A thought about great wins in an eight and winning in the single scull

I was really happy winning the Eastern Sprint Regatta in the men's eight as a freshman in 1992. At the time, I was new and excited about the US school system and I had greatly enjoyed our coach Scott Roop and a couple walk on rowers who completed the first Frosh Eight.

So to answer the question... When you like the people in the eight, victory is phenomenal.

Quite in the contrary I was bound to the single scull because I was a Swiss kid living in France during my early rowing years. I was looking for an identity and decided that rowing was going to do that. When on walks in the forest of Fontainebleau, with my family's late great dane, Infanta, I would visualize myself to tears in imagening myself winning the Olympic gold in the single scull against Thomas Lange (he is a friend of mine now). I had a lot of emotions about competition and there was not one day that I did not think over a hundred thoughts about training and making the dream reality. I am not a selfish person, and I would convince myself that I would bring great joy to others if I clear the field during the olympic final in 1992 to conquer gold in Barcelona. It happened four years later. Four years of maturing, changing coaches for the better moving to California and meeting my wife. I can tell you that when I crossed the finish line in Georgia on Lake Lanier, I was not immediatley euphoric. I crossed the line unaware of the noise around me. Certain I had won because i counted the boats in the last two hundred and fifty meters. I kissed the sky because of my late father, Peter. I saluted my family members on the left handside and I told myself, bloody h*** you did it. At the end it is you and yourself in the single scull, no other to say "we did it". What has this taught me about myself now: I want to become successful in business by making other people healthier and happier. I want to be there for my family every step of the way, there is nothing like sharing your success with others. I know you got more than you bargained for by asking the question, but I felt inspired to write while my wife and a couple friends of ours were singing songs on our XBOX kareoke.

Keep on rowing and stay alive a long time your loved ones need you around, my dad passed away at age 50.

XENO

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.