Waves crash against a boat as a group of girls rows in complete synchronization, gliding across the water. This a regular day at practice for Grace Nordling (’28) with MAC rowing, a rowing club based in Marina Del Rey. Nordling said she has developed her skills as a rower in just over seven months of training. She has participated in meets, which have helped her grow as an athlete. Nordling practices at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center in Marina Del Rey daily from 4:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
The Oracle sat down with Nordling to discuss her rowing journey and her upcoming goals.
When did you start rowing, and what drew you to it?
Grace Nordling [GN]: I started rowing this September, and I started because my dad used to be a coxswain in college, which is the person who steers the boat and tells everyone what to do. He told me he thought I would be really good at it, so I decided to give it a try. I liked it during tryouts and stuck with it ever since.
How have you developed as an athlete so far this year?
[GN]: From September to now, I feel I have developed a lot in the past. Just getting on the rowing machine was really hard, but I’ve noticed progress with that because it’s slowly starting to get easier for me. Also, just little things like being able to run longer distances or other things that I wasn’t able to do before are just really cool to see how I was versus how I am now.
What struggles have you faced since starting rowing?
[GN]: Sometimes, I don’t [qualify for] the boat I put a lot of hard work into, or a [workout] can be too hard to the point where you throw up or pass out, which has actually happened to me before. At times, you’re just not feeling well on the boat, which can be an issue. Recently, I got heat stroke from it being too hot when I was rowing, but that was only a onetime occurrence.
What is something you wish people knew about your sport?
[GN]: It’s a lot harder than it looks. When everything looks in sync, it can look really cool, but it’s a very hard pulling sport that’s hard on your legs. It looks a little weird, but I think people should just watch it because it’s actually really fun and can bring you together as a team.
What is a highlight from this season so far?
[GN]: I got to go to San Diego with my age group’s varsity boat, which was really cool for me to experience that, especially with more experienced girls. We ended up winning the semifinals and coming in third in the finals. The San Diego Classic is a big deal because colleges are there, and it’s a huge deal in rowing, so it was cool to do that with my boat. I’m going to regionals and maybe even nationals in Florida, which they ended up winning last year, so I hope I get to do that again.
