After a friend who rowed convinced her to try it in 2021, junior Bailey Hunn joined St. Louis Rowing Club and has competed with them ever since.

Hunn’s boat even finished 1st in the Women’s Youth U17 league in the 2022 Head of the Hooch Race in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hunn sat in the stroke seat, the position that helps set the speed for the rest of the boat.

To keep up with the rigorous training requirements, Hunn works out before school, during after-school practice and occasionally after practice if she deems it necessary.

“If you think about it, you’re like the girls in the top boats, like these best girls, they’re doing workouts outside of practice. So it’s like, how hard are they working and how hard can I work to beat them? Because if you put in the most work, you’re gonna get the most reward, right?” Hunn said.

However, her physical ability isn’t the only thing she has to train.

“I really psych myself out and [get] anxious about it, so I’ve had a lot of post-practice cries. But I think that makes you stronger. It’s all about mental toughness and just pushing through when you’re actually doing the workout. But then also getting back on and doing it again the next day,” Hunn said.

One thing Hunn enjoys is the bond formed between her teammates.

“I’ve made a lot of friends. I think that there [are] some weird people or some mean people, but in general, the people are super kind, sweet and good teammates. It’s a big team, like 50 girls, [so] everyone has someone that they can talk to and be friends with,” Hunn said.

Hunn also says she enjoys the competition of the sport.

“Our first boat is always going to try to beat our second boat, and our second boat’s always working harder to be up there with the first boat. [But] I feel like my team is really good about taking a step back, not taking it personal and being happy for the girl that’s making the boat faster,” Hunn said.

Planning to row after high school, Hunn has started reaching out to colleges to discuss recruitment. However, she is unsure if it is something she could do as a career.

“It’s hard to [row] as a career. To go to an Olympic level, you have to have a certain build for it. It’s 50% work ethic to row, but it’s also 50% being tall and big, “ Hunn said, “Mass moves mass, that’s what they always say. The bigger you are, as long as you’re pulling your weight, then you’re going to do better than someone who is petite and tiny.”