[Applause]
be a leader I was told be confident and
assertive prove yourself and win respect
strong teams depend on strong leadership
so if you want to make a difference be
an independent leader for others to
follow at least that’s what I always
thought
but what if following is actually the
more difficult role what if the best way
to lead is to first be a follower
yourself
this realization set me on a path to the
Olympics but it didn’t come easily
through high school I was an average
gymnast and runner so I was thrilled to
find natural talent as a rower when I
walked on to the Purdue University crew
team in 2009 I immediately loved rowing
I loved being outside exerting myself
racing and constantly improving
I loved the strength endurance mental
toughness and technical skill required I
loved it and I was good at it I couldn’t
believe it
less than four months after my first day
in a boat and I was beating everyone on
the team
this talent made me confident and I
quickly became a team leader
I worked hard and hoped other people
would follow me I tried to be perfect I
raced myself and focused on my
individual journey and eventually my
individual goals turned to the elite
level in 2014 while I was in graduate
school at the University of Michigan I
got an email invitation to train at the
Olympic team training center in
Princeton New Jersey I had to accept
this prestigious group of about 30 women
is where the national team big boats are
chosen in the past ten years the u.s.
women had earned Olympic silver and two
Olympic gold medals in the 8th Olympic
bronze in the quad and many World
Championship medals in fact the u.s.
women’s eight hadn’t lost a single
race since 2005 these tall strong
naturally talented fiercely competitive
and intimidating women were perfect to
me I wanted to be them this was exactly
what I’d always wanted I was thrown
right into the mix racing with and
against Olympic medalist my idols and
heroes I pushed hard every day trying to
impress them I was beyond excited but I
quickly realized I was struggling before
I had relied on my natural talent but
now athletes with talent and experience
surrounded me I pretended to know what I
was doing
but my boats weren’t going fast I was
exhausted it seemed we rode more in a
day than I had in a week in college
after our first Fitness Test I finished
last I kept pushing desperate to improve
but eventually the exhaustion and
nagging pain caught up to me and one
morning I woke up with back spasms so
bad I couldn’t stand up I was devastated
I thought it was over my work ethic and
talent had failed me I needed a new
strategy my injury that summer was
probably the best thing that could have
happened to me I got a chance to restart
and it started with observation I
watched my teammates I observed them
rowing warming up what they ate what
they said in the locker room how they
handled injuries how they spoke to each
other coaches how they raced I saw their
unique strengths christine communicated
clearly moose had incredible
self-discipline Adrienne always held a
clear and consistent rhythm police had
amazing core strength Lauren always
stood in extra workouts Tessa
put her head down got the work done
Mollie can make anyone laugh Aaron would
laugh at anything and al the great
Eleanor Logan was calm in the most
stressful situations but I also realized
these women I idolized weren’t perfect
they had injuries bad workouts and
insecurities too when you spend six
hours a day training together you see
everything I reflected on all this I
thought what is she doing to be
successful is it working and then I
thought do I have the capacity to do
that to would mimicking her help me the
last part was the hardest changing I
adapted I found humility I realized that
I wasn’t perfect either but I couldn’t
prove and finally after about a year of
following my teammates I wasn’t proving
more than when I had just relied on
coaches or figuring it out on my own I
was getting stronger my boats were
moving faster but great you may be
thinking
identifying role models learning by
example that’s not anything new most
people already do that what I had
discovered was more than a learning
style by following my teammates by
observing reflecting and adapting I was
more in tune to the team than I had been
to just myself I found the value of
following in building a stronger team I
found that following is support everyone
has something good to offer by matching
people strengths instead of criticizing
their weaknesses we’re more effective
following is trust and respect people
liked rowing with me because they could
tell I respected them and I genuinely
did following its confidence I realized
that I didn’t always have to prove I was
the best I didn’t always have to speak
up things didn’t have to be done my way
I gave up control and individuality
for the good of the team instead of
leading I followed instead of waiting
for people to match me I matched them
instead of feeling jealous when I lost I
thought about how they did it instead of
talking i listened instead of
