Your Call by Andrew Seta

Water went flying everywhere, but everything after was a blur.

Let’s go back to the start, literally. 

“Five minutes” the referee said and I raised my hand to acknowledge. It was my first time at USRowing Youth Nationals, so naturally I was a little nervous at the line preparing to cox for a gold medal in the Grand Final of the Men’s Youth Lightweight 4+. 

“Four minutes” the referee said and I raised my hand to acknowledge. I was breathing in the sweet, dry Sarasota air while reminiscing all the happy times I had had with these four guys, my best friends. 

“Three minutes” the referee said and I raised my hand to acknowledge. At this point I was thinking if a “referee’s minute” was the same length as a normal minute, 60 seconds that is. 

I was ready for this. I could not sleep the night before, but I was ready. I pulled out the notecard my coach gave me before the race and it said “Boat Goal: Win a National Championship.” 

This was all the confidence I needed for when the referee said “Two minutes,” and I raised my hand to acknowledge. The speaker turned on and a voice echoed, “This is the Men’s Youth Lightweight 4 Grand Final. St. Louis Rowing Club, Belen Jesuit High School, Cincinnati Juniors, Arlington Belmont, Oklahoma City Riversport, Wayland-Weston Crew.” I took in the last moment of silence before I heard “Sit ready. Attention. Go.”

Little did I know that in that moment, I was 6 minutes and 36.395 seconds away from changing my life forever.

- Andrew Seta

About Andrew Seta

Andrew started coxing as a high school freshman for the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club.  He coxed the national championship lightweight 4+ during his junior year.  His senior year he took the reins of the varsity 8+ and coxed it to a 7th place finish at Youth Nationals. When he’s not coxing, he is almost always outdoors.  He likes eating healthy food, running, and biking.