Senior Spotlight: Caitlin Beakes

The Senior Spotlight series kicks off with Caitlin Beakes, who is from Washington, D.C., and serves as a team captain for the 2017-18 season.
All Senior Spotlight interviews are by junior Margaret High. Check back soon for the next installment in the series!

How did you get started in rowing?
I started rowing at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High my freshman year of high school. My stepbrother had rowed at B-CC and was rowing in college so I thought I'd give it a try.

What is your major and why?
My first major is exercise & sport science, which I chose because exercise physiology really interests me. I also picked up history as a second major for fun, since most of my favorite professors have been from the history department.

What are you most looking forward to this season?
I am most looking forward to racing in Florida; I hope we go to the beach again!

What is your favorite memory of being on the team?
One of my favorite team memories took place on my 22^nd birthday this September. One of my teammates, Sara Zetterberg, brought 50 birthday hats to the lake and everyone wore the hats on the water, including the rowers, coxswains, coaches, and even the recruits. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

What is one thing people should know about rowing?
It's really, really hard.

What does a typical day of practice look like?
A typical Monday practice schedule consists of 6 a.m. water practice at University Lake and then an afternoon erg practice. For morning practice, you spend a good portion of it in the dark, and I've gotten a lot more familiar with constellations as a result. Once the sun comes up it usually gets warmer which is nice. The afternoon erg usually consists of shorter duration, higher intensity interval pieces.

What are your plans after graduation?
My roommate and teammate Jackie Kenny and I are most likely going to work somewhere random together, possibly abroad, for a gap year before applying to graduate school.

What will you miss most about UNC?
I'll miss always being able to find a friend in the rowing locker room in odd gaps between classes.

What is your favorite part about rowing?
My favorite part about rowing has always been my teammates. The sport itself is tough and repetitive, but nothing bonds a group of people better than rowing together in the freezing rain at 6 a.m. If I've learned one thing from rowing, it's that you can't find better friends anywhere else.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
The power to make tasty food appear instantaneously, because I'm not very good at cooking.

If you could trade places with someone on your team for a day, who would it be and why?
Morgan Donnelly, because she really has her life together and I'd like to know what that feels like.

What song would play during the credits after a movie about your life?
"Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie.

If you were on a sports team at UNC other than rowing, what would it be?
Probably cross country, because I like to run.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, which team member would you bring and why?
Paige Colpo, because she never fails to make me laugh, and we all know boredom is the real killer on a deserted island.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to and why?
1896, so I could watch the first modern Olympics.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Caitlin Beakes

Paige Colpo

Morgan Donnelly

Margaret High

Jackie Kenny

Sara Zetterberg

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