‘It’s Unbeatable’: Sam Davidson’s Experience as a Walk-On Rower

When spectators gather along the Charles River to watch world-class athletes compete in the regatta, what they might not expect is the myriad of different paths each athlete took to end up as one team on the same boat.

Sam Davidson, senior on the heavyweight rowing team, is one of a handful of walk-on rowers who join the team each year.

“I’m very appreciative to the coaches for continuing the walk-on tradition,” Davidson said. “It’s definitely something that I think some other schools have moved away from but it’s a key part of rowing history. You know every team in this country used to pretty much only walk-ons.”

Harvard has a long history of taking walk-on rowers alongside recruits to make a united team.

“Even though I wasn’t recruited to come to this sport, it doesn’t mean that you can’t feel a sense of belonging still,” Davidson said.

‘A Valued Part of the Team’

While Davidson now takes on the crucial role as a stroke on the team, rowing wasn’t always his main athletic focus. Davidson started off as a tennis player before a knee injury redirected him to the sport of rowing.

“In high school, I played a lot of tennis, but I got injured. I tore my meniscus three times and so I had to stop playing tennis, but wanted to find another sport that I could do,” he said.

Davidson explained how his uncle, a former Princeton lightweight rower, helped encourage him to take on the sport of rowing after closing the chapter on his tennis career.

“My uncle recommended that I try out rowing cause it’s very gentle on the knees and so I took a gap year after high school and tried sculling a few times and found that I really liked it.”

After discovering this new passion, Davidson entered Harvard’s campus in the fall of 2022, ready to take on the walk-on process of the Harvard heavyweight rowing team. The rowing team maintains high standards, requiring both impressive physical fitness and rowing knowledge.

“I think one thing that’s kind of interesting about the walk-on process now, it’s not very publicized so you kind of have to definitely seek it out yourself and be proactive about wanting to join the team,” he said.

That year, Davidson beat the competition, becoming one of the three walk-ons to join the team. The walk-on process — consisting of a series of rowing and endurance tests — are meant to determine the top three contenders.

Despite not going through the conventional recruiting process that most rowers do, Davidson described the inviting environment of the team and how he felt as “really welcome.”

“There was just a great community of people who have done the same thing and especially a lot of seniors who were great mentors and good friends as well who made me feel just really welcome and like a valued part of the team,” Davidson said.

‘It forces you to get up, to get moving’

Davidson, now a senior, is taking on his final season as a Harvard rower. With the Head of the Charles on the horizon, Davidson has mastered balancing athletics and academics, and thrives off of a day’s split between practice, class, and extracurricular activities.

“I actually think that rowing helps me be more productive rather than I don’t really think of it as something that is a hindrance to being a student,” Davidson said.

Davidson starts his day off bright and early at 6:30 a.m. with a longer ride from the Newell Boathouse to the Museum of Science, located at the eastern tip of Cambridge.

“It was a beautiful and flat morning on the water,” he said.

The team then typically heads over for a regular team breakfast before starting their school day. “We usually get a team breakfast at Quincy, the hot breakfast you know, everybody loads up on the oatmeal and the eggs.”

Even with a practice already behind him, Davidson still has the rest of the day ahead. He shifts focus to academic commitments such as attending section, zoom meetings, and completing some school work. That is, until he heads back down to the boats to get a second practice session in the evening.

As soon as practice ends, Davidson is back at it again, this time with his extracurricular activities, the Harvard Outing Club.

“After practice, I’ll get dinner with the other Harvard outing club leaders and then we have our leader meeting which is a weekly gathering where we talk about the trips we’ve led and the trips we want to lead and various club matters,” he said, “I’m also on the board of that so then I’ll have a board meeting right after which will run until about 10.”

With another busy day ahead of him, Davidson heads to bed at 10:30 p.m.

Although this packed day would be overwhelming for most, Davidson explained how he thrives off of it.

“I actually don’t think it’s that difficult. I find the days where I don’t have practice much less productive than when I do,” he said. “It’s just such a great way to start your day. It forces you to get up, to get moving. I always feel so energized after practice.”

Davidson takes on the life of a Harvard rower with ease. When asked about his rowing experience specifically at Harvard, Davidson gave a reflection on the “incredible environment” despite the ups and downs.

“It is so much fun to get on the water, be in a boat with other people,” he said. “The team culture is just so strong and supportive. The sport itself is very difficult but very rewarding as well.”

“It’s unbeatable, it’s a great feeling,” he added.

– Staff Writer Tiffany Oh can be reached at tiffany.oh@thecrimson.com.