ORLANDO, Fla. – For Patricia Menendez, the boathouse is a home away from home.
“Six days a week, you’re coming here up until dinner time from 4-6:30,” Menendez told News 6, “and Saturday, early mornings at 7:30″
A recent graduate of Olympia High School, Menendez is a coxswain at OARS, the Orlando Area Rowing Society. That means she’s in charge of the Varsity 8 boat. It’s a role that didn’t come naturally, at first.
“I was a little bit shyer,” Menendez added. “And being a coxswain, you have to be a little more confident in your role [and] kind of have that command and manage the athletes, have that good practice management and that time management. That allowed me to kind of break out of my shell.”
Menendez certainly broke out of that shell, and she learned how to lead and, just as important, how to prepare.
“I watched a lot of videos of rowers to help with their technique, make sure that they’re rowing effectively and efficiently. It takes a lot of things on the side as a coxswain that not a lot of the rowers see here at the boathouse.”
What everyone sees is a young woman with an incredibly bright future. Menendez will be a coxswain at the University of Tennessee beginning this fall. And she’s thankful to so many who’ve helped along the way.
“My parents just supported me all throughout this,” Menendez said, “and I really owe to them for loving me and caring for me and supporting this big goal.”