Arden Berlinger
Squads
About Arden:
What course are you studying and what level?
Postgraduate, PhD in Plant Sciences
Why did you chose that course?
I saw working in agriculture as addressing a lot of environmental problems at one time (pollution, land use, etc.) and there is a lot of exciting work being in done in ag-tech and sustainable ag, and I love food of course!
When, where and why did you start rowing? And what do you love about the sport?
I started rowing as a freshman in high school at the Agnes Irwin School outside Philadelphia. I was playing lacrosse at the time and realized hand eye coordination was not my best skill…and the rowing coaches wanted me to give it a go cause I was so tall! It really was the first sport I felt somewhat good at it and loved the high commitment high reward.
So hard to choose what I love most about it…but it really is a sport that demands so much in terms of time, commitment, effort, but comes with unmatched rewards and community. I love that it feels like the ultimate team sport, and how 8 people can come so far over the course of a season to create so much speed. It’s not really about superstars because ultimately you all have to contribute to the boat moving fast as one crew. I’ve really come to just love the training element – rowing is such a physical sport and it’s very gratifying and rewarding when you put in the training and see the results
What was your first rowing club and coach?
Agnes Irwin School. We had two coaches, Molly and Tom. They were both very encouraging and introduced me to how much fun rowing could be.
What or who was the earliest sporting inspiration you remember as a child?
The earliest sporting inspiration I can remember is probably Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, or Allyson Felix – they were the first Olympians I can remember watching and being so impressed by! (I wouldn’t say this is my most exciting answer so please don’t include this one unless you need to haha)
How has rowing and being part of the Boat Race squad impacted your life?
The Boat Race is such a unique event in sports – one single goal, one single race, one single opponent. The environment that’s created around that is so special – so much hard work and specific training goes into making us the fastest we can be as a crew within such a short season.
You learn so much about life and about yourself as a person and athlete in this program. You learn how to push yourself harder than you thought possible for you, you learn how to give it your best even when you don’t feel 100%, you learn how to work with a team of sometimes very different individuals. I’ve become a much more determined, resilient, and committed person in this program. I also have found such family and home within CUBC and I am certain it will impact my life forever.
If you weren’t a rower, what sport do you think you’d excel at?
Running or cycling.
What is your favourite non-academic book?
Finding the Mother Tree (memoir) or Harry Potter (sorry…it’s true!)
