing in as a flag pole and began to reassemble our boats. I mostly remember how nervous I was that day as we waited for race time. When it was finally time for our flight to launch everyone was ready. This was to be a great race. We started off strong and quickly sprinted past our competition, ensuring a first place win. The next day we repeated this success and won our second race. On the trip home everything seemed to have a glimmering gold sheen to it.

During my first season, amidst wins and losses,  I quickly learned that the members of this team made it special. With early morning practices, grueling erg workouts, road trips to races, the thrill of victory, and the despair of defeat it became clear to me that these folks were family. Everyone had my back, just as I had theirs. We push each other to be the best we can and don’t leave anyone behind who is having trouble. I realized that I found the exact thing that I was looking for. With LSU Rowing, I became part of something bigger than myself:  a winning institution that had the potential for exponential greatness. 

Marc Kemp

23-year-old Criminology Senior

Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class

Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Vigilant Mariner

State Regatta

Saturday Nov. 12 LSU, Northwestern State University and Tulane University competed in the biannual State Rowing Championships of Louisiana in New Orleans.

The race was the last of each team’s season and the first 2,000-meter race of the season. This race served as a preview for the spring sprint race season.

The venue was the New Orleans Outfall Canal. The navigable portion of the canal is just over 2,000 meters.

The canal is narrow, so races were separated into flights. All of the boats in the first flight would row to the starting line and wait for each of the races in flight one to finish. After every race finished, flight two launched and rowed to the start. There were three flights total.

Tulane won all events except the Men’s Varsity 4+, which was won by LSU, and the Novice 4+, which was won by Northwestern State.

The conditions in the canal proved to be problematic for participants. The first 500 meters of the racecourse were covered in a thick layer of duckweed and debris.

Rowing through the duckweed was difficult. It weighed down the oars and slowed the boats as they cut through the scum. By the end of the races in the second flight, boats and rowers were coated in a layer of green.

Several boats hit logs hidden under the duckweed. Those boats suffered broken skegs early in the race and struggled to navigate through the three bridges on the racecourse.

By the final flight, the wind had blown the weeds so far up the racecourse that races were shortened to 1,500 meters.

At the end of the day, equipment malfunctions cost each team at least one race.

When the conditions were taken into consideration, our team was proud of the results and hopeful for a strong 2K season in the spring.

A late lunch on the levee and an afternoon spent with teammates in sun made for the perfect end of the day and of the fall season.

Head of the Hooch- Trip Home/Game of the Century

Our team finished packing the trailer and boarded our charter bus to leave the race site by 5 p.m.

For this trip we rented a bus and paid an extra fee to have satellite TV so we could watch the LSU vs. Alabama football game. We, as dedicated LSU students, had been highly anticipating this game that had been dubbed The Game of the Century.

Everyone on the bus was excited to watch the game and cheer for the Tigers, even if we could not be in Tuscaloosa for the game.

When we got on the bus for the return trip, we immediately noticed a problem. When we switched the channel to CBS we were greeted with an all grey screen with the message, “No service. For subscription information call [Direct TV toll free number].”

Our captain made calls to Direct TV, the bus company, our coach who was driving separately with the trailer and numerous sports bars along the route home showing the game over the two hours until kickoff. As time and phone conversations wore on, it became increasingly doubtful that we would be able to watch the game.

An hour before kickoff, Jonathan Dejean, our captain and one of the most die hard LSU fans I know, announced that there was no way for us to watch the game. Instead we would be stopping for dinner as quickly as possible and re-boarding the bus to listen to the game on the radio.

I was devastated. I have been a devout LSU fan my entire life. I am a third generation LSU student. My grandfather was in Tiger Stadium on Halloween night when Billy Canon made his famous rumbling punt return. Both my mother and father were students at the “Earthquake Game” against Auburn in 1988. All of my family agreed; this game against Alabama was the most hyped game in memory.

To add to my angst, my father and brother had made the trip to watch the regatta and were staying an extra night with a family friend in Chattanooga. My coach had given me permission to stay with them an extra night and ride home separately from the team.

I debated whether I should stay or ride with the team. In the end a cramped bus seat, 15-inch screen and the guaranteed camaraderie of my 60 teammates trumped the promise of a warm bed and reliable high-definition cable.

As long as I got to watch the game I would be fine.

I silently brooded while I bought my dinner after Dejean made the announcement.

When we got back on the bus we tuned the radio to a station broadcasting the game. We were driving through Alabama at the time and the only station we could pick up was broadcasting out of Tuscaloosa as part of the Crimson Tide Sports Radio Network.

The homerism made me sick.

But as the game progressed my teammates and I became less frustrated with the situation and more anxious about the outcome.

