Georgia joining Big Red
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs senior rower Lexi Georgia wanted everything in a college — size, academics, rowing and vibe. She found it all at Cornell University. The Saratoga Rowing Association varsity rower made the cut and will row for the Big Red next fall.
“I really liked Cornell because of the location, I like that it’s not too far away from home and I wanted a big school,” Georgia said. “I realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t go to a small school, or even a city school, because I needed the space and the Adirondack feel to it.”
Her short list included Northeastern, Indiana and Cornell for the biology major.
“All three were such different schools that I think I had a hard time choosing,” Georgia said. “Northeastern
was a city school and the smallest of the three… Indiana was so big and further away. Cornell was the medium ( sized) one and closer to home so I think I went with Cornell because that was where I could see myself.”
Georgia had the grades to enter the Ithaca institution, but had to prove herself on the water and stand on her tiptoes to make the final cut.
“It was really stressful at first because the only races (times) I had to give them were the eight because we don’t emphasize erging ( rowing machine times) here,” Georgia said. “My erg scores were not that great and when I first started talking to the coach she said. ‘You should still keep us in mind, but I don’t know you are kind of small.’
“We did races in the pair (with Caroline Murphy) in the summer, that helped and showed them that I could move a boat by me that I think was a deciding factor on their end. The girls are probably huge, I’m going from five seat in the boat, the tallest rower, to bow seat which is usually the smallest person in the boat, which will be a change.”
She was sold on the school during her official visit.
“The coaching staff was really nice and the girls that I stayed with were so nice, it had such a good vibe,” she said. “Everyone says the transition from high school to college is so hard in the rowing world because it is so much more work, it definitely will be, but I think this is a transition that I can make.”