Everything Orange
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Everything Orange
Hannah Smith
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Hannah Smith has been an integral component to Tennessee Rowing’s rapid rise to the top of the sport, most recently reaching new heights with the program’s first SEC title and No. 1 ranking.
With the NCAA Championships on deck, Smith joins the Everything Orange podcast to discuss the Lady Vols’ national-championship aspirations, how she’s seen the program transform over the past four seasons, and why she believes Tennessee Rowing is poised for sustained success.
I mean, my freshman year I was unranked. And so to genuinely see what it takes to go from one to the other has been really, really cool to see and be a part of. I feel so lucky. I feel like I am at my dream school and got my dream coaches and my dream rowing experience. But it's been really fun.
SPEAKER_02Hey y'all, welcome back to the Everything Orange podcast. As spring sports slowly start to come to a close and summer is right around the corner. We've got a program doing some big things out on the water, including winning an SEC championship title for the first time in program history. And one of those leaders on the team has seen the program grow from when she started here as a freshman all the way into a national championship contender, number one ranking Tennessee rowing team in her senior season. And she's here on the podcast with us today to talk about what the past four years have meant to her on Rocky Top, what it was like to finally see all the hard work culminate into a championship, and what this group of girls and coaching staff has meant to her and her career. So please welcome to the Everything Orange podcast, Hannah Smith. Hannah Smith, welcome to the Everything Orange Podcast. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. I'm so excited to have you on. We have some really big, exciting things to talk about with you, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself because I want to ask and start off with some fun questions first. We'll start off with what's something rowing has taught you about yourself.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Um, that's a big one. I think it's taught me so, so much. Um, I think my uh my biggest thing is just to trust the process and be patient and take time and know that good things do take a lot of time.
SPEAKER_02What's one TV show or movie that you can re-watch over and over and over?
SPEAKER_01Ooh. Um Okay, I really like the Hunger Game series. Okay, that's a good one. For some reason, just I can always go back to that and re-watch it.
SPEAKER_02If your teammates gave you a superlative, what would it be?
SPEAKER_01Um, I usually am the one that gets a little bit more stressed before races, so I usually get a little bit more internal and like quiet. So probably something along the lines of just like the like more quiet one who's just a little bit more reserved.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I would say. What's been your favorite memory at Tennessee so far?
SPEAKER_01Oh gosh. Um, I mean, winning SECs is definitely like it has to take take it for sure. I mean, that was just so so incredible. But honestly, when everyone asks me that question, I always think about this one time, my sophomore year, and it was our first year with Kim and our new coaching staff, and it was during fall camp. So it was kind of the first time we had a really heavy training load, and it was a lot, and we were really tired. But on the last day, we ended up going out, and it was three eights across, and it was really competitive. And I just remember kind of looking across and being really excited and being like, wow, I get to be a part of this really competitive team, and it had been something I had always dreamed about and wanted to be a part of, and so I just always look back and recognize that moment, and especially in times like this, um, just how far we've come as a team, and that moment just meant a lot to me, and I I think about it a lot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and knowing the potential that this group could all the things you guys could achieve, knowing in that moment, like, okay, we have something special, which is really cool. Yeah, if you weren't a rubber, what sport do you think you would play?
SPEAKER_01I played basketball or something. I tried it for a while. I actually played for eight years, and it wasn't that good, but I did love it. Like it was fun to play. Yeah. That's awesome. So I feel like I would go back to that just for the fun of it.
SPEAKER_02What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, um, I'm a graphic design major.
SPEAKER_02So I really when I was doing my research, I didn't see that. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I really love uh just like the creative problem solving process and like trying to find different visual solutions. Um, and that's just inside of me that I really like. That's really cool.
SPEAKER_02What is your favorite thing about being a part of the rowing team?
SPEAKER_01I mean it's the team. Like those girls, it's just there's nothing like it. And I feel grateful every day to be a part of such a competitive and special group of people. I mean, these are the funniest girls I've ever met, and they're just so fun to be around. And um I feel grateful that I get to do it every day and be with them. So there's that's the best part. I'm gonna miss them the most. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Are you a morning person or has rowing kind of made you become a morning person?
SPEAKER_01It has not made me a morning person, but I can appreciate them. Like I do love getting up and getting my things going, and like I appreciate it after, but it doesn't make it easier. Like I still love my sleep in the past.
SPEAKER_02What what 5, 6 a.m. like wake up time for you? What is it normally?
