KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rowing is a tough sport nationwide, but we typically don't see it in Kansas and Missouri because of the abundance of land and few bodies of water.
However, there's no such thing as an offseason for Pembroke High School senior Rhiannon Hockey.
"In the winter, we're on the machine," Hockey said.
Hockey practices on an erg, and it's not as easy as she and her KC Boat Club crew of five students made it look.
"It's a lot harder mentally, but when you get to feel how fast you're going on the water, it's all worth it," Hockey said.
When the temperatures go below freezing, Hockey locks in to train for the waters in a landlocked state. Her coach explained though the row club is small, its members are strong.
"We have far fewer resources and numbers and equipment and just everything is a lot less quality than some of those bigger programs on the east coast or west coast," Johnathan Michka said. "I could probably count on two hands the number of people who I know who row regularly."
Rowing is hardly the sport Kansas City is best known for, but Hockey thinks it could be.
"I just want make it more widely known for people," Hockey said.
Bringing awareness to a water sport in a landlocked state is a challenging goal for her senior capstone project, but rowing has taught her well.
"Mental toughness is a huge part of it," Hockey said. "You still have to keep rowing and keep pulling it so you can get better and get faster to row it in the spring for racing."
Rhiannon knows what all athletes know, perseverance pays off.
"It's hard work but it's so rewarding," Hockey said.
Her coach believes her efforts to bring more people to the sport of rowing before graduation will pay off, too.
“It's hard with the number of resources we have," Michka said. "Any help that we can get in growing the sport locally is just awesome.”
Whether its planning outreach events or even recruiting her friends, Hockey believes Kansas City could benefit both on and off the water.
"You control how much you have left so if you just push a little hard, it'll all pay off and it will be over," Hockey said.
Hockey will be rowing at the University of Louisville after her high school graduation in May 2025.
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