Claire Collins '19 (left) was one of the first 21 athletes selected to the U.S. rowing team's Olympic roster on March 25. Also included were Princeton graduates Kelsey Rielich ’14, Emily Kalfelz ’19, and Nick Meade ’17.
US boat
Collins was one of four Princeton graduates selected this week to join the U.S. Olympic team in Paris.
As a rowing recruit on an official visit to Princeton, Claire Collins ’19 attended undergraduate lectures and noticed something distinctive about the way students approached their work.
“The key is not to be perfect, but to be curious and engaged,” she said. “What I experienced that first day, and what I experienced throughout my time at Princeton, was the joyful pursuit of being number one.”
Collins has embraced that approach and will have the opportunity to put it into practice at the Paris Olympics. This week, she was one of four Princeton University rowing graduates selected to the U.S. Olympic team, joining Kelsey Riehlich '14, Emily Kalfelz '19 and Nick Mead '17.
Collins, a 2021 Olympian and seven-time national team member, rowed throughout her career at Princeton University and won the C. Otto von Kienbusch Award as top senior female athlete in 2019. I received an award. Immediately after her graduation, she began training at her US Rowing training center in West. Windsor, New Jersey. After riding out the pandemic at her home in Virginia, she began her international career in the U.S. Women's 4 Race, a boat rowed by four athletes with one oar.
“Rowing as a sport is made up of so many dichotomies,” Collins said when asked about the steps from collegiate rower to professional rower. “There's beauty in the sport, but that beauty masks the chaos that makes up racing. He's one of the most team-oriented sports, but there's also a lot of personal aspects. Ultimately , we have to be the best team to win.”
At Princeton, where team goals ranged from rowing every day to qualifying for the NCAA Championships, “translating individual goals into ones that support team goals is very easy. I did,” she said. However, when it comes to national team selection, not everyone makes the team, so there are different dynamics at play.
“I have to find ways to maintain my training routine, how to avoid injuries, and my mindset,” Collins said. “It’s not that we don’t have goals as a team, but we also have to compete as individual rowers.”
In an interview with PAW in late February, Collins talked about the national team selection camp with a calm expression that belied his grueling training schedule. “We have some Tigers training in this group,” she said. “Generally, our mindset and the way we approach each exercise is to focus on the technical changes that are needed to flow the boat and feel how the boat is running. It’s analytical.”
Collins, an economics major, is no stranger to analytical training. “We pay close attention to detail and recognize and appreciate the balance we strike. This is very similar to the first lesson I saw during my campus visit. Attention to detail comes from people talking about what they're really interested in, things they take seriously, and not being afraid to ask questions…to really take advantage of everything that's available to them. , don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help.”
She remembers an example from her time at Princeton University. At that time, she worked on her first economics problem set and went to McGraw's Center for her tutoring. “When I walked in, the whole class was working on problem sets!”
“I've used this before on the national team,” Collins said. “I've learned to assert myself, my strengths, my power, even when there are no guarantees.” This Tiger is once again aiming for the best and pursuing pleasure.
