Whether she’s holding an oar, a paintbrush or a camera, senior Catherine Chappell pushes herself to the limit.

“When you’re going to do something, you have to put everything you have into it,” she said.

Both crew and art require a high level of concentration and dedication, but Chappell still manages to balance her roles as an integral member of the nationally ranked Wayland-Weston crew team and as an avid artist.

Despite hurting her foot over the winter, temporarily preventing her from rowing, Chappell is planning to return to the water within the week, continuing her eighth season of crew.

Chappell’s favorite rowing memory comes from when she was a sophomore. Expectations were low for her and her boat in a race at the Northeast Mid-Atlantic Regionals.

“We were behind the whole time, and in the last 500 meters we just moved up, and you could hear the announcer saying ‘Wayland-Weston, moving up!’,” said Chappell. “It was the most amazing race ever.”

Chappell has now adopted the motto she once heard from her former coach, Ande Reisman: “You can do anything for 500 meters.”

Chappell also draws inspiration from her family.

“Being deaf, [my brother] encountered a lot of things, [and] I’ve seen people being rude to him. I definitely think that a lot of the strength I bring into my rowing is a product of that,” she said.

Because Chappell’s oar has yet to touch the water this season, the absence of rowing in her daily routine is making an impact.

“I’m so bad at time management,” said Chappell with a laugh. “The weird thing is that when I don’t have crew, I get behind in everything. If I’m not rowing, it makes my life so unorganized.”

Chappell loves the peace rowing brings her. “When we’re moving all together,” she said, “it’s perfect.”

When she’s not on the water, Chappell can be found taking photographs, drawing and painting.

“I started doing photography because my mom did it. I would steal her camera and take pictures with it,” said Chappell. “I’ve just always done art, ever since I was little.”

“I’m not afraid to try different things in art because of my experiences with rowing,” she said.

Chappell will attend Northeastern University next fall, where she plans to continue her art and photography and row for the Huskies.