SPEAKER_01No, we usually waking up in the six somewhere in there. Yeah, we you know, our coaches value sleep and they understand it, and so they're good about letting us get that sleep.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but yeah, that still comes super early. Yeah. Especially when it's a cold morning, it comes really early. Yes. Um, and lastly, what is one word your teammates would use to describe you?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, um committed.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. That's great. I've heard that word a few times, so that's it. Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, as a senior, Hannah, you finally got to, it feels like, reach the mountaintop with this team. And you guys earned an SEC championship title the other weekend. Congratulations again. Has that sunk in yet that you are an SEC champion?
SPEAKER_01Um, I have to remind myself a lot and remember it. It's very easy to get moving on to the next thing. And so I think we're as a team, we've had to be very intentional, be like, let's remember what we did and enjoy it and celebrate it. Um, yeah, but it was crazy, just yeah, it was crazy. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's the first SEC conference title that Tennessee Rowing has won, and the first conference title in general since 2012 when the program was in the conference USA. How does it feel knowing that this group made history and you got to make it with such a special group of young women around you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it means the world. We this fall we came in and we we we set goals that we had and where we wanted to be at the end of the year, and we've really ridden that all year long. And these girls have just they've we've held each other accountable, we've pushed each other through. And so to be up on the stage with everyone and and celebrating um was just incredible. Um, and it was just a full team effort too, which is amazing. Like those uh the depth of our team really showed, and so it's just so rewarding to see everyone get to celebrate and enjoy that.
SPEAKER_02Well, you kind of teased it a little bit, and I want to dive into it more because it was it was an incredible competition and it was super competitive from start to finish. Tennessee and Texas were going back and forth, it just felt like all morning. Could you feel throughout the regatta that it was gonna come down to the final wire wire between the number one and the number three team in the country?
SPEAKER_01A little bit. Um, we so you kind of you since the first eight races last, we had a little bit of an understanding of where points were and how we were looking before our race. So we we launched, and the first two races had gone that we had won, and then we were launching as the 2v4 raced, and we saw we were right there at the um at the entrance to the race course when we saw them kind of make their move and overtake Texas in the last 500, which was just so fun to watch, right, and hype us up right before our race. Um, and so we were doing our warm-up and we kind of processed and we're like, okay, regardless of how the four and the two V did, if we win this race, we win the SEC championship. And so we kind of we went in knowing that, like, okay, no matter what has happened, like we can do this. And we already knew that going into it before anyone else's races. Um, but it was super that just gave you that little extra bit of, okay, here we go. Like, we've got this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it it's a different um type of competition and knowing that, like, how the points were falling, how your teammates were doing, and what what was at stake going into your race? And you kind of mentioned that it gave you guys a little bit of this extra momentum and energy seeing them finish the way that they did right before you, and knowing, like, okay, if we just do our job, we can take home the SEC championship title. What were your coaches, what advice were your coaches giving you all? And what were maybe the conversations in the boat as you guys were about to to take on this race?
SPEAKER_01Um, there's just a lot of good energy in the boat. Like, we're just, you know, you're kind of you're calling out, I'm calling out Flan's name from the stern and like Yaflan, and they're calling back to me, and we're just kind of like hyping each other up. And there's been a few days leading up to that of just like that same energy and like believing in each other and really just um believing in confidence and what we can do. And I think that really carries a lot of it when you can feel it from one another, and you you know the person in front of you and behind you is also like right on the same page. It's just there's nothing like that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Can you explain the significance of the 1v8 boat for people that might not know, especially in a in a championship setting, and and what uh that looks like for you all uh competing in the in the final race?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, the one V is the most points, and so especially at NCAs, there's it holds a lot of weight because um the for example, let's say the if the two V and the four both get first, they're the same amount of points as one 1v win. So it kind of can really like change a race or cancel something out if it's a battle between three third, second, and and first point place wise. So we do hold a lot more um points that can alter a result.
SPEAKER_02Yes. And so you row in the 1v8 bow, which has been dominant in this, you know, back half stretch of the season. The 1v8 crew has won every race since the Rocky Top invite and beat its eighth ranked opponent of the season at SECs. What has made your boat so consistent this year?
