{"id":1131,"date":"2026-10-15T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:15:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:15:37","slug":"a-rhythm-of-their-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/2026\/10\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rhythm of Their Own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the cadets put the boat into the Ashley River, they make a quiet pact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s just them and the water, rowing in rhythm, with the same goal in mind. Here, timing is crucial. Hand positions matter. Where the oar blade enters the water determines the boat\u2019s stability. If the oar drags, it\u2019s a futile fight that can undo even the best attempt at a power stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s almost like a metronome in the boat,\u201d said Cadet Ryan Smith, \u201928, an Army ROTC contract and the president of the Rowing Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the boat size, the eight, four, or two rowers have to find the same cadence for the boat to move as one. \u201cEveryone just silently agrees that they have to work together,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is one way cadets can find a rhythm of their own outside the daily routine they know on campus at 91ÁÔÆæ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a college where students wear uniforms, live within a regimented structure and eat, sleep and train alongside studying and going to class, there is still room to make space for the things that are theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some fish. Others shoot. Some surf, play chess, train in martial arts or play the double bass. And others row in rhythm down the Ashley River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\"\n    src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260331_Magazine_Crew-Team_0281-scaled.jpeg\"\n    alt=\"Four Citadel cadets row together in a racing shell on the Ashley River.\"\n  >\n\n  <p>\n    Smith restarted the Rowing Club in late 2025,\n    helping to rebuild a team that had nearly\n    disappeared. Though 91ÁÔÆæ sits on one\n    of Charleston\u2019s most recognizable waterways,\n    the college had no rowing team for nearly\n    five decades.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team\u2019s disappearance came long before Smith was born, when the rowing crew disbanded in the 1970s and termites took over the old boathouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attempts to bring the team back ebbed and flowed through the years, but the creation of the Swain Boating Center and the dredging of the channel have restored access to the Ashley and revitalized the college\u2019s waterfront culture. Smith is hoping this latest iteration of a crew team has staying power, in part, because there are few sports like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rowing marries precision with power, matching individual strengths to the team\u2019s needs. No single person can right the boat. It takes everyone working together, Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That group dynamic is something that Isaac Cooley, team captain, cannot find elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooley joined after Smith repeatedly encouraged him to come and try it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooley had never used an indoor rowing machine or been out on the water when he arrived at 91ÁÔÆæ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith, by contrast, grew up along the Erie Canal in upstate New York, watching rowing boats pass by as he rode his bike with his father. As soon as he was old enough, in seventh grade, Smith took to the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve tried a bunch of other club sports and other clubs at the school, but I never fell in love with them like I have with rowing,\u201d Cooley explained, saying there is something special about this sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI tried rugby, but it just wasn\u2019t like that. It\u2019s still somewhat of an individual effort,\u201d Cooley said. \u201cBut with rowing, you\u2019re doing it with your buddies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith said rowing requires individual effort, but those efforts must always be in service to the team. \u201cThe way my old coach described it is to imagine there was a chain stuck to every person, and if you don\u2019t move together, it\u2019s just going to drag everyone backwards really fast,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou have to be able to take charge in the boat and tell people what they\u2019re doing wrong, what they\u2019re doing right, and adjust accordingly. And the whole boat does that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also acknowledged that leadership in the boat isn\u2019t always about telling others what to do. \u201cI mean, there are guys in the boat who tell me 10 years into this that I\u2019m doing something wrong, and I have to listen to them,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260408_Pistol_0108-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Citadel student wearing safety glasses and hearing protection stands at an indoor shooting range, holding a pistol with targets visible in the background.\">\n\n  <p>\n    Not every cadet starts with experience. <br>\n\nRobert Ingram, \u201928, joined the Pistol Team having fired a gun about three times. \u201cAnd here I am,\u201d Ingram said.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The club specializes in Olympic-style pistol shooting, where marksmen shoot one-handed, without leaning on anything for support. The target may be several yards away, and the bullseye is measured in millimeters\u2014a small margin for error when trying to hold a pistol steady enough to hit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On average, Ingram goes to the range three to four times a week, and shoots for about two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the winter, he was focused on improving his marksmanship ahead of the 2026 Pistol National Junior Olympic Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His hard work paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In February, Ingram was named a state champion in the 2025-2026 State Junior Olympic Match for Men\u2019s Sport Pistol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, he traveled to Colorado Springs to compete in the Pistol Junior Olympics. He placed 13th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along the way, Ingram said he has learned more than how to shoot with precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A deep exhale to steady his nerves. A moment to assess the targets in front of him. Or the story of Jimmy the Bowler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a well-worn tale that one of their coaches, Col. Gregory Kitchens, USMC (Ret.), \u201984, takes the time to tell the team. Jimmy, the story goes, wasn\u2019t that good at bowling. But one day he bowled three strikes in a row\u2014the most he\u2019d ever gotten. Then, it happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jimmy became fixated on landing that fourth strike, working himself up, making himself anxious. His mind kept turning over the thought: \u201cI\u2019ve got to get this fourth strike!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He got too clouded up. He got too excited. And when he went for it, he knocked down nine of the 10 pins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep in the zone. Keep it cool, collected,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cYou can be excited, but you\u2019ve also got to remind yourself \u2018I\u2019m in the zone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a parable he\u2019s taking with him into other parts of his life: he can\u2019t get too worked up with assignments that are overdue or that are coming up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI may have five assignments due that night, but I\u2019ve just got to keep cool, collected and knock it out,\u201d Ingram said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260416_Bass-player_0095-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Citadel cadet in uniform plays a double bass with a bow onstage beside a grand piano.