It was a warm Thursday, filled with the normal school work, homework, and crew practice. The day started out just like days past, with waking up late for class and breakfast, but what I was really looking forward to was crew practice and dinner afterwards, where I could eat to my heart’s content. While eating some overcooked chicken with the usual staple of rice, I was in discussion with a few friends on the social activities for the night. Our friend, Steve, kept going on and on about heading up to Sonoma State to visit some friends, and about all the fun we would have if all of us went. However, in the back of my mind I knew that it would be absolutely insane to go out on a Thursday night when we, as a team, had practice tomorrow morning at five a.m. and a rowing regatta on Saturday at Newport Beach, near Los Angeles, where we would need to leave on Friday and spend the night in Newport Beach.
It was difficult to turn him down, and it was even more difficult to say no to the rest of my friends. Their arguments were impressive and trying to contend with their reasoning, such as, “We won’t even go on the water” or “We’ll just be packing the boats up on the trailer,” was extremely difficult. However, I held my ground by arguing the more people who show up to help, the faster we will finish, hopefully leading to some short but critical water time before the race. In the end, I was able to talk my way out of going while at the same time causing them to re-think their future plans. Little did I know I was in for a not-so-pleasant surprise.
My father would always remind me, “Son, almost nothing good happens past midnight,” and boy was he right. While sitting down in the game room at the Upper Residence Hall, I received a call from my friend, who was on the fence about going to Sonoma State. In a quiet and quick voice, he recalled the events that had taken place in the last couple of hours. After talking with him for about three minutes, I learned that both Steve and Jeff were both in jail under public drunkenness, open container, and minor in possession, and there was no way they would be able to be at practice and possibly be on time for the bus leaving to Newport Beach.
If they weren’t there at the race, seven other rowers would not be able to row. Crew is the ultimate team sport, because each rower relies on the person next to them. If one person doesn’t show up for practice, then the boat does not go on the water, which is very important for our team due to the limiting water and wind conditions we already face.
I did what I think every person on the crew team would do. I told coach that both Steve and Jeff were in jail in Sonoma and couldn’t make it to practice and possibly the regatta. The main reason I chose to tell coach and not withhold my information was simple: It would be a waste of money and time for both the rowers who were not complete idiots and the coaches. What I did was the right thing to do, however, I believe any person with a sense of what is right and a sense of otherness would do the same.
In the end, both Steve and Jeff were “joking” and had not been arrested. They only wanted to make fun of how serious I was about a sport I love. I now remind them almost daily how immature and unfunny their sense of humor is.
