Alabama Rowing Senior Q&A: Shannon Sweatt
1/26/2018 11:01:00 AM | Rowing
Why did you choose to come to Alabama?
"My family have always been big Alabama fans. I'm originally from Alabama even though I moved around a lot when I was a kid. When it came time to pick a college, I was looking at a public relations major and it also had a rowing team that was very accessible that I could walk on to. I had some experience in high school, but not three or four years like some of the recruits have. Alabama was just the best of both."
Who inspired you to first start rowing?
"It started as an opportunity. I played soccer when I was younger and after moving around so much and trying out for high school soccer, I just didn't have a love for the sport anymore. When I moved to Atlanta, there was a decently large rowing community. I didn't know what rowing was but there was something interesting about it. I went out and tried it and I really enjoyed it. Ever since then, I've just loved the sport. On day one, you have the same exact goal as Olympians who have been doing this for 15 years – you're trying to do the same stroke the same way. You're trying to perfect the same thing from day one and I just think that's really interesting."
What is your favorite team memory?
"There's a lot of different memories. The cliché pick would be medaling at conference for the first time my sophomore year. But, also, earlier that year I was in the stages of pre-hypothermia in a race in New Jersey and looking back on it, it's just hilarious. The funniest part about it was immediately after our race, Coach Tabitha [Tuten] just sent us straight to the bus and said we'd talk about the race later. I made it to the bus, and a former teammate and one of my great friends, Maddie Evans, wouldn't let me close my eyes and actually pulled off my sopping wet top layers after I insisted that I was fine, even though my face was apparently very blue. After we got back to the hotel, my entire boat did nothing but stay under several blankets with our heaters set to 80 degrees until dinner arrived."
What's your funniest team memory?
"The incident with the sprinkler at the Chattanooga Head Race this year. I will never forget that. I just remember looking back and Sydney [Boles] looked so scared and confused at how she had gotten there. We were just all talking one minute and then next thing you know everyone's running in different directions with water flying everywhere. It was great."
Do you have a particular life motto?
"This year, a point I've been pushing with myself and the boats I work with is 'chase excellence'. Wherever we aren't good enough, let's see how much we can improve and how close to true excellence we can get. It's about pursuing that every day. When you wake up, your meter resets to how good you are. Every morning it resets. Every day is about chasing excellence, starting over and trying to do a little better than you did yesterday."
What are your plans after graduation?
"Honestly, I'm not really sure right now. I'm looking for jobs, like PR jobs in Atlanta or book editing/publishing. That's always been a dream of mine. I'm also looking into getting my personal training certification, as fitness and wellness is also a passion of mine. Wherever I end up, I'd like to work with people and train on the side."
Any closing comments on your time here at Alabama?
"Looking back, I was a very different person when I first set foot in the boathouse nearly four years ago. In the time since, this team has helped me grow and overcome so much, and I am always going to be thankful for that and for the family I've found here."
