Meet the Rowers: Amy Allison
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - It has been an interesting journey for Amy Allison on her way to becoming a member of the rowing team at the University of Alabama, a journey that she wouldn't trade for the world.
Allison hoped to avoid a high-school-like atmosphere at colleges near her home so she applied the University of Alabama. Instantly she fell in love with the campus for its homey atmosphere that helped her feel like she was in the right place.
Allison came to Alabama in hopes of becoming a member of the track and field team as a pole vaulter. When that didn't work out, she spent her freshman year out of sports for the first time in more than a decade.
"I've always been an athlete," Allison said. "I started playing volleyball at four [years old] and did track and softball in high school."
Entering her sophomore year, Allison was in search of something that could keep her active and she found rowing. The work she put in helped her find an appeal in a sport she previously knew nothing about.
"It kinda turned into a love for the sport, a love that makes you stick it out," Allison said. "No sane person would do it without loving it."
After being on the novice squad last year, Allison has moved up to the varsity this season where she has made a quick adjustment and has begun to settle in. She hopes to continue rowing after college joining one of the more prestigious non-collegiate programs.
A junior, Allison is a double-majoring in Anthropology and Psychology. She has aspirations of become a forensic anthropologist. She is working on managing school and rowing and says that the Crimson Tide's Center for Athletics Student Services helps out a lot.
Aside from rowing, she is also a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and in her free time she loves to cook and find time to enjoy the ocean.
"I'm Italian, so cooking runs in the blood," Allison said. "At heart I'm a beach bum. I could wake up every morning and do yoga on the beach."
