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CHRISTINE HAS BEEN A NATIONAL ROWING REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE USA SINCE 2012, REPRESENTING AT 6 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS JUNIOR, U23 AND SENIOR LEVELS. CHRISTINE IS BASED IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS AND IS TARGETING NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION FOR THE TOKYO OLYMPICS.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPORT?
Funnily enough, a well-timed injury! I hurt my knee playing soccer, and it was around the time that I was switching schools. There was a rowing club that trained on the lake I lived on, and since I was shaking everything else up it felt like a pretty natural transition into this new sport. I haven't looked back!
WHEN DID YOU FULLY COMMIT TO TARGETING THE OLYMPICS?
I caught the bug for racing internationally I made my first Junior National Team in 2012. I think I lost a little bit of that fire during my college years (even though I made two more U23 National teams). The full commit came after I graduated and made an open weight U23 quad as a lightweight athlete. That combined with some really impactful coaches and mentors helped me take the leap of faith into the cycle.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE, AND WHY?
I've had quite a few over the years. The common theme for all of them is pure, gutsy racing. The most notable one is probably in 2012, because it was the first major time my pair partner and I had odds stacked against us. But we put the blinders up and came away with a silver medal at Junior Worlds. I've had a few more primal races like that, but this was the first time that the results could be put on paper and I have a little piece of hardware for the record!
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE HAD TO FACE IN YOUR SPORT, AND WHAT DID IT TEACH YOU?
In 2014, in my national championship race for my university, I passed out with about 15 strokes to the line. My body locked up and I couldn't get up the slide or move my arms or legs. The worst part for me was that we were racing an 8, and I single-handedly knocked us from a National Championship to a second-place finish (just narrowly missing third). I'm still not entirely sure what caused, it but my technical solution has been to really focus on my breathing. My mental solution has been to lean into the team element of this sport and trust my teammates, and know that in order to cross that line everyone has to do their own work and maximize themselves while keeping the bigger picture of the team boat in mind.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? WHAT KEEPS YOU GETTING UP EVERY MORNING?
It’s a fine balance of trusting that I am a good athlete, understanding that I have a lot to improve upon, and knowing that the reason I am a good athlete is because I make the choices that help me keep improving. My motivation requires all three of those, and I need to make sure I'm keeping them well-proportioned. If I start struggling to get out of bed and do it all again the next day, it's a sign I need to check in with those balances.
WHAT ARE FIVE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS TO GET YOU IN THE ZONE?
Slight work – Wale
Magic in the Hamptons- Lil Yachty
It's goin down- Yung Joc
When the Stars Come Out- Chris Stapleton
She's Out of her Mind- Blink 182
