The Hawk

Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Sports

Pawling's experience taught him much more than just rowing.

As Saint Joseph's freshmen moved into their cozy dormitories at the end of August, excited about the start of their stay on Hawk Hill, one newcomer was on the water, learning lessons on rowing and life.

Ryan Pawling represented the United States at the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA) World Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2. This event serves as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, which will be held in Beijing.

Pawling's stay in Munich opened his eyes, not just to rowing and understanding what it means to be a representative of the United States, but to courage and determination. Learning from his teammates, while together wearing the red, white, and blue, Pawling coxed for the Adaptive team, a division for those with qualified disabilities.

Pawling was selected as one of six coxswains on the U.S. team, which finished the competition in sixth place as a tune up for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

Pawling teamed up with top-caliber rowers who were among the best in their division. The crew was among the most unique in the tournament as two of Pawling's fellow rowers were blind, another had a prosthetic leg, and the last had a type of cerebral palsy.

Pawling helped his team qualify for Beijing by placing in the top six boats. By focusing on his communication techniques, he learned skills that will help him when rowing with able-bodied athletes. These are skills he can apply further outside of rowing and athletics.

"One of the blind rowers told me that I should expect from them the same as I would expect from an athlete on the able-bodied team," Pawling said. "Their disabilities in the boat forced me to pay more attention to detail when making calls and commands. To keep the boat together, I had to give more feedback and information, which is very important, even when dealing with fully-sighted rowers."

Traveling to the world championships, Pawling was also able to witness world class rowing on the part of the other squads. As teams from all over the world gathered for this rowing extravaganza, he tried to learn as much as he could about the sport during this unique opportunity.

"Rowing at [the FISA World Rowing Championships] has definitely given me more connections and experience in the rowing world, such as meeting national team rowers and coaches," he says.

Continued...

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