Senior Spotlight: Elaine botros

Men’s Team Coxswain

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Major: Neuroscience (Pre-Med)

Minor: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Post-Graduation Plans: Applying to medical school

How and why did you join Northwestern Crew?

So I actually did not plan to do row in college at all, So essentially, when I came to college, it was a two week trial period. So I figured, oh, I'll do what I love and it would be nice to meet new people. Those first two weeks, everybody was so welcoming into the team. The atmosphere was so fun that I knew that this is a community I'd want to stay in for the next four years, and I'm very glad I did.

What was your first impression of the team?

My first impression of the team was that they're crazy, they're absolutely crazy, but that's exactly the kind of people I want to surround myself with. They study really hard together and they hang out. Especially my freshman year, what surprised me so much was that the seniors were so welcoming and wanted to know the freshmen.

What’s your favorite memory from being on the team?

Definitely my freshman year spring break trip. We would all cook our meals together and it was just very family centered, and it was a great way to connect people that's not the actual sport itself.

What’s your favorite part of regattas?

I would probably say the van rides. Everybody's just so excited before races as you drive down there, of course you have pre-race jitters. But it's just that exciting feeling, especially this fall. The excitement of my first van as you went to the first regatta [in the fall], it was very much “This is happening. It's been two and a half years but we're back, we're able to race.” You're finally able to do something you really love with the people we care about. 

Do you have a favorite regatta memory?

This fall at Bald Eagle, the men's varsity 8, the fact that the varsity men faced so many hardships the past few years and we were able to have such a great last race for fall season. That was my last head race, so for it to turn out to be a good race, all the men were pleased with their efforts and how well they were able to pull together. It really made the last month of training, we weren't sure if we were gonna be racing or not, it made it all worth it.

I record all my races and at the end of the race as I was listening to the recording as we’re crossing the finish line, I don't know who it was but somebody in the boat yelled out, just screamed out of happiness and I'm sure exhaustion, but it was just a core memory for me.

What’s been the most rewarding part of crew for you?

I would say it's the atmosphere of the team, it's really hard in college to make such a big university seem a lot smaller. In crew, I have my people. Of course, there's the larger team and then there are small groups where you can just talk and ask “you want to get bubble tea?” and you know somebody wants to go get bubble tea.

What has crew taught you?

Discipline and acceptance for sure. For me to do well in the classes I need to do well in and make it on time for crew in the morning, it’s not too much to do with managing my time but managing how much effort I'm putting into different areas. So if that meant sacrificing a different social thing so I can make it practice on time, I know that my commitment to my teammates is so worth it, that I need to make that sacrifice and I'm okay with making that sacrifice. I would say acceptance because crew doesn't always work out the way you expect it to. You're not necessarily going to have the race you want to even though you work hard for months, and it's just not gonna quite be the outcome. But as long as you kind of accept it, you did work as hard as you can and that you have time and the energy to keep going and improve on your shortcomings, that's something I've definitely noticed.

What will you miss the most?

I would say seeing each other succeed. We spend so much time together on the team, we see firsthand watching everyone struggle and improve and seeing those improvements. I don't just mean success in terms of people medalling in boats. I mean in terms of doing better one day on a workout and then the next because they thought about it, they talked to other people about how to pull a piece better, just kind of working on each other and helping each other succeed. Even academically as well. There's so much collaboration on the team. When I was a freshman, one of my current best friends on the team, who was a senior at the time, gave me so much advice and we still talk every couple weeks. I think the collaboration between grades is something that in other clubs at Northwestern just isn’t there.

Final words?

My freshman year, our first regatta for novices was Bald Eagle. I remember I still didn’t know that many people on the crew team, I was kind of socially lost with it and didn’t know where I wanted to fit in. A core memory that I have is me getting into a van with five other people on this team, and I'm actually looking out the window as we started to pull away from the parking lot, and I remember thinking, these are people, this was the crew team. I remember thinking, okay, I'm good, college is hard, college is tough, people are difficult, but things are good. I remember just thinking things are good.