Cristian Kuang '17 (Novice Men)

Major: Undecided

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Before coming to Marquette, I had never rowed or even thought of rowing before. I fell in love with the sport, the mental and physical workout, and the competition. One of the things I looked forward to was being on the water, as I’m from Puerto Rico and aquatic activities were important to me. What I didn’t expect was how cold the water would be, but I soon acclimated to the cooler temperatures.

There was only one thing on my mind coming back home for the summer – where could I row in Puerto Rico? I got in contact with one of the alumni who rowed for Marquette and was also from Puerto Rico. He helped me get in touch with the rowing club located in San Juan.The boathouse was designed differently, and the majority of their boats were sculling shells with rubber grip oars. This was different from the sweep rowing in eights and fours I been used to at Marquette. The biggest difference was the water itself and the overall environment. The water was much warmer and calmer, and there was also the occasional cool breeze that helped cool off. After practice in the morning, you could go for a dip in the lagoon or walk a couple of minutes to the beach. During afternoon practices, if you are far enough into the harbor, you can even watch the sun set on the horizon. Rowing in Puerto Rico has truly been a great experience overall.