Alabama Rowing Senior Q&A: Erin Hayes
1/5/2018 10:19:00 AM | Rowing
What inspired you to first start rowing?
"I moved to Atlanta in middle school and I didn't make a lot friends quickly. I lived right by the river and I saw the rowing team every day. One day during the summer, my dad told me to try it. He's always been my biggest cheerleader."
What made you choose to come to Alabama?
"I liked it as an opportunity. It wasn't one of the teams that was already built up. I thought maybe I could help this team build and bring my experience and contribute something to this team."
What were your thoughts the first time you competed for the Tide?
"I had raced in Chattanooga a lot in high school, being from Atlanta. It was kind of exciting – seeing all of my old teammates and coaches. I was proud to finally let them see me race in college and show them how far I had come."
What is your favorite and/or funniest team memory here so far?
"My favorite memory would be winning silver at the Big 12 Championships last year in the Varsity 4+. My funniest memory is when Sydney (Boles) fell into a hole in Chattanooga and the giant water spout went everywhere."
What's your favorite life motto that you live by?
"You don't always have the right cards you should've been dealt, but you have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you're holding."
What's on your music playlist?
"I listen to a lot of Allman Brothers, Chris Stapleton, Rolling Stones and Jason Isbell. My guilty pleasure is Lynryd Skynyrd."
Where is your favorite place to compete?
"The Head of the Charles (in Boston), as a coxswain especially, I think that's where you really get to show your skills and what you're made of."
What's a fun fact about yourself that others may not know about?
"I played the violin for a long time. I was pretty good at it but when I started rowing, I had to stop."
What advice would you give to your freshman self if you had the chance?
"Not to take myself so seriously and enjoy every second of rowing. It goes by really fast."
What are your plans after graduation?
"I'm not sure yet. I want to teach preschool and, hopefully, coach depending on where I live."