When a big play happened we collectively groaned or cheered.

By the time the game went into overtime, the bus had reached Meridian, Mississippi and the edge of the radio range. The reception crackled in and out. The voice of the announcer was overwhelmed by static.

We heard bits and pieces of the commentary. It was first-and-ten. then there was some kind of penalty. All of the sudden Montgomery made a third-down sack and Alabama was lining up for a 52-yard field goal to take the lead.

When they missed we went nuts.

Everyone was standing in front of his or her seat with an ear pressed to a speaker straining to hear what happened when LSU had the ball.

The static got worse, but the words and phrases we caught from the Alabama announcers became more depressed. When we lined up for a field goal the station started to change to one playing oldies, but it faded back to the staticy broadcast of the game in time for us to hear “The kick is up… and good. The Alabama Crimson Tide has lost its first game of the season.”

The bus erupted.

As upset as I initially was that I did not get to watch the game and that I had not chosen to stay with my family in Chattanooga, I realize now that my experience Saturday night is one that I will value forever.

I have not touched on it much in this blog, but our team has always put fellowship first. We realize that we may not win every race or any regatta, but even if we were to do so those accomplishments would pale in comparison to the value of the tight-knit community of life-long friendships our team has created.

Saturday is a perfect example of that. I will probably forget what place my boat finished in my first Head of the Hooch within a matter of years.

But someday I will tell my grandchildren about my boat mates and I the night we didn’t watch The Game of the Century.

(photo courtesy of Courtney Mills)

Head of the Hooch- Race Day

Head of the Hooch

LSU Rowing competed in the “Last of the Great Fall Regattas,” Head of the Hooch, in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday Nov. 5.

(The hectic scene as some of the 1600+ boats entered in Head of the Hooch launch and recover)

The morning started with temperatures in the high 30s and an hour-long fog delay.

Once the fog lifted, the women’s varsity 8+ was the first of our boats to compete. Next was the men’s varsity 4+, followed by the men’s varsity 8+ and the men’s novice 8+.

(The LSU Men's Varsity 4+ as it approaches the 4000-meter mark)

In the afternoon temperatures reached the mid 60s and the gusts of wind that had made the race course choppy the day before were nonexistent. The women’s varsity 4+ and the women’s novice 8+ A and B boats enjoyed the improved weather for their races in the afternoon.

Overall the results were underwhelming. Our boats finished in the middle of the pack in virtually all of the races.

The pool of talent at this race was unlike anything we had ever seen in head racing. The women’s college club novice 8+ division had 49 entrants, Earlier in the season at Hobbs Island, the same division had only eight boats entered.

(A shot of boats approaching the finish of the Women's Novice 8+ event)

The places we finished in each race may have been disappointing, but the weekend as a whole was immensely rewarding.

We competed in this year’s largest regatta in the country. We had a great time watching a day full of rowing among a close-knit group of friends at the most beautiful venue I could have imagined.

Our expectations for next year will without a doubt be raised. But for now we will head into the home stretch of the fall season content with this year’s experience in Chattanooga.

(All photos courtesy of Courtney Mills)

Head of the Hooch- Arrival/Practice Session

This weekend LSU Rowing traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Head of the Hooch Regatta.

We groggily boarded a charter bus at our dock at 2:30 a.m. and made the long drive to Chattanooga. We arrived at the race site around 3:00 to see the most competitors we had ever seen.

Everything about this race is big.

The Head of the Hooch is the second largest regatta in the country. More than 1,200 boats have entered. In comparison, the Hobbs Island Regatta that we participated in earlier in the season had only 152 entries.

(Crews set out their oars near the launch dock to ease the launching process on race day.)

The river is big. We will be rowing on the Tennessee River as it passes through downtown Chattanooga. At Hobbs Island we rowed on the Tennessee as well, but we stayed in a small channel sheltered from the wind and waves of the main stream.

The venue is picturesque. The racecourse ends in the middle of downtown Chattanooga. Crews will row past the Hunter Art Museum, Tennessee Aquarium, the Bluff View Art District and numerous parks along the river.

The sheer volume of boats trying to launch for practice sessions before the race made things difficult this afternoon. A few of the boats LSU Rowing planned on racing tomorrow did not get to practice.

The crews that did get to practice experienced what I found to be the most beautiful rowing venue I have encountered in my short rowing career. The water was clear. The trees covering the mountains lining the racecourse were displaying their brilliant fall colors. Beautiful buildings sat atop steep cliffs along the river. The sky was clear, there was a slight breeze and the temperature was just cool enough.

Everyone, whether they rowed today or not, is looking forward to tomorrow’s races.

(Photo courtesy of Courtney Mills)