Moments are funny things. It’s impossible to know which ones will define us forever and which ones will become just another step along the way. For junior rower Nicole Hare, a simple, not-so-glamorous moment started what she now refers to as her life.

“The first day that I was actually able to go in a boat, I was with three others, what I viewed at the time to be very experienced people, I was not dressed appropriately for the weather,” Hare said. “I didn’t have enough layers and it was really cold. I cried so much afterwards, I hated it. But I don’t know, something made me stick with it.”

That moment, when she got out of the boat wet and cold, was one that would shape the rest of her life. The countless hours of training, in competition, and time spent improving technique have all branched off of that one instant. Although that moment may not be very flashy, it sparked a passion within Hare that has taken on a life of its own.

Hare did not concentrate on rowing until she was 12 years old. Growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Hare and her older sister would play field hockey together. Hare said that even at the age of 12, there were already competitors who had grown up around rowing.

Hare, on the other hand, found her passion after watching a regatta on TV. Neither her parents nor siblings had ever rowed. Hare’s sister Danielle recalls that Hare’s attention shifted from sport to sport, never sticking with one hobby for long.

“Growing up she had always been a two-weeker. She would do sports for two weeks or two months and get bored and move on,” Danielle said. “When she found rowing she became driven and committed, and I don’t know what did that for her with rowing. Whatever made her commit to rowing was a big change I saw in her.”

WSU rowing Head Coach Jane LaRivier noted Hare’s great work ethic and laser focus as part of what makes her such a talented rower.

“She is a racer. She is not afraid to go into major distress in her body to continue racing. She is very focused,” LaRiviere said. “She is focused in practice and she is focused in races…She is doing everything she needs to do to be great for a long time.”

Rowers rely on one another’s competitive natures and team work in order to win races. The team atmosphere that rowing nurtures is what Hare said made her stick with the sport.

“I stuck with it because of the friends. It’s just a really good community,” Hare said. “You meet a rower and you know immediately that they are a rower. I think the community is huge and I really like that.”

Hare said her quick rise to the top during high school regattas gave her a choice of scholarships and universities. Again, Hare said she relied on her strong sense of teamwork to choose the college that would best fit her.

“The community brought me to WSU. The team is made up of the nicest people and everyone is supportive of the team in every way that they can whether they are in the varsity boat, the second varsity boat, they’re not even travelling,” Hare said. “They are all a huge part of the team. I think that’s big. The team is a family, definitely.”

LaRiviere has taken note this fall of Hare’s dedication to her partner in a two person shell. Although her partner is from the Czech Republic and has limited English skills, LaRiviere said Hare spent the extra time to make sure that their communication remained strong, and excelled on the water.

In the same manner, Hare’s goals and the team’s goals are one in the same.

“I would like to be top-10 in the NCAA and I don’t think that is an unrealistic goal for us,” Hare said. “I think we have a lot of talent on our team and why not? We can do it, I know.”

Hare has competed in the varsity boat since her freshman year. Last summer Hare was chosen to compete at the U23 World Championships where she helped Canada bring home a bronze medal.

That drive pushes Hare to think about her rowing career beyond college.

“I want to go as far as I can with rowing. That seems to be the Olympics, but I’m not going to say that’s my goal right now,” Hare said. “Right now I want to be the best that I can be and if that’s where it gets me, that’s where it gets me. I would really enjoy that.”

For now Hare said she is focused on the very thing that kept her rowing in the first place: her teammates.

“I really want to help develop a team now to become a team that can be top 10 in the nation. From there I think it will be a wave. It will continue being a strong team,” Hare said.