Inside The Shell: Breanna Hayton
Nov. 21, 2011
Breanna Hayton | Rowing | Sophomore | Victoria, British Columbia
The transition to Miamiā¦ was a big one, especially culture wise. They told me to expect something completely different down here. I wasnāt expecting it and when I did come it was a bit of a reality shock but itās been fun nonetheless.
The Uā¦is a symbol of opportunity. Having the chance to be here both academically and athletically opens the doors for the future. The diversity on campus, and the spirit and the real sense of community support is great.
I chose Miami becauseā¦it was a combination of academics and athletics. They have a wonderful engineering program here, which is what I wanted to do, and they offered my specialty in aerospace, which was a big draw, and the rowing just was a compliment to all of that.
Rowing has given meā¦the opportunity to meet the most amazing people. Most of my best friends have come from rowing down here. Itās such a unique community of people and regardless of where you go or what organization you work with thereās incredible bonds that you form with these people.
I row becauseā¦Iām addicted to it. Itās terrible really if you think about the concept. But once you get into it you just fall in love with it. When you turnaround and youāre not doing it you feel guilty for it. Thereās just this powerful sensation when youāre in a boat and everything is working and often you can hear this sound under the boat that we call the bubbles and its just heaven I donāt even know how to describe it.
My hometownā¦is Victoria, British Columbia. I think it defines who I am a little bit. Itās pretty laid back; itās on an island so everyone runs on island time. Itās that sense of community everyone is really close. Itās just a fun vibe to be in, it certainly defined who I am as a more laidback person.
I secretly wishā¦ that I could go back to the space race time.
I want to work withā¦ NASA or a Space Agency. My ultimate goal is to be an astronaut. I love looking at things that have gone wrong and analyzing the situation and finding a solution for it.
Iām afraid ofā¦ jellyfish. Not a jellyfish fan.
Coach Carter isā¦ very technical, which I really enjoy. He explains things in terms of physics and mechanics, which I can relate to. Some people like it some people donāt but I think it works.
The morning bus ride to practice isā¦normally pretty quiet. Itās a good sleep time.
The University of Miami isā¦ beautiful. I mean we can walk down the middle of campus in the palm trees and the sunshine. I do some bragging with the people at home.
I admireā¦ as an athlete I look to a hometown athlete, his name is David Calder. He is a rower as well. He rowed for the Canadian team at the Olympics. What was interesting was he had a bad run in a pair where he crossed lanes and they ended up getting disqualified. It was just the way he came back from it and really just took control and they went back to medal the next time and heās still going strong.
Giving back isā¦ great. If you look at how much we get and how much people give to us we often donāt even realize it. And we get to turnaround and give back. Even things as simple as holding open the door for someone. Itās just little ways and when we get to do charity work itās really neat because you just realize how lucky you are its mind-blowing.
My guilty pleasure isā¦ that I like food and going fast. It doesnāt really matter how, whether itās sprinting or anything just going fast and getting that adrenaline pumping.
My mom and dadā¦ have been a huge support system. Having me down here has been a huge opportunity to see what they put forward and what they went through to get me here.
My favorite song isā¦ I donāt really have a favorite song I just sing what comes to mind. I have to listen to a mix of things it can t be the same.
My favorite movie isā¦ Apollo 13.
My favorite childhood cartoonā¦ we never had cable when I was a kid (laughs) maybe the Bernstein Bears.
Best Advice I ever receivedā¦ shiny side down. The bottom of our boat is technically shiny and someone once told me itās a good day if itās shiny side down.
Every year I look forward toā¦ Spring. Not necessarily here. But back at home. We have seasons theyāre gorgeous. We get the Japanese plum trees and they have this huge pink blossom and thereās this point where they all blossom and everything kind of falls down so thereās this swirling of gorgeous flowers. Itās really pretty.
If I werenāt rowing Iād beā¦ asleep (laughs). Outside probably.
When I was youngerā¦ I was convinced I was going to be a veterinarian.
I aspire toā¦ make each day better than the last one. Whether it is getting faster or just working harder or getting smarter. Anything.
Thereās no better feeling thanā¦ that perfect harmony in the boat and it feels fast.
My new coaches areā¦ great. They have great sense of humor. Theyāre both coxes so they bring that real aggressive edge which is nice and they compliment coach Carterās coaching style.
When Iām on the waterā¦ I tend to slip into this zone and I kind of donāt pay attention to everything thatās happening around. Which can be good or a little annoying at times.
The biggest risk I ever tookā¦ probably coming here.
In my spare timeā¦ I like to read, watch a movie, do something outdoors, or maybe go for a bike ride.
At the last regattaā¦ I was in the double with Kata Horvath and the 8+ at the Hooch
Itās so excitingā¦ everyday we go out to practice thereās just big improvements. Whatās neat from an athleteās perspective is we can tell these improvements are happening. Its not just something happening by numbers it feels better. We can see each other getting faster and the team is so positive and that really came through in the Hooch. We had a lot of good aggression on the water in both cases. It was neat to see the whole team come together. The upperclassmen, novices, recruits, just everyone bonded together and really supported each other.
This seasonā¦ Iām excited about San Diego. I heard itās a fantastic regatta to go to. And ACC Championships are always fun. Especially because there are a couple of our schools that are really close and weāre looking to pass a couple of them and close the gap.
If I could row anywhere in the worldā¦ I would say somewhere in Europe. There are some really fast teams over there. Maybe Britain or maybe the Australians. Theyāre really fast too.