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The boat glided in toward the dock, Kristoff grabbed ahold to help pull them in. The coxswain got out first. It was a bow coxed boat, so Kristoff almost never had to look at Olaf, just straight out into the distance over the water, everything constantly moving away from him. He wasn’t sure if he’d be less annoyed or more annoyed at Olaf if he had to look at him while he was barking commands. Kristoff was just here to row, though, not cause drama.
They all got out, and at Olaf’s direction, the four of them lifted the boat onto their shoulders and walked it to the rack in the boathouse, carefully setting it down. They joined everyone gathered around Coach Mattias for some final thoughts about the day’s practice, nothing earth shattering: everyone was rowing well, the new team members were doing well with the seasoned rowers, and he was happy with how it was going.
“One more thing,” Mattias added as everyone was just about to go. “This weekend’s regatta is going to be an overnight stay, so you should all arrange carpools to get there, and figure out who’s sharing rooms.”
“You don’t have buses?” Hans asked.
“This isn’t a college team. We don’t have school buses just sitting around to use. I know some of you might have gotten used to that. You don’t have to carpool, but it would help.”
“I have a van,” Kristoff offered to nobody in particular.
“Oh!” Olaf piped in, “I can bring snacks!”
“Um, thanks?” Kristoff replied. “Anybody else?”
There were a few mumbled declines, but everyone else seemed to be set.
“Are you two going to share a room, then?” Mattias asked.
“Yes!” Olaf replied before Kristoff could say anything. It was fine.
Friday afternoon arrived, and Kristoff showed up at Olaf’s apartment.
“Thanks so much!” Olaf said as they pulled off. “I don’t have a car and all, so it’s really a big help.”
“So, how long have you been doing this?” Kristoff asked. He was pretty sure that Olaf was one of the people who had been around awhile, not one of the ones, like himself, who had just joined.
“I rowed in high school, with the high school team here,” Olaf said. “Then in college, they decided I was better as a coxswain. I bet you never had that problem, huh?”
“I didn’t row in high school,” Kristoff said.
“Oh, yeah, a lot of people start in college. I know that.”
“I didn’t even know it existed in high school, really. Someone grabbed me at the beginning of freshman year and told me I should join, so I just went along with them.”
“I can see why,” Olaf laughed, looking him up and down.
“Well, anyway, here I am.”
“Did you do any sports in high school?”
“Wrestling,” Kristoff said. “This is probably better. I knew some guys who kept up with wrestling, and they really wrecked their joints up pretty badly. Plus, I don’t have to worry about weight classes. That’s always a plus. But wrestling didn’t require any fancy equipment, so it was cheap enough that even my high school had it.”
Olaf nodded, then reached into his bag. “Want a granola bar?”
Kristoff held his hand out, keeping his eyes on the road. “Don’t mind if I do.”