Crew member has olympic rowing aspirations

A blue and silver beaded necklace lies just above the collar of 21-year-old Chelsea Smith’s (AS4) Drake crew hoodie. The square beads bear the phrase, ‘DU you bleed blue?’

The former mascot, current radio sports personality, president of Spike’s Army and standout senior member of the Drake University crew team has always been a passionate supporter of Drake University athletics, gaining her the nickname Chelsea “Bleeds Blue” Smith.

Smith incorporates her passion for Drake into her daily life.

“I wouldn’t be accomplishing what I am now if I weren’t at Drake,” Smith said. “If you have dreams and want to go somewhere, there are people here that support you. It’s a community where you can grow, thrive and follow your dreams.”

Smith’s dreams take her to the Des Moines River every morning for rigorous 5:30 a.m. practices, where she works toward her goal of becoming a member of the national rowing team and racing as a lightweight single sculler in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Smith began rowing for the Minneapolis Rowing Club during the summer following her junior year in high school in Edina, Minn. As a freshman at Drake, she struggled to adjust to the college team, fitting awkwardly into the program and unsure about her future with the sport.

“Rowing was sort of a question mark for me, and wasn’t as rewarding as it is now,” Smith said.

The turning point came for Smith in the summer following her freshman year. She competed for the first time as a lightweight at a large regatta for the Minneapolis Rowing Club. After experiencing the magnitude of the sport and her personal ability level, Smith reached a new level of dedication for the sport.

“I knew then that I could go far with rowing,” Smith said.

Smith returned to Drake her sophomore year with more experience and passion for the sport, rowing consistently on the varsity squad for the Bulldogs and sure of her ability to compete at the collegiate level. She made the transition into a singles boat the summer before her junior year at Drake.

“I was working a lot that summer, and was unable to practice with the team, so I started training in the single,” Smith said. “Rowing the single is more difficult because you have to be on every time – there’s no one else in the boat to help get it going or steer.”

Her MRC coach put thoughts of rowing at the international and professional level into Smith’s head at the end of that summer. She began adding extra workouts the following fall under the guidance of the Drake Head Coach Charlie DiSilvestro.

“One of Chelsea’s best traits is her drive to accomplish the goals she sets,” DiSilvestro said. “She knows the amount of work and dedication it will take and is willing to put in the effort.”

During the summer, Olympic aspirations became a reality for Smith when she barely missed qualifying for the women’s national team at the 2009 U.S. Rowing’s U23 World Championship Trials. She missed the cut by three seconds while rowing for the New York Rowing Association and training at U.S. Rowing’s Lightweight Pre-Elite Sculling Camp in the Bronx, N.Y.

“I don’t remember much of the race, but at the half point I made myself believe that I could win it,” Smith said. “During the last 500 meters, I kept telling myself that you only get one race, and this was what I had dreamed of. After I lost by three seconds, I kept thinking that I could have caught her. I had a hard time sleeping for a few days after that loss.”

A few weeks later, Smith went on to take titles in three events at the Northwest International Rowing Association Regatta in Lake Elmo, Minn. while rowing for MRC.

In the wake of her successful summer, Smith was named corecipient of the Tim and Jerry Howlett Award as Drake’s top female athlete for 2008-09.

Though her Olympic ambitions remain a large part of her life, Smith said she looks forward to a successful senior season with her Drake teammates on the water while she finishes her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in the classroom.

“Now, I’m focusing more on Drake crew than Chelsea Smith,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to our team breaking a number of school records this season.”

Despite extra training, Smith remains actively involved on campus, assuming leadership roles in her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, the Student Athlete Advisory Council and Beta Beta Beta Honors Biology Fraternity.

A former teammate of Smith’s, Megan Schneider (G ‘06), summed up Smith’s approach to her full schedule of rigorous coursework and athletic ambition.

“People may say that someone doesn’t do anything with less than 100 percent work ethic and enthusiasm, but Chelsea actually lives this statement,” Schneider said. “Whether she is playing pranks, cheering for all of Drake’s other athletic teams as a super fan or racing for a gold medal, she is always fully invested.”