Ostrander: dual athlete, same important player
by Madison Leslie
Not only is Emme Ostrander a star on the Women’s Ice Hockey Team, she is a key player on the rowing team. She helps leads her team on the ice and midway through her freshmen year she joined another team on water.
“Let it run,” she yells. Ostrander is the coxswain, in other words she is the brains of the boat. “As a coxswain I sit in the back of the boat if it’s an 8 (person boat) or the front of the boat if it’s a 4 (person boat). My main job is to motivate and tell the rowers where we are in the race. I also steer the boat. I always have a race plan that the boat follows on my commands,” said Ostrander.
Ostrander joined the Rowing team mid-way through her freshman year because the team was lacking a second coxswain. She was a rower in prep-school. Ostrander said, “I originally started rowing at Pomfret and I was a rower not a coxswain.”
But her rowing career ended when she tore her labrum. At FPU, Ostrander’s best friend is on the rowing team and recommended her to their coach as a perspective coxswain, and the rest is history.
(Photo: FPU’s Rowing Instagram)
Ostrander is a dual sport athlete and must conserve her physical strength for her main sport, hockey. “For training, I go through and watch videos of coxswains and take tips from them. I also ask the rowers what they like to hear and what they don’t. Being on the water and put in stressful situations and having to figure it out is the best way to get better,” said Ostrander.
The team’s practices are as early as 6 a.m. with the cold air.
The breeze whisks across the lake and the icy air surrounds them as they get into their boats to venture into practice. Although, Ostrander does not enjoy the early rises for practices and regattas (races), she loves being able to bond with her teammates.
“My favorite part is being able to connect with the rowers and take ideas from them about what is working and what is not. I also love being outside on the water,” said Ostrander.
Being inside the net and observing her hockey teammates skate towards the puck with her eyes darting across the arena to take in the events on the ice, she noticed that both sports have their similarities. Rowing and hockey are alike for Ostrander, as she is able to observe the entire playing field. “Teammates rely on me to speak up and warn them about dangerous situations while also trying to motivate them,” said Ostrander. In both sports teammates rely on Ostrander- different sports, same important role.
