After joining the Farmington High School (FHS) girls crew team during her freshman year, Senior Bora Bylishi has now become a captain, inspiring and motivating her teammates. Her story began in late 2021 when she took on the role of a stroke seat, or 8th seat, serving as the person who leads the rest of the boat through the motions of rowing.
Rowing during this era had many challenges because COVID-19 was still a big health concern. The team was strict about health screenings and making sure athletes were not displaying any symptoms. As a result, many teammates would be gone for weeks while they were recovering or quarantining.
During the summer before her sophomore year, Blylishi joined the leadership team, meeting weekly to discuss the roles and goals of leaders on the team as well as aiding the captains in planning team bonding activities during the season. In 2022, during her sophomore year, the pace of life returned back to normal.
“It felt liberating, and everyone was relieved as we could all finally see each other and it felt like we were going back to that sense of normalcy everyone missed. It was also refreshing to not have to worry about teammates sicknesses and return to normal workout conditions,” Bylishi reflected.
At that point, having rowed for two seasons, fall and spring, Blylishi was no longer a novice rower. Now a first varsity rower, the top boat on the team, she was already standing out as a leader.
“It was a big transition going from novice to 1V, but it was very motivating since I was surrounded by so many hard-working people and I had a lot of support from the coaching staff.”
Her junior year began in 2023, an essential year in high school that many find overwhelming. However, Bylishi stayed committed to the team and continued to show up every day and put in full effort. Although managing school, extracurriculars, and crew was difficult, Bylishi stated she was able to stay committed to everything by using school resources like Hawk’s Nest and SPA, and also reaching out to people she trusted who would support her.
“I learned my junior year that it is not a weakness to ask for help, in fact, sometimes it’s the best thing you can do for yourself”, Bylishi said. “Having trusted friends and adults I could go to when I needed help really helped me balance everything during that hectic year.”
As a junior, Bylishi enjoyed trading positions and getting to know the underclassmen and taking them under her wing. She wanted them to feel supported the way she did when she was an underclassman. The spring season is when shorter, faster, side-by-side races take place and State championships also happen at the end of the spring season.
Still a junior, in the spring of 2024, Bylishi and the crew teams traveled to the annual state championships. All three FHS girls crew boats medaled, with tight races in the 1V and 2V heats. Second varsity came 2nd, the first place boat faster by only 1 second. The 1V girls boat, Bylishi’s boat, came in 3rd by a fraction of a second, the first time the 1V boat had placed in the top 3 in years.
“[Medaling felt] indescribable. It felt like everything I had done for 3 years and some people had done for 4 years was worth it. It was an extremely emotional race since it was the last race for many graduating seniors that I had rowed with, but it was still a successful and happy day,” said Bylishi.
Now a senior, the decision to run for captain was a reflective one, honoring her time on the team.
“I feel like the team has been such an important part of my life, both the teammates and coaches, and I really wanted to honor the sport and show my love and commitment to the team. I decided to demonstrate that in one of the biggest ways possible: by becoming captain and supporting my teammates the way I was always supported.”
With her new leadership role, Bylishi has already made an impact on the team, hosting weekly team bonding activities, highlighting a hard working athlete in the weekly “Riverhawk of the Week” selection process, and providing encouragement and humor to those around her.
As for the rest of the season, Bylishi is looking forward to seeing what other successes the team will be able to accomplish. In the meantime, she stays grateful and present in the moment.
“[I’m] experiencing every race through a different lens knowing it will be my last time with this team at every place, venue, and race. I just want to enjoy and soak up every moment.”
