SEATTLE – Throughout the summer, the Seattle Pacific sports information team will pose a series of questions to various Falcon athletes. We will feature one athlete each Wednesday. This week, rower Jennifer Hoag has the mic:
 
Now that things are seemingly headed back to some sense of normal, what is one thing you're really looking forward to?
"I can't wait to go to a concert again! Live music is such an amazing experience and I am hoping that it is safe to go to concerts again soon. I would really like to see Imagine Dragons when they come back to Seattle."
 
 

With everything being as unusual as it was this year, what was the most memorable part about the season for you? 
"This year, we got to have our own race in the canal (the Falcon Regatta) where Western Washington and Central Oklahoma came to race us. I've never experienced a "home regatta" before, but it was unforgettable. We had the comfort of sleeping in our own beds and warming up in our own shellhouse as well as knowing our waterway.
 
"Prior to the race we had planned out when to take our "moves" based on landmarks such as the Fremont Bridge and the dinosaur bush in Fremont. Everytime we race in the canal we always reference the SPU track (Wallace Field) as that is the last 200 meters of the race and we visualize sprinting down the track for that short distance to the finish. It really was an advantage for us to know every meter of the course and we were able to fully exert ourselves the whole time.
 
"Usually during a 2K race, I don't remember much of it but I distinctly remember hearing our fans, teammates, alumni, faculty, friends and family who lined the whole canal and were cheering us on. When I heard them yelling, it made me so proud and gave me that additional boost of motivation I needed to finish the race. Having my family there meant the world to me and I am so glad that with COVID precautions we were allowed to have fans outside safely. 
We got to race down the canal twice and both times we were less than a second (0.3 and 0.7 seconds) away from Central Oklahoma, the three-time national champion, This was a shock and also a big deal to us as we had no concept of how fast they would be or if we would be close. After the finish I could barely breathe and looked back to see everyone bent over gasping for air, one of my teammates with a bloody nose and another crying, obviously not great things but… that was the closest we've ever gotten to this big-name team.
 
"Although we did not win, we saw a glimpse of the speed we could reach and I know that every one of us gave everything in that race. I'll never forget this race, the pride that I felt rowing down our canal at our school with our fans cheering us on and the opportunity it gave us to make the impossible seem much more attainable."
 
Looking ahead to next season, what are you most excited about? 
"As a senior, I am looking forward to becoming a role model for my younger teammates and pushing them to become faster and better in everything they do. We had a large group of seniors graduate, but also have a fantastic group of underclassmen, and I will do my best to impart all my knowledge to them. Additionally I am very excited to fight for our spot at the national championships next year. I have no doubt it will be tough competition, but I am confident in the team we have and our ability to push ourselves to be one of the top 6 in the nation."
 
What are you planning to do this summer – Work? Vacation? Hang out with family? All of the above? 
"I am working as a sailing instructor in Seattle as well as competing in various sailing races throughout the summer. I will be competing in a week-long race in Anacortes on a 30-foot boat with a team of eight sailors. I will be skippering (driving) the boat and hoping to win our class! I am also planning a trip to sail around the San Juan Islands and scuba dive. I'll probably be on the water every day, whether teaching sailing, sailing, scuba diving or rowing."
 
What is your favorite summertime way to stay in shape and prepare for next season? 
"Sailing is a very physical sport" moving boats, lifting heavy sails, pulling lines, etc. Usually, I'm pretty wiped after a day of sailing. I also love biking and use that to get back and forth to work. We're also able to row over the summer, so I will probably take advantage of that. Summer for me is about staying active and enjoying working out instead of making it a chore to stay in shape. Come August, I will probably get back on the rowing machine and train longer hours of cardio."
 
Most athletes went to a summer sports camp of some kind when they were younger. Did you – and if so, what is your favorite memory from a summer sports camp? 
"I've never done a camp for rowing before, although I wish I had. I did go to many sailing camps where we would have races and play games on the water."
 
Growing up, what was your favorite thing to do or your favorite place to go during the summer – and why was that your favorite? 
"Sailing (surprise)! Growing up, my family had a large cruising sailboat, and my favorite thing was when we would take it to the San Juan Islands and sleep on the boat for weeks at a time. I always said that food was better on a boat and I always slept best with the boat rocking me to sleep. I learned a lot from my parents on how to sail, and my dad taught me how to drive as we would put the sails up to hop from island to island. I would sometimes jump off the back holding onto a rope with an innertube. We would drop crab pots from the boat and fish while we were sailing and always had the best food. Each island is so unique and we would go ashore for hikes and museums and always saw the coolest sights. I'll never forget sailing one night when a pod of dolphins swam up and started jumping through the bow wake just like in the movies. I love Puget Sound and the amazing paradise of islands we have so close. I always bugged my parents to do this more often. As I got older, I realized how much work it is to have food and supplies to stay for weeks at a time. But I have so many amazing memories from those trips. So if my parents see this, it was well worth it."
 
Someday – maybe sooner, maybe later – what is one place you'd really like to visit – and why that particular place? 
"I will be sailing around the world very, very soon! It's been a dream of mine my whole life and soon to be a reality. There are so many places I want to stop on this trip, but one I'm very excited for is French Polynesia, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. There are 118 islands and a lot of them are uninhabited. It's a beautiful location for scuba diving and snorkeling and the water is warm and blue. Each island has something unique to explore, such as waterfalls and black sand beaches. I also would want to experience the culture and amazing food on shore."