Junior heavyweight rower Sam Sullivan poses with an oar at the Burk-Bergman Boathouse on Mar. 29.
Credit: Derek WongSuccessfully reaching the finish line is what motivates most athletes to start a race in the first place. People commit their entire lives to athletics, constantly motivating themselves by imagining the waving checkered flag. Only, for junior heavyweight rower Sam Sullivan, there is no finish line in sight.
“Sometimes … you just have to push through and understand that at some point it will end," he said.
Compared to his current teammates, competitive rowing is still a relatively fresh addition to Sullivan’s life. Despite having started rowing in eighth grade, and only realizing his potential in his sophomore year of high school, he now can’t imagine life without it.
“I think if I hadn't ended up rowing, I'd probably end up at some other sport, but I just, I wouldn't be the same person,” Sullivan said. “I got faster and then it was one of my coaches [who said] by the way, this is something that you could be good at and … you could get recruited for in college.”
This possibility of Division I eligibility was the only incentive Sullivan needed to intertwine his love of rowing with his ceaseless competitive spirit. Sullivan has always strayed on the competitive side, his mother, Cheryl Sullivan, recalled when describing the time he impulsively joined the local swim team at age seven, despite never swimming before.
“We just couldn’t get him to take a lesson,” Cheryl said. “He didn’t know how to swim.”
The fact that swimming was measured in races was all that mattered to him, with his desire to win overpowering the fear of losing. The seemingly natural confidence Sullivan had in his abilities propelled him through every possible sport growing up, but, eventually, rowing became his sole focus. Despite his high level of interest, Boston Latin School, Sullivan’s high school, wasn’t exactly known for its crew program.
“Rowing was big in the sense that there were a lot of kids that did it. Not to say that we were especially good at the sport,” he admitted.
Junior heavyweight rower Sam Sullivan poses with his oar on Mar. 29.
This hurdle only further encouraged Sullivan to push himself, eventually declaring that he wanted to race 2,000 meters in under six minutes — something most rowers can only dream of. Since then, Sullivan has done everything to keep this goal in reach with an unwavering focus.
As is the case for many athletes, coming to Penn was a huge adjustment for Sullivan. Before entering university, student-athletes are accustomed to being the best among their peers in high school. Yet, since Penn is filled with the best from all over, Sullivan had to confront a feeling of imposter syndrome early on. Sullivan quickly got over this, however, and readjusted his training to not only match, but to transcend the talent of his teammates.
“He doesn't get caught up in extraneous things, he just thinks, here's what I want to achieve … [and is] able to focus on what needs to happen to achieve that goal,” Cheryl said.
Fellow junior heavyweight rower Charlie Jones described him as “consistent” and “a rock,” who never budges from or loses sight of his goals. The first to arrive and the last to leave, Sullivan always puts in the extra practice to better his times.
An example of his commitment comes with his pre-practice rituals. To most rowers, the most boring part of rowing practice is carrying the oars from the boathouse to the river. Rather than share the load with his teammates, Sullivan bikes to the boathouse every morning before the rest of the team to carry the 40 oars down to the river by himself. Jones further spoke of Sullivan with a quiet reverence, continuing to applaud his incredible work ethic.
“He's always doing everything right. He's always getting the right amount of sleep. He takes care of his body. And he goes hard every single day,” he said.
Originally coming from a lower-ranked high school rowing program, one could argue that Sullivan started further behind than his teammates. Not one to be deterred, he has since surpassed everyone else on the team, having recently become one of the fastest rowers in the country. His current 2,000m personal best is 5:49, a time on par with Olympic-caliber rowers.
“He has blown everyone out of the water,” Jones said.
Building on his athletic success, Sullivan has learned that succeeding as a student-athlete requires more than just athletic ability. It requires a careful balance of attention to academics, athletics, and life, something that Sullivan originally struggled to find but has since perfected. Even when considering his Olympic prospects, something that would blind most athletes with excitement, Sullivan tries to treat that aspect of his life with equal value to the rest.
“It would be a great honor to [row in the Olympics] and that is the goal. It's just … for me, now, it's thinking about how will life fit with that?” he said.
Sullivan clearly has tunnel vision, but only for the most important things in his life, which he sees as rowing, school, and his relationship with his mom.
“I don't know who I'd be if I wasn't as close to my mom as I am … I think just everything about me is in some way shaped by her,” he responded when asked about their closeness.
His teammates consider this relationship one of Sullivan’s best qualities. When asked about his favorite memory of him, Jones recalled a moment when he and Sullivan were in the middle of a conversation after a successful race and Sullivan abruptly left to celebrate and spend the rest of the day with his mom.
Junior heavyweight rower Sam Sullivan poses with an oar at the Burk-Bergman Boathouse on Mar. 29.
“This speaks to his character," Jones said. "He has got to be the most genuine and nicest [person] of any[one] that I've met from any group on campus.”
Between his talent, charm, and intelligence — as he currently plans to major in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics — Sullivan will certainly make a name for himself wherever he goes, and in coach Al Monte's opinion, he is just scratching the surface of his abilities.
“That kid has more levels to unlock, physically, emotionally, mentally. I think on the physical side, he's going to do all the work,” Monte claimed.
Penn students may know Sullivan from his white blonde hair, which his mom Cheryl considers his defining quality, but within four years time, they may very well know him as the Olympian who walked by them on Locust Walk. Relying on his foundations of family, confidence, and hard work — Sullivan looks to push past the finish line on his way to greatness.
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