SPEAKER_01I mean, we've been rowing together for a long time. Um, there's four of us in that boat that have been in this 1v boat um for three years now. Um, two of them have been in this boat for for four, their whole time here. Um, and then the girls that come in are just we're a very adaptable team. And so anyone that comes in this boat knows how to row with one another, and we really pride ourselves on that and how we can mix and row together and kind of get behind whoever is setting a rhythm and whoever is behind us or in front of us. And I think that really sets us up for success when you're able to adapt and just work with the girls in your boat. Um, I think that says a lot about how we've been able to show up all season. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So going back to the championship, when your boat crossed the finish line, did you know, did the team know in that moment that you guys had placed first and it was over and you guys won the championship title? Or did you get back to land and the points all came through and then you realized, oh my gosh, we just did this?
SPEAKER_01No, we knew because we knew about the um the earlier boats and like how those point systems work. And so we were like, okay, if we win this race, we win the championship. And so we crossed that line and we were like, okay, we won the whole thing. And so then you just hear the whole everyone cheering on the cross uh on land, and it's just was so special.
SPEAKER_02What was it like when you did get out of the boat and you got to celebrate with the team and just realize what you really had just done?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was it was very emotional. It was like I kind of went back to just um like a lot of my like early years and the dreams that I had and things I wanted to do. Um, I'd always, always dreamed about like having people swim out to us on a boat for winning a race, and that's something I've kind of always done as I I visualize races. And so that was just like I really tried to soak that in and enjoy it and make the most of it, but just so many hugs and so many um just great moments, especially with some of the girls that I've been here for four years with. Um, just the way that we've been able to watch this program grow. Um, it just it was just very rewarding. Um, and I just wanted to embrace it all. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You mentioned earlier that it wasn't just one boat that was able to accomplish this, it was a team effort, a whole group effort. Because Tennessee had wins with the 1v8, the 2v4, the 3v8, and the 3v4. You you did touch about it, but like what is how does that really speak to the depth and the culture of this group when you guys are able to have success across the board like that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I mean, we really emphasize at Tennessee that there's no slow boat at Tennessee and that it really shows in these kinds of races, and it's so awesome to see that for all the girls on the team because everyone here works so hard and puts so much effort in. And so I think when we say that it's a team effort, sometimes it's hard to believe that, but then you get to see these moments where it actually shows, and it's like, yeah, this wouldn't have been done without every single girl on this team, whether they raced or not, and whether they were in one boat or the other, it's it takes everyone, and I I'm grateful that we get these opportunities to show that.
SPEAKER_02Is there one moment from the weekend, um, whether like before, during, or after, that really stands out to you and will stay with you when it comes to looking back on the SEC championship memory?
SPEAKER_01I think seeing my dad, I think that was just really special. Um, I feel like he's just like, I mean, my mom too, they're my biggest supporters, and so and they know everything about my story, they know everything, and they know how much we've put into this, and they have also gotten me here. I wouldn't be here without them. And so to celebrate them in that with them in that moment was really special.
SPEAKER_02And a performance like that helped Tennessee Rowing claim the number one spot in the CRCA rankings for the first time in program history. What does that say about the talent of this group and knowing like all the hours, all the behind the scenes work that you guys had put in is showing up uh with a reward like that?
SPEAKER_01It's super rewarding. Um I really don't have words. Like it's I mean, it was to see that kind of result come in and see the posts for number one was so exciting, and I was so happy that everyone got to celebrate in that. Our group chat was very excited, and it was kind of just like you did that, like you did that. Like we were all just really celebrating each other and the work that we've done all year, and so it was really cool to see everyone get to enjoy that and take in that moment because again, it just it is a full team effort, and so we got to get there as a team.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. And and you know, the work didn't just stop there because now you guys have turned the page and looked ahead to NCAAs, which is coming up very soon, May 29th, down at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, for the championships where you guys earned in at-large berth, securing a top eight seed in all three NCAA championship boats for the third consecutive season. What is the mindset of this group right now? Uh, knowing what's ahead for you guys and the opportunity that lies with that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I mean, we're full force, getting ready for it. We're super, we're doing everything we can. We're very intentional, we're super excited, I think. Um you couldn't ask to be in a better position going into NCAs. And so I think we're taking that on and um we're not hindered by it at all. I think we're very excited, and it's kind of fun to still somehow feel a bit like the underdog going in in a way. So that's really fun.
