What’s your opinion of rowing couples/coxswain-rower couples? Especially teammates?
My initial thought is that I don’t think they’re a good idea. Rower-rower ones are less detrimental to the team than coxswain-rower ones, in my opinion, but I think the general consensus it that they’re still inadvisable. If you’re a coxswain dating someone in your boat (especially if it’s your stroke), first of all DON’T, and second of all, that could potentially lead to some involuntary (or voluntary) favoritism, which will piss off the other rowers and cause a lot of tension within the crew.
If you break up you’re still going to have to see each other every day, which depending on your level of maturity could either be a non-issue or the equivalent of North Korea and the rest of the world. I hate to be so negative about it but it’s really just not a good idea. In situations like this you do have to think about the implications of your relationship on your teammates too and not just what it means to you and your boyfriend/girlfriend.
This is obviously a much bigger deal when you’re in high school vs. when you’re in college so keep that in mind. People tend to be more mature in college so they’re able to maintain a more professional relationship when they’re at practice but problems can/do still arise. Ultimately it’s on you though to make it work and not let your relationship/personal issues negatively impact your boat or the overall atmosphere of the boathouse.
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