Buffalo's athletic department prides itself on its student-athletes who put as much effort into their academics as their chosen sport. If in addition to these traits, you can find a player who also has a warm personality and is a pleasure to be around, then you have found the ideal student-athlete. Bulls' rower Maureen Jones is the epitome of all these qualities.
Unlike most collegiate athletes who have played their sport for many years, Jones came to Buffalo with no rowing experience at all. Jones' expertise in high school was running track and cross-country. An Irondequoit High School graduate from the outskirts of Rochester, Jones was the track sectionals champion in the 4x400 m relay. So when she decided to join the rowing team instead of the track team, it seemed a little strange at first.
"I was getting sick of it (running), and I was getting burned out," Jones said. "Rowing was a sport that they (Buffalo athletics) were trying to get more people to join, so I did, and I ended up enjoying it."
Throughout her experiences, Jones has shown in the past the ability to be a great leader. Her cross-country experience proves that people tend to follow in her footsteps, even if they are in the wrong direction. During a cross-country meet, Jones somehow made a wrong turn, and she ended up lost in the woods. What made it even more remarkable was that she had other contestants following her, and they were lost too.
"Somehow I kept looping around this same hill, and I must have kept making the same wrong turn, even though I thought I was taking a different one. And I must have went down that same hill about four times before I got on the right path," Jones said.
Traits such as hard work and determination are inherent. Jones pushes herself every day because of her love of the game and love for her teammates.
"One awesome thing about Maureen is that she will finish something, and then she will say 'I can do more,'" said assistant rowing coach Elizabeth Ostermeier. "She is always willing to do the extra things, and that effort helps her deal with being new to the sport."
During the Head of the Charles Regatta, Jones had the opportunity to row with her team in front of 300,000 spectators. To most newcomers, performing in front of this many people could be overwhelming, but Jones was able to take it on with confidence.
"We are taught to just focus on the girl in front of you, and to block everything else out," Jones said. "It can be hard with that many people watching, but we just feed off of the momentum of the crowd."
Maureen often claims to be the little "jitter bug" on the team, so she has to come up with ways to calm herself before a race. One thing she does regularly is pray for her team and that the boat doesn't tip over. Follow that up with some songs from her favorite groups like Dave Matthew's Band and Citizen Cope, and her team has a competitor who is focused on the race. When Jones is not putting all of her energy into rowing, she focuses on balancing schoolwork with everyday life. Most of her time outside of sports goes directly to her classes. Maureen is studying to be an occupational therapist, aspiring to be able to work with young children with disabilities.
When schoolwork becomes too much to handle, Jones may often take a break just to sing a song, which brings her back to a more relaxed state. If all else fails, Jones may go out and have a steak or a slice of pizza, her favorite foods, which remind her of being home with family.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