SPEAKER_02I was gonna ask about that because I feel like you guys have just had this underdog mentality all season long, but now with the number one spot, does it like there's a target on your back when it comes to other teams and knowing, like, oh, Tennessee, like they they've shown that they can do it. Um, does that give you guys any like added, you know, momentum or fire under you guys to to say no? Like, we still have a lot of proof to ourselves, not to anybody else.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I would say that's exactly how we're taking it. It's um, it's just like momentum and fuel to the fire. It's something that's kind of keeping us going and like hyping us up. Um, and so it's really fun to have that and being in that position. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Uh Tennessee has posted back-to-back top five finishes at the NCAA championships the past two seasons, which has been historic for this program. What do you believe has been the biggest reason for you guys being able to sustain that high-level elite level of competition for two back-to-back seasons, and now you can even say that going into a third with this year?
SPEAKER_01I think it's a mix of culture and training. Um, we we train really well and we do a lot that allows us to be ready for racing and to compete at this standard. Um, and that's not by accident, like we're very intentional with that. Um, but then also we yeah, we create a culture that wants to go out there and perform well, and that takes the whole body of the team to do, and I think everyone um creates that and gets everyone ready to race, and so it's really fun when that kind of all comes together, and I think they're both equally as important when it comes to being able to perform at the level we are. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Now NCAAs is a multiple-day event, right? Can you talk about the challenge mentally, physically that NCAAs is and the buildup to you know a culmination of all of the hard work you guys have been putting in since August?
SPEAKER_01Definitely a very different thing than SECs or a one-time race. And that's definitely goes back to again our fitness because again, anyone can do one race, but to be able to show up three in a row takes a different level of fitness. Um, but again, that's what we train and what we're prepared for, and so and we're very confident about that going in, um, and we understand that. And so, again, that's also sort of the fun thing is a lot of um that that wasn't just a one-time race sort of at SECs, and we are ready for for three. Um, yeah.
SPEAKER_02For you, knowing it's your senior year, what would it mean for this group to be able to be able to cap off your senior year in a historic fashion?
SPEAKER_01It would mean the world. I mean, um, I don't even know if I have words to describe it, but it's it would just it would mean so much, and who doesn't want to end that way? You know?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Right. I want to manifest that energy for you, but I also don't want to like jinx it, so I'm just gonna leave it there. Um, but senior year, it's crazy that like it's already coming to a close for you, not quite yet, but all we're almost there. How special has this past season on Rocky Top been for you in your senior campaign?
SPEAKER_01It's been it's been so special, and I've been very intentional this year to to appreciate it and soak it in. Um, and even in those more difficult moments, just really enjoy them and step back and appreciate what's here because I really have enjoyed my time here and I've loved it, and um I don't want to take that for granted. So very much trying to to appreciate that. Um and I mean it's regardless of result-wise, it's I think my my per my my intention and I know my purpose here is to to make a difference in people's lives. And so if I feel like I can leave and if I left this year and encouraged someone or like made someone's day better, I feel like that's enough of a win for me. And trust me, I'm the first one to to want to to to go for this uh upcoming weekend. But um yeah, at the end of the day, what I'm gonna look back in 20 years is okay, how did I make a difference in people's lives and what um my the friendships and the people are what I'm gonna think about? And so I was very intentional to approach this year with that mindset and wasn't always perfect, but I I really tried to.
SPEAKER_02When you think of little Hannah coming onto campus as a freshman, just starting out in college to where you are now, what stands out to you the most about the growth that you've seen in yourself, not not only as an athlete, but also as a person?
SPEAKER_01I've definitely become more confident. I used to be very quiet. Um, and I still am. I'm still more reserved, but I think some of that's just me considering what I say. But I used to actually be very fearful of speaking out, and so um I've seen myself grow into a position of more confidence, and um yeah, I'm I've seen a lot of that, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I know you obviously were a VAL leader because we were on the trip last summer together. Yes. But do you think also going through an academy like that has helped you like find your confidence, find your identity, find your voice in that way as well, being able to build up leadership skills through that program?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I have looked back on that. The so Vall Leaders they give us a book of information and we read it in the first semester of the class. And um I've looked back on that book so many times this year. I've shared some of the concepts in there with my coaches too when we've been working on things just to help the team. Um, but one of them that I think kind of connects with what I was just sharing is the concept of the small sprocket. So, like you have all these gears and one tiny one can make all this whole system move and all these things happen. And I think I connect with that one a lot and try to look back on that because you know, what is one fist bump or one high five to someone or just one encouragement? How can that change the culture of a team and you know, shift everything? And I really try to, I think that's the one I've tried to embrace the most this past year.
SPEAKER_02When you look back on this season, what are some moments that are gonna stand out to you?