criticizing I supported instead of being
stubborn I adapted I followed this
subtle change in mindset made all the
difference and last June I was named to
the u.s. Olympic women’s eighth for all
of us it was a dream come true so here
we are rowing on Lake Carnegie and
Princeton so what is the eight so there
actually pay attention nine athletes in
the eight so one athlete the Coxon sits
in the back of the boat facing forwards
to steer and encourage her eight rowers
who are facing backwards generally
speaking the most technical rowers sit
in the front of the boat the most
powerful and strongest sit in the middle
and the most consistent and rhythmic sit
in the back the athlete sitting closest
to the Coxon facing away from everyone
so she sets the rhythm as everyone
watches her back following her is the
stroke seat that’s me
I was the stroke seat after all this
time I was learning to follow I was
named to the only seat that can’t see
anyone now it was objectively a leader
but I didn’t act like the leader I’d
once strived to be I did the same things
I had as a follower I supported my
teammates strengths I trusted the vision
of the boat and I was confident enough
to recognize that I wasn’t the best and
that was okay because all that mattered
was that the whole boat was the best and
we wanted to be the best in the world
thanks to audio recorded by Caitlyn our
Coxon let me bring you back to the
olympic
in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on August 13th
2016 at the start we are crazy with
nerves but Caitlyn calms us by telling
us to focus on each other nothing
matters except for the women in our boat
gah
you see line
vengeance
as we start I am aware that ever in the
boat is watching me following my rhythm
but I am confident because I have been
following them for years as we crossed
the 750 meter mark I sneak a glance
across and I see we’re in third down a
second to Canada I focus back in as
Caitlin says yc4 Netherland 750 push for
the girl in front to push for the girl
in front to follow someone else takes
courage here we are in the Olympic final
the biggest race of our lives
nine individuals unique women each
giving our maximum all-out effort while
managing to stay perfectly in sync
flowing with the rhythm committed to
each other if anyone were to do
something differently we would lose
momentum but now we’re crossing the
halfway point and the wind picks up the
boat rocks our legs burn vision blurs we
don’t think just move we are one unit
ten years of dominance in this event
even more than following each other we
follow all the women that have trained
in the system every woman who has beat
us on a workout or sat in front of us in
a boat or said something inspiring in
the locker room we are the women of the
USA past and present we follow each
other
[Music]
we did it on the dock
on the dock I stood next to my role
models and idols now as teammates and
friends we did it together which is so
much better than doing it alone learning
how to follow made me a better rower but
I think these values apply to the real
world who can you learn from observe
what are your teammates colleagues and
peers doing to find success reflect can
you do that to adapt are you willing to
make a change that will benefit the team
are you willing to hand the reins over
to someone else and then once you truly
know how to follow you may discover that
you were leading all along thank you
you
be a leader I was told be confident and
assertive prove yourself and win respect
strong teams depend on strong leadership
so if you want to make a difference be
an independent leader for others to
follow at least that’s what I always
thought
but what if following is actually the
more difficult role what if the best way
to lead is to first be a follower
yourself
this realization set me on a path to the
Olympics but it didn’t come easily
through high school I was an average
gymnast and runner so I was thrilled to
find natural talent as a rower when I
walked on to the Purdue University crew
team in 2009 I immediately loved rowing
I loved being outside exerting myself
racing and constantly improving
I loved the strength endurance mental
toughness and technical skill required I
loved it and I was good at it I couldn’t
believe it
less than four months after my first day
in a boat and I was beating everyone on
the team
this talent made me confident and I
quickly became a team leader
I worked hard and hoped other people
would follow me I tried to be perfect I
raced myself and focused on my
individual journey and eventually my
individual goals turned to the elite
level in 2014 while I was in graduate
school at the University of Michigan I
got an email invitation to train at the
Olympic team training center in
Princeton New Jersey I had to accept
this prestigious group of about 30 women
is where the national team big boats are
chosen in the past ten years the u.s.
women had earned Olympic silver and two
Olympic gold medals in the 8th Olympic
bronze in the quad and many World
Championship medals in fact the u.s.
