George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Rowing Honors Class of 2016
5/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rowing
Photo Gallery The George Washington University officially kicked off commencement week when it held a special commencement ceremony for the Men's Rowing Class of 2016 on Tuesday afternoon at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater at the Marvin Center.
The ceremony was held to formally recognize the six men's rowing student-athletes who are unable to join their classmates on the National Mall this weekend. Connor Barley, Taylor Evans, Keenan Freyberg, Dan Henry, Matt Palmer and Jordan Tewksbury-Volpe will instead be in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday competing at the prestigious Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond.
Although the sextet will miss out on the GW's usual commencement exercise, the only one of its kind that takes place on the National Mall in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol building, Tuesday's ceremony had all the pomp and circumstance plus an added level of intimacy that will make the event a wonderful memory for years to come.
The ceremony began with a procession into Betts Theater, led by University Marshal Dr. Charles Garris, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Forrest Maltzman and President Dr. Steven Knapp.
A moving rendition of the National Anthem by Maggie Fritz, CCAS '16, proceeded the opening remarks, where Dr. Maltzman welcomed the student-athletes and their families and quoted a passage from Daniel J. Brown's Boys in the Boat, the inspirational story of the American Olympic rowing triumph in Nazi Germany in 1936.
Head Coach Mark Davis recounted how this was his seventh such ceremony since being at George Washington, adding that his speeches never get easier. He explained how his team is a family and it is never easy to let go of those you grow to love.
Coach Davis shared a story of a tradition at practice where he will halt all activity and have his crews sit in the middle of the tranquil Potomac River and simply take in their surroundings. It's a way to explain to his student-athletes that nothing lasts forever and it is so very important to always enjoy every moment and learn from everything. To always live in the present.
Coach Davis also shared how to always carry with them the perfect moments when everything in the racing shell is perfect. When the oarsman are one with the boat and the water. He told the audience you need to have rowed in a boat to fully grasp what he means, but he knows the six seniors understand and that they will carry that feeling with them forever and remember it every time they see flat water for the rest of their lives.
Team captain Dan Henry then addressed his fellow graduates, singling each of them out and praising their biggest strengths and qualities that make them such tremendous teammates, friends and brothers.
He explained how rowing challenges you to push through and break perceived limitations nearly every day, both on and off the water. He thanked his teammates for breaking through those walls, both on an individual and team level.
Following Henry's remarks, Dr. Steven Knapp welcomed the graduates to the worldwide community of George Washington alumni, before leading the Charge to Graduates, calling for the six student-athletes to keep alive the spirit, community and the commitment to service that has defined them as undergraduates.
Knapp then conferred the six young men to move their tassels as they officially became graduates of the George Washington University.
Players Mentioned