SPEAKER_01Some of my favorites are always the van rides before races. I that is probably my most favorite moment ever. Just for we're hyping each other up, we're listening to music and getting ready because you know, we go from hotel to course and there's just that standing period of time, and it's that's always my favorite. I love that uh no matter what. Um, I think we've had some great team meetings as well, where there's just been some. I mean, again, our team is is so funny and they just always bring out the best in each other. Um, and so we've done some some different like team building things that have been really fun as well. Um, and then it's just, I mean, it's the day-to-day. Like that's always gonna stand out to me is the little things and the little conversations that you have with people that I'll cherish forever. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What has it meant representing the Lady Vols the past four years here on Rocky Top?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's been so special. I feel so privileged to be a part of this community and be kind of in this legacy of Lady Vols. Um has been so, so fun. And to kind of be able to be a part of especially our team's chapter in that and sort of set some some history with it has been super fun to be a part of.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, because you were here during the program's changing of eras and a new head coach. Where have you seen the biggest differences, I guess, and and where the program is now, and not just the success that we're seeing, but you mentioned the culture. Um, but thinking of like how it has evolved and grown into what it is today.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think grown is the biggest word and the best word. Um it continues to be just a team of really like committed girls who who love each other, and I think that's only grown, and that's really what's um brought us to where we are now. Of course, there's there's training and there's coaching and there's all these other things that come into it. Um, but it takes the girls too. Yeah. And um it's really cool to see how we've all just come together these past few years. I mean, that transition was so crazy, but we really all just committed to it and it made something beautiful out of it. And um, I wouldn't have asked for any sort of a different experience.
SPEAKER_02And it seems like every year that you've been here, like Tennessee rowing has just climbed a step further every single year nationally, and being able to compete at such an elite level. What's it been like watching this program grow into now a national contender in the sport?
SPEAKER_01Um, mind blowing. I mean, my freshman year I was unranked, and so to genuinely see that step up and also understand uh what it takes to go from one to the other has been really, really cool to see and be a part of. Um I feel so lucky. I feel like I am at my dream school and got my dream coaches and my dream rowing experience. And so um, yeah, it's been really crazy to see see that rise. And I know a lot of the girls that came in on this team with our new staff, um, they also have been able to see that too. They came from a school that was, I believe, ranked ninth or tenth. And so they've also been able to be a part of this this growth. And again, it's just all of us coming together with this determination and this goal. Um, but it's been really fun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Coach Kim Capini, too, she has uh been at the forefront of leading this team to a historic success over the past three seasons. What has her mentorship, her coaching, her guidance meant to you during your rowing career here?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I don't really have enough words to like explain that. I I'm really, really grateful for Kim. Um she has helped me so, so much. I we've talked a lot about ideas, um, and again, a lot of that comes a bit from Vol Leaders and stuff, where I've just I think a lot and I have a lot of ideas for the team and um can sort of see where how things are doing, and I I have a lot of thoughts, and so she helps me kind of toss ideas around. And um she's just an incredible coach who again like is on that leadership front, but also just she knows what she's doing, and you can tell that, and the whole team trusts her, um, which says a lot, and I um wouldn't want to have any other coach, is I guess the best way to put it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's really cool to hear that she like amplifies your voice, your like the the athletes on her team, like she wants it to be a player-led team where you guys have uh the opportunity to share like your thoughts or your feelings or your ideas with her, and she's open to it and receptive to it and implementing it into the program. Um, how do you think that that having that relationship has helped the team culture, knowing that your your input, your voice, your opinion is valued by your head coach?
SPEAKER_01I think it's super important, and I also think it says a lot about her and her leadership style, um, and to be able to be receptive to feedback and to welcome it and to to listen to it and then also, you know, apply it if it deems fit, is it says a lot about who she is as a leader and how she cares about our team. Um, especially though, you know, being a team with a larger size, it is very important to have that because there's no way that any one leader um is gonna know how everyone is doing or how something's going. And so I think it's she does rely on that in a way to to know how to, you know, how to take care of the team and how to move us forward.
SPEAKER_02Now, I want to kind of wrap up with just talking about the sport of rowing and also talking about like how you found the sport of rowing because you said you played basketball growing up as well. But when did rowing enter the picture for you? And when did it click that you were like, wait, this is what I love and what I want to pour all of my passion into?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I started my freshman year of high school and very quickly fell in love with it. I had some some really great leaders in high school who just brought me in and really encouraged me and motivated me. And then I just found myself really committed to it, and it was something that I enjoyed doing and I enjoyed putting extra hours into. And so when you find something like that, you know there's something there and something special. And so I kind of, you know, went down that path and recognized, hey, I think I I can I can do this in college, and it's just yeah, we went from there.
