Evan Park
OSU Student-Athlete
Women's Rowing
As summer gives way to fall, a chill now hangs in the air when I arrive at the boathouse on Oregon’s Willamette River. It’s 6:30 a.m. With my 30-plus teammates on the Oregon State University women’s rowing team, I take the oars to the dock for the first of two practices of the day.
The river is a short drive from the campus of the state’s largest university, located in Corvallis, Oregon, a quintessential college town. I am entering what could be my final year at OSU, depending on a future decision to row another season or forgo a final year of eligibility. That decision will be influenced by the game of musical chairs being played as major college athletic conferences realign.
As a founding member of the Pac-12 Conference 108 years ago, Oregon State finds itself in the unenviable position of an uncertain future, thanks to conference departures of eight universities this summer following two others announced a year earlier.
Now, two universities stand alone in the Pac-12 Conference – Oregon State and Washington State University – starting next summer. Although football has been the focus of media rights deals and conference moves, the effects on more than 550 OSU student-athletes are staggering.
As a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee executive, I am steeped in conversations about future conference membership and how greatly reduced media rights dollars will affect each of OSU’s, 17 sports programs, the university itself and even the city of Corvallis. These conversations consist of equal parts speculation, disillusionment and fear. With others making decisions with little regard to the effect on student-athletes, our approach now is to control the controllables – how we train, fuel our bodies, attend to academics and compete.
When I applied to OSU, I didn’t envision a future as a student-athlete as part of my college experience. After growing up in Bend, Oregon, I chose to attend OSU for its strong science programs. I participated in a variety of sports throughout my youth – swim team, water polo, ski team, and even volleyball and basketball during my last two years of high school in Italy. Rowing had never crossed my mind – even though my parents had both walked on to the club crew team during their college experience.
My path to racing in the OSU first Varsity Eight – the top boat – began with an email that arrived prior to my arrival on campus. The message invited incoming students to try out for the rowing team and attend an informational session on Zoom. As the rowers shared their experiences, trying out for the team became more appealing. I signed up for the recommended fall term class for those who wanted to learn to row – a skill I’m still developing nearly three years later.
Later that fall, I tried out and was one of eight women who made the team. Early mornings on the river in the dark and rain, grueling sessions on the rowing machine, weightlifting and running filled my days, along with the challenges of pursuing a chemistry degree. During the spring season, 20 hours a week is the norm for practice and training. Even my summers became filled with training, camp and other team commitments.
Although the training regimen is demanding, I have gained so much more from rowing than I ever imagined. While I started as a walk-on, I earned a scholarship my second year, saving me tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. I have made lifelong friendships with teammates, bonds forged from working hard toward a common goal, traveling together and supporting each other through the highs and lows of being Division I athletes and college students. I have pushed myself harder physically and mentally than I ever thought possible and now know that I can reach competitive goals and overcome formidable challenges. That feeling of accomplishment has helped me develop a quiet confidence that will serve me well beyond my time at Oregon State.
Besides these benefits, my experience as a student-athlete has helped me develop transferable skills that can be applied in my future career as a scientist working to help the planet secure a more carbon neutral future. These include time management, teamwork, accountability and discipline.
After graduating in June, more rowing may be in my future – either through another year of eligibility while pursuing graduate studies or striving to row with the U.S. National Team. This summer, I earned a spot on the national U23 women’s team that took gold at the World Championships in Bulgaria.
As I move through life’s passages, my experience as a student-athlete will live on in many ways. Thinking about what lies ahead for student-athletes – with new conference affiliations requiring further travel and more time away from campus and the rigors of college studies – I foresee a future with possibly more stress, increased mental health issues and higher burnout.
So please do what you can to support all student-athletes. Go watch us compete. Whether it’s football, volleyball, wrestling, rowing or any other sport, I know you’ll be impressed with our athleticism, grit and determination. We truly welcome and appreciate fan support.
As OSU waits to see which chair it will land on in the sport of conference realignment, remember that every student-athlete is unique. We come from different places, bring individual strengths and have varied schedules. Yet we are united in our feelings of being left out of the conference realignment conversation. It’s very difficult to stand by as media companies dictate both the playing field and our futures. I believe all student-athlete experiences and our needs should be brought into the equation when making these decisions.
For now, while anticipating news of Oregon State’s path forward, I find comfort in the routine of early mornings on the river. The consistency of watching the sun rise over the trees and the rhythmic motion of our oars propelling us through the water provide reassurance in this time of uncertainty and unrest.