Hixson resident Rachel White has become the latest member of the Chattanooga Junior Rowing program to sign a national letter of intent with a major university.
White, who has been home-schooled all her life, signed recently with Tennessee. Alabama and Notre Dame also showed interest in her, and she was intrigued by NCAA Division III member Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, but her decision ultimately came down to Tennessee or not rowing in college at all.
"I wasn't sure, I guess, how far I wanted to take it," said White, who turns 18 on Sunday. "It's a great sport and I realize I'm good at it, but I wanted to make sure I was ready for that commitment.
"Tennessee is one of the top Division I programs in the country, and I made a visit and just loved it. And I finally decided I didn't want to live my life without rowing."
She joined the multischool CJR program as a sophomore and has stroked for women's four boats that have reached the nationals in Cincinnati both years since.
The 5-foot-11 1/2 White acknowledged she has a "good body shape" for the sport, and CJR coach Jack Fish, she said, "is so good about instilling a love for it when he's teaching you."
Fish, in turn, praised White's potential and leadership.
"She's always been in the women's four for us, but she can row anything," he said.
Heather Gardner, a CJR alumna who returned to help Fish after an All-America career at Virginia, said White "is a natural athlete to begin with, with good height. And she has a good work ethic and is easy to work with. She wants to challenge herself and do all the things that make a good athlete a great athlete."
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