THE COVID-19 pandemic may have indefinitely postponed competitive sports, but the current situation did not hinder Wylene Lu (3 AB PSY) of the Ateneo Rowing Team (ART) from bannering the flag and making history. By qualifying for the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH), Wylene successfully achieved a feat that no other Atenean has ever reached in competitive rowing.

Despite only encountering the sport in college, Wylene thrives as a competitive rower  and attains success while only playing in her third year with the team. Outside of rowing, Wylene is also a well-rounded individual as she juggles her studies while serving as a pool member in Habitat of Humanity’s Builds department.

Learning the ropes

Before Wylene became a powerhouse athlete for the ART, she was a volleyball player for the Immaculate Conception Academy. Eventually, she became a key player for the team over the next few years and was named team captain in her senior year of high school.

Although she had a fruitful high school volleyball career, Wylene opted not to continue playing the sport in college so that she could seek new experiences in other extra-curricular activities. Through the encouragement of her former volleyball teammates, Wylene was eventually convinced to try her luck in rowing.

Despite the lack of prior experience, Wylene was unfazed as she braved through the ART’s notoriously killer tryouts. She exerted her best effort to stand out from her fellow aspirants in the five-kilometer run, hill runs, and ergometer test. After completing her tryouts, she was accepted in the ART as a freshman and suited up for the team in 2019.

Now finding herself playing a new sport, Wylene made significant changes to her daily routine in order to fulfill her commitment and responsibilities with the team. During her first competitive season, she and her teammates would go to the La Mesa Dam for their daily 5:30 AM water training. After classes in the afternoon, the team would have a land training session at either the Blue Eagle Gym or the Moro Lorenzo Gym from 5 to 7 PM.

“As a newbie, I had to start from scratch since rowing was a whole new sport to me. It was exciting to get out of my comfort zone and know my capabilities and limitations, especially in a new environment,” she admitted.

Test of courage

The daily rigor of their training sessions eventually gave Lu the drive to get past the challenges that she encountered along the way. In September 2019, Wylene competed in her first competition: The 41st Hong Kong Rowing Championships. Although Wylene fell short of earning a medal, she felt relieved to get her feet wet in the sport after training for eight months to prepare for a two-kilometer race.

After competing in her first rowing competition, Wylene’s next challenge was to lose 15 pounds in one month to meet the weight requirement for the lightweight division of the 2019 Varsity Boat Race (VBR) in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Though it seemed like an impossible task, Wylene successfully made the cut and bagged a silver medal in the event with the support of her peers. “My fair share of struggles in rowing taught me that [the] sky’s the limit [when aiming for your goals]. From this, I’ve been constantly telling myself that there’s nothing to lose but always more to gain,” she shared.

As she gained her footing in the sport, the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic presented yet another challenge as it caused significant changes in how rowing was played. With the lockdown restrictions, Wylene and her teammates were limited to training on Zoom where they would do cardio exercises at 6:00 AM and lift weights at 5:00 PM three times a week. Despite the limitations of the online setup, the team still competed in the Asian Continental Qualifier Event for the 2021 WRICH held last January 24. Out of the 10 ART members who participated, Wylene successfully concluded the event with flying colors as she bagged first place in the Under-23 Lightweight Women’s 500m category. Her victory gave her an automatic berth to compete in the 2021 WRICH.

Pitted against some of the world’s best rowers, Wylene stood tall as she bagged an eighth-place finish in the Under-23 Lightweight Women’s 500m division with a time of 01:48.8. Despite falling short of a podium finish, Wylene felt honored to represent the Philippines in an international competition while also making history by being one of the first Filipino university students to compete in the WRICH.

“It was really such an honor to have the opportunity to compete on the world stage. Regardless of the results, I was already very proud and fulfilled that my teammates and I made it there,” shared Wylene.

Through her achievements on the water, Wylene aims to increase people’s awareness of competitive rowing in the local sporting scene. “Rowing is like a hidden gem, but through our team’s achievements, I hope to increase enthusiasm in the sport,” she said.

Beyond the waters

However, like many other student-athletes, Wylene struggled to adjust to online learning. Treating the team workouts as her break in between activities prior to the pandemic, the virtual setup made this more difficult as her academics, organizational work, and training sessions merged together online.

To cope, Wylene created a daily routine similar to how she did during face-to-face classes, which allowed her to excel in these classes. Her hard work eventually led to her inclusion in the Dean’s List in the first semester.

Apart from excelling in academics, Wylene has remained active in Habitat for Humanity. Currently part of the organization’s Builds department, Wylene handles the painting and building of the houses within their partner communities. Through her involvement in these projects, Wylene gained a sense of fulfillment in having an active role within a sector-based organization. “The work I do in [Habitat for Humanity] is very fulfilling because not only do I work alongside passionate leaders and peers, but I also get to meet communities with the warmest hearts,” she said.

Drive to the finish

Despite having been a rower for a limited time, Wylene’s dedication to the sport has resulted in numerous achievements in rowing. With her podium finishes and historical feats, Wylene manifested grit, perseverance, and self-discipline which will continue to push her to greater heights in rowing, academics, and in her future career in the field of psychology.