Although Adrianna Rosario, a senior legal studies major, discovered a talent for rowing later in life, it hasn’t stopped her from excelling in the sport.
Before joining the rowing team at NSU, Rosario had no experience with rowing.
“I didn’t even have a minute of experience,” said Rosario. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I ended up being really good at it.”
But with her talent for the sport, Rosario was able to experience success early on in her rowing career, competing with NSU at the National Championship meet in 2013 as a novice.
She said, “I was one of the three freshmen who went to Nationals when we won the National Championship. It was a really big accomplishment for me.”
Rosario not only has big expectations for herself in rowing but also in academics. In addition to being a legal studies major, Rosario has also taken on minors in philosophy and graphic design.
Rosario tries to incorporate her passions and talents into her academic endeavors.
She said, “Philosophy classes involve a lot of the legal studies curriculum, so many legal studies majors have philosophy minors, and that’s what I did, and then I tried to pick something else that tailored more to my artistic side, so I tried graphic design, and I ended up loving it.”
Rosario is very involved on campus as president of Delta Phi Epsilon and a member of a number of other clubs and organizations.
I got the chance to sit down with Rosario and ask her a few questions.
How did you decide on the legal studies track?
“Legal studies was something that I thought I would be good at ― my dad said I would be ― so I just went with it. I didn’t want to come in undecided, so I stuck with it because the further along I went, the more I loved it. So now I’m applying to law schools, so that’s kind of the future for me.”
How did you get into rowing?
“Being local, rowing is not really a big thing down here. I had never done it before. I played soccer my entire life and also did marching band, so definitely not anything related to rowing. I was originally planning on going to University of Miami, but couldn’t afford it. But in the time that I had been planning to go to UM, they had started recruiting me for the rowing team because I fit their physical profile. But once I decided that I was actually going to go to NSU, I found out that they had a rowing team, too, so I just put my foot forward. My freshman year I was a novice, and I ended up being the only novice that stayed from my year, and I stuck with it for all four years.”
What’s your favorite part of rowing?
“I’m an artistic person, so there’s a lot of art that goes into the competition of rowing. It’s different than any other sport. It’s non-contact, but it’s still a team sport. It’s kind of the ultimate team sport in that every single little motion that you do has to be synchronized with every other person in the boat and anytime that you’re on the water you have to be completely synchronized and in tune with every one of your boat mates. So I feel that makes it artistic in the way that it’s completely different than anything else. I feel like I connect with that part of rowing really well and that’s what makes me appreciate it.”
What do you think is the hardest part of rowing?
“The hardest part is definitely the mental game. The entire 2000 meters, which is the length of competitive course, is basically a sprint. Track runners can really relate to this; you know you have a goal, but the work it takes to get through that entire 2000 meters is extremely stressful and painful on your body, and you need to have the mental stamina to push yourself through that finish line. It is so hard to do ― it’s such a hard sport, and that’s why I’m the only novice from my year left. Not a lot of people can do that. To do that and be successful is awesome, but it’s also very challenging.”
Are there any specific motivational tools you use to keep up that mental toughness?
“Not personally, but it’s my teammates really. In rowing, there’s a coxswain [who’s] usually the smaller person who sits at the stern of the boat and instructs and motivates [the team] during the entire piece. Throughout that, the coxswain is really the person who can control where our mentality is throughout the piece. So individually, we can be very mentally tough, but the coxswain is really the one who holds us all together; she’s the one that reminds you that you are doing this for your teammates. Just relying on my teammates and trusting that they are giving 100 percent is really the only thing I use for motivation.”
Do you have any coaches in your rowing career who have been influential?
“I’d have to say my first ever rowing coach. He really motivated me to stick with the sport and showed me that I had the potential to be a really good rower and excel on this team. I had a lot of doubts about whether or not I was going to stay, especially since I was the last one left, and I felt kind of out of place at a certain point in my freshman year. I was really unsure about sticking with the sport. But he really listened to everything I had to say, listened to my concerns and helped me get through a rough patch that I was going through. He’s the reason that I was able to stay on the team and grow to love the sport.”
On the rare occasion that you do have free time, what do you enjoy doing?
“I hang out with my brother a lot. He’s on the men’s soccer team here. I like to see my family and hang out with them a lot. I’m planning to go away for law school, so I try to see them as much as I can. Other than that, I’m a musical person. I was in band, so I like to hop on the piano and play, or I drum. I just like to do musical stuff. I just do what makes me happy and surround myself with the people who make me happy, and that’s the way that I live my life.”
