I’ll be 31 in a few weeks and I’m in the middle of a “comeback.” It’s strange to feel like you’re looking at the end of your career when you’re this young. I’ve been rowing for almost 14 years now and this will be my ninth national team. I guess now is as good a time as any for reflection.My passport expired this year and after three months of anxiously waiting, praying it would get here before we left for the World Championships, it arrived - and on the day I decided to give the state department a call and knock a few heads around (lucky them). Along with it came my old passport. They had stapled my new photo right next to the old one and when I opened it, there was a bit of a shock to see the two photos next to each other. Ten years have gone by. Where did they go? What happened to those sideburns and that really bad goatee? What happened to my hair? Flipping through the pages and looking at all the visa stamps reminds me of where rowing has taken me, and what it has given me so far in this life.

In those ten years, I’ve gone from an absolute novice rower to an Olympic Champion. I’ve been all over the world, won three world championships, choked at one Olympics, only to rebound and win the next one. I learned how to surf. I acquired a taste for Vegemite. I got arrested and then bailed out by a friend, only to find out later (from his dad) that he used his dad’s credit card. I’ve built countless friendships and hopefully have only made a few enemies. I never thought I would say this, but because of rowing, I like New Jersey. Only the strong survive here and now I’m back. With any luck I’ll make it out alive again.

When I made my first team in 1998, the World Championships were in Köln, Germany. It’s the first stamp on my passport. I was fortunate enough to get a ride in one of the fastest boats I’ve ever rowed in, and we won. This year they are in Munich, Germany. After nearly two years away from rowing I’m on my way to Germany again, with a new passport, a fast boat and a few more years of experience. I don’t know what will happen over the next 370 days until Beijing, but looking at a blank passport and facing a new phase in my career, I do know that nothing is written and this passport will fill up like the last: with stories, adventures, tragedies, and hopefully triumphs. I’ll do my best to keep you updated and interested.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Bryan

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