Chapter 21: Taylor English

As the sun rises each morning, a small team of rowers from the Y Quad Cities Rowing Club is already practicing on the Mississippi River. Sophomore Taylor English has been a part of the rowing team based out of Moline, Illinois for over two years, and in that short time she already has quite a few accomplishments under her belt. Not only has she won several regional championship races, English also won the national championship in the quad, or four person boat, this past June. This is a feat not many high school students across the country, let alone freshman, can be so lucky to accomplish.

English is not only successful at the national level for rowing but also internationally. This summer, she was one of the few rowers selected to represent the country on the United States Junior National Rowing Team. English trained all summer in a quad, eventually traveling to Trakai, Lithuania to compete at the World Championships. Her boat finished a solid fifth in the world. English says of her experience, “We didn’t do as well as we wanted, but it was a great experience to train with the girls. I learned that sometimes the journey is more important that the destination.” Experiencing new places, growing as an athlete and making bonds of friendship with her fellow teammates were big factors to English attributing this summer as a success.

Rowing, though a big part of her life, is only a section of her story. Although English has been in the Pleasant Valley district for five years, she was born in California and has lived in New York for eight years. In her free time, English enjoys making art projects, spending time with friends and eating her mother’s wonderful cooking. In fact, she loves to say, “Why eat later when you can eat now?”. English gets serious with her advice for freshman, however. As a student athlete who has learned to effectively balance her schoolwork and practices, she has a tip to on how to be efficient. She says, “Use your resource period to talk to teachers and create study groups with your friends; it’ll help!”