It was the beginning of my freshman year in college. I was one of 25 ...

All School Assembly Speech 11-14
from that class of 25, left. Out of these 2, I won the hard fought election for
captain for my senior year.
I entered my senior fall excited for the season, and about a strong crop of
underclassmen I knew were joining the team. I had rowed under the
leadership of the 3 previous captains, and had learned the basics; I
understood what I needed to do. I was the main connection between rowers
and coach. This meant regular discussions with Ric Ricci about the team,
rowing technique, or life. Throughout the year, I organized the team at
practices, at races, during our off season, organized social gatherings and
clothing orders - all as had been done every year before. Come our main
season in the spring, I continued to lead by example, always pushing myself
beyond what I had done before. I think that in most people’s eyes, I
succeeded as a captain, I had MET EXPECTATIONS.
When I graduated, I agreed with this conclusion. I had loved my experience
on the team, enjoyed the company of my teammates, and felt like I had
learned some valuable life lessons, even if we had mediocre seasons one
after the other.
Two years after graduation, when I became a coach myself, this perspective
changed. At this moment I recalled one of many conversations that I had
had with Ric Ricci, which for some reason had not registered the first time
around.
Ric had called me into his office. He had told me the story of a captain,
from the 1994 team (a team that won New England’s and produced an
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