women’s eight hadn’t lost a single
race since 2005 these tall strong
naturally talented fiercely competitive
and intimidating women were perfect to
me I wanted to be them this was exactly
what I’d always wanted I was thrown
right into the mix racing with and
against Olympic medalist my idols and
heroes I pushed hard every day trying to
impress them I was beyond excited but I
quickly realized I was struggling before
I had relied on my natural talent but
now athletes with talent and experience
surrounded me I pretended to know what I
was doing
but my boats weren’t going fast I was
exhausted it seemed we rode more in a
day than I had in a week in college
after our first Fitness Test I finished
last I kept pushing desperate to improve
but eventually the exhaustion and
nagging pain caught up to me and one
morning I woke up with back spasms so
bad I couldn’t stand up I was devastated
I thought it was over my work ethic and
talent had failed me I needed a new
strategy my injury that summer was
probably the best thing that could have
happened to me I got a chance to restart
and it started with observation I
watched my teammates I observed them
rowing warming up what they ate what
they said in the locker room how they
handled injuries how they spoke to each
other coaches how they raced I saw their
unique strengths christine communicated
clearly moose had incredible
self-discipline Adrienne always held a
clear and consistent rhythm police had
amazing core strength Lauren always
stood in extra workouts Tessa
put her head down got the work done
Mollie can make anyone laugh Aaron would
laugh at anything and al the great
Eleanor Logan was calm in the most
stressful situations but I also realized
these women I idolized weren’t perfect
they had injuries bad workouts and
insecurities too when you spend six
hours a day training together you see
everything I reflected on all this I
thought what is she doing to be
successful is it working and then I
thought do I have the capacity to do
that to would mimicking her help me the
last part was the hardest changing I
adapted I found humility I realized that
I wasn’t perfect either but I couldn’t
prove and finally after about a year of
following my teammates I wasn’t proving
more than when I had just relied on
coaches or figuring it out on my own I
was getting stronger my boats were
moving faster but great you may be
thinking
identifying role models learning by
example that’s not anything new most
people already do that what I had
discovered was more than a learning
style by following my teammates by
observing reflecting and adapting I was
more in tune to the team than I had been
to just myself I found the value of
following in building a stronger team I
found that following is support everyone
has something good to offer by matching
people strengths instead of criticizing
their weaknesses we’re more effective
following is trust and respect people
liked rowing with me because they could
tell I respected them and I genuinely
did following its confidence I realized
that I didn’t always have to prove I was
the best I didn’t always have to speak
up things didn’t have to be done my way
I gave up control and individuality
for the good of the team instead of
leading I followed instead of waiting
for people to match me I matched them
instead of feeling jealous when I lost I
thought about how they did it instead of
talking i listened instead of
criticizing I supported instead of being
stubborn I adapted I followed this
subtle change in mindset made all the
difference and last June I was named to
the u.s. Olympic women’s eighth for all
of us it was a dream come true so here
we are rowing on Lake Carnegie and
Princeton so what is the eight so there
actually pay attention nine athletes in
the eight so one athlete the Coxon sits
in the back of the boat facing forwards
to steer and encourage her eight rowers
who are facing backwards generally
speaking the most technical rowers sit
in the front of the boat the most
powerful and strongest sit in the middle
and the most consistent and rhythmic sit
in the back the athlete sitting closest
to the Coxon facing away from everyone
so she sets the rhythm as everyone
watches her back following her is the
stroke seat that’s me
I was the stroke seat after all this
time I was learning to follow I was
named to the only seat that can’t see
anyone now it was objectively a leader
but I didn’t act like the leader I’d
once strived to be I did the same things
I had as a follower I supported my
teammates strengths I trusted the vision
of the boat and I was confident enough
to recognize that I wasn’t the best and
that was okay because all that mattered
was that the whole boat was the best and
we wanted to be the best in the world
thanks to audio recorded by Caitlyn our
Coxon let me bring you back to the
olympic
in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on August 13th
2016 at the start we are crazy with
nerves but Caitlyn calms us by telling
us to focus on each other nothing
matters except for the women in our boat
gah
you see line
vengeance
as we start I am aware that ever in the
boat is watching me following my rhythm
but I am confident because I have been
following them for years as we crossed
the 750 meter mark I sneak a glance
across and I see we’re in third down a
second to Canada I focus back in as
Caitlin says yc4 Netherland 750 push for
the girl in front to push for the girl
in front to follow someone else takes
courage here we are in the Olympic final
the biggest race of our lives
nine individuals unique women each
giving our maximum all-out effort while
managing to stay perfectly in sync
flowing with the rhythm committed to
each other if anyone were to do
something differently we would lose
momentum but now we’re crossing the
halfway point and the wind picks up the
boat rocks our legs burn vision blurs we
don’t think just move we are one unit
ten years of dominance in this event
even more than following each other we
follow all the women that have trained
in the system every woman who has beat
us on a workout or sat in front of us in
a boat or said something inspiring in
the locker room we are the women of the
USA past and present we follow each
other
[Music]
we did it on the dock
on the dock I stood next to my role
models and idols now as teammates and
friends we did it together which is so
much better than doing it alone learning
how to follow made me a better rower but
I think these values apply to the real
world who can you learn from observe
what are your teammates colleagues and
peers doing to find success reflect can
you do that to adapt are you willing to
make a change that will benefit the team
are you willing to hand the reins over
to someone else and then once you truly
know how to follow you may discover that
you were leading all along thank you
you
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