SPEAKER_02What was it specifically about Rowan that you loved the most about it compared to other sports that you had tried?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, again, it's the team and the culture. I had a great high school team, um, great high school coaches, and that whole just the whole concept of what this sport is as a team has always been so special to me. Um, it's a fun sport too. Um, there's so much fun in it. Racing is so much fun, training is fun, even when it's you know difficult, but I love the difficult. Like there's times where we're doing these these workouts, and I'm like, but I'm having fun. Like I kind of I kind of this sucks, but I enjoy it. Like, and so that's kind of you know, when you know, like, okay, I'm in the right place and I'm doing something that I really enjoy. And so um just all of that kind of came together, and that's just how you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, was rowing big in your community? Because like to have a high school team have rowing as a sport, I like that's I feel like unique, at least from where I grew up in Virginia.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, not really. No, we have there's like a it's about a 4K loop lake in my in my town next to my high school. So that provided a great opportunity for it to be something there. Um, but it wasn't huge, wasn't a big thing. Um, scholastic school or high school rowing isn't as big as most people come from clubs. Okay. So um that was a definitely a unique experience on that end, um, just from most girls that I know who have rode in the US. But um, yeah.
SPEAKER_02What do you enjoy most about the sport that people from the outside might not realize? Like whether it's a practice or whether it's being out on the water, like for those that aren't as familiar with the sport, what would you say that that that is for you?
SPEAKER_01I would say it's like the moment that the boat clicks and there's just this kind of rhythm and flow that happens that is just it's so fun. Even when you're going hard, it's just sustainable. And it's there's no way to describe the feeling, but it's just easy and light. So I guess that is describing it. But um, it's just um that feeling is so so much fun. Um, and that's kind of it's it's this rewarding feeling of okay, we've worked for this, we've been working on our tech and our rhythm, and it kind of all comes together and it makes it really, really fun.
SPEAKER_02What is one of the toughest parts about the sport, knowing how physically demanding it is that others might not?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, I mean, the training is difficult. It takes a lot of work and it a lot of hours and meters. Um, yeah, I mean, that's the I would say that. And then, you know, you gotta add some mental fortitude onto there to get through it. Um, and there's always, I mean, anything easy or anything worth it isn't easy. And so um I think that's very accurate for this sport.
SPEAKER_02And how does trust and chemistry play into this as well when you do have eight people working towards the same thing and having to be on the same page to achieve that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, chemistry is the biggest thing when you can feel the energy in your boat and how everyone's doing and and feeding off of that plays such a big role in in that energy and that rhythm of the boat, and it's so fun. I love when we get into to moments and we do a lot of yups on this team. So even if we're on land or in the water, we're yupping to each other during a workout and it just kind of keeps the vibes going. Obviously, we have coxswains too who are great and super important in that role for for energy and and keeping us going, which is always fun. Um, but yeah.
SPEAKER_02If someone watching this episode is interested in rowing for the first time, what would you tell them to encourage them to try it out?
SPEAKER_01Um, do it. Go find a club, go find uh a learn to row or something. Um, I really encourage you to try it. It's it's super fun, and I don't think you'll regret it.
SPEAKER_02Go to the local gym and try out the machines too and just get a free. For sure. Yeah. Um, but you mentioned, I'll wrap up with this, that you mentioned family and having your parents done at SECs and how special of a moment that was. How much has their support meant to you throughout your entire journey, the past four years and prior to your rowing career and just your development and and you know, growth as a person?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, I mean, I feel like I won the parent jackpot. Like I love my parents so much, and they've been so, so important to me and such a big part of my life. Um and they know everything. Like they've they've seen this whole journey, and yeah, just my whole life. They've just done such a good job of of raising me and taking care of me and teaching me. Um, and I don't think I could ask for any sort of better parents. They've done just such a great job and investing in me and supporting me.
SPEAKER_02Are they gonna be able to make it down to Georgia for NCAs? Yeah, um, there'll be a whole like trail of cars following you guys once you make it down there, which is so exciting.
SPEAKER_01Yes, hopefully there is a sea of bright orange.
SPEAKER_02Yes, no, and then we'll be able to spot them easily too, which is great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, good luck, Hannah. I hope it all goes so well. We'll be cheering you guys on back here in Knoxville, but um, good luck, and I'm so excited for you and what the future holds for you. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01I appreciate it.