\">\n\n  <p>\n    Justin Gilliard, \u201928, keeps the double bass in his room. The instrument is hard to miss. So is the sound. Standing around six feet tall, the double bass is the largest instrument in the string family.\n<br>\n<br>\nWith its warm and resonant tone, it is often the unsung member of the modern- day orchestra by supporting harmonies, creating rhythms and adding depth to the overall sound.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when Gilliard chose to play the towering instrument as a third grader at North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School, his reasoning was simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His brother picked the cello.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd I wanted to do something different,\u201d Gilliard said with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gilliard, an Army contract cadet who is an engineering major and a fine arts minor, has now played the double bass for 13 years. He still practices with the instrument and rehearses with the nearby College of Charleston Orchestra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For three hours, he leaves 91ÁÔÆæ behind. He is still unmistakably a cadet\u2014polished brass, black saddle oxfords and all\u2014but among the musicians, he said, he gets to be a little more himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Gilliard, music gives him a place where he doesn\u2019t have to be perfect or measured against a standard. He can simply play. That is the balance he hopes to keep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt feels like how you act with your family. You\u2019re all laid-back. That\u2019s how I am when I\u2019m playing music. I\u2019m being myself a little bit more,\u201d Gilliard said, later adding, \u201cWith music, everything you do with an instrument is really how you feel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gilliard said the years spent practicing an instrument have taught him something that translates easily to cadet life: the value of repetition, patience and putting in the work to get better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf someone is an athlete, they have to train to perform that well,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, I have to train to try to get as good as I am in music. So, what would be the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military life, he knows, will be stressful. Music, he said, gives him a way to step outside of it\u2014 not by choosing one path over the other, but by keeping both, for now, while he still can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there is one memory as a musician that he will always carry with him: performing at Carnegie Hall with the College of Charleston\/Citadel Orchestra through the Fine Arts Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was kind of incredible,\u201d Gilliard said, searching for the right words. He paused, then concluded, \u201cI\u2019d say I\u2019ll probably remember that experience for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260408_Chess_0017-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Overhead view of two Citadel cadets seated across from each other, studying a chessboard on a wooden table.\">\n\n  <p>\n    For some cadets, the respite is quieter.\n<br>\n<br>\nAt a chessboard, the pace slows. On the mat, it\nquickens. Both demand the same thing: attention\nto detail.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I\u2019m playing, there\u2019s always a best move and I try to think of it like that, and I try to find it,\u201d said Henry Brown, \u201926. \u201cIn chess, it always feels like you have all the opportunities. You start on an equal playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd,\u201d he added, \u201cif there is a best move, you have the capability to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown, a physics major, said playing chess gives him a way to relax while still using critical thinking. Also, the person sitting across from him at the board can alter whether the goal was to play to win or to play to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For others, the challenges they seek outside the routines of cadet life are more physical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cadets who train in jiu-jitsu or judo have to learn to read another person\u2019s movement, respond quickly and adjust when a plan doesn\u2019t go the way they expected. The disciplines are different, but the appeal is familiar: the chance to step into something that asks something different of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the chessboard, a cadet can spend an hour thinking three moves ahead. On the mat, he might spend an hour learning how to fall, recover and try again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt just feels good to be on the mat,\u201d said Kyle Hopkins, \u201926, an intelligence and security studies major. \u201cYou\u2019re tired, you\u2019re physically active, but it\u2019s also a thinking sport. It\u2019s not just physical. You\u2019re thinking about what you\u2019re doing and you\u2019re being cerebral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re fighting someone,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey have a plan, too, but then you\u2019re trying to get your plan to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And for a few hours, the demands of cadet life become something else entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260304_Surfing-Club_0058-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Surfer wearing a black wetsuit rides a breaking ocean wave on a surfboard, surrounded by whitewater.\">\n\n  <p>\n    For Cadet Lane Van De Brake, \u201928, it starts\nwith a drive across the bridge to Folly Beach.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van De Brake, captain of the Surfing Club, has been surfing since he was young. He grew up in New Jersey, where he competed before coming to 91ÁÔÆæ. Now, he helps cadets who have never surfed learn the fundamentals and find their footing on the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The club has about 30 members, while a 13-member team competes against other colleges and in competitions around the Charleston area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After classes and military duties are finished, cadets can sign out and head to the beach with their surfboards. They monitor the forecast, the wind and the swell, deciding where the waves will be best that day. Often, that means Folly Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Washout, a popular break on the eastern end of the island, they gather with their boards and wait for the right waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Van De Brake, the transition begins before he ever reaches the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The uniforms and schedules of cadet life give way to a wetsuit, a surfboard and the movement of the waves. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to wear PTs. You\u2019re in a wetsuit or a bathing suit, and you immerse yourself in your environment,\u201d he said. \u201cYou allow yourself to relax and just focus on surfing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes, he sees dolphins. More often, he sees friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.magazine-image-text {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: 45% minmax(0, 1fr);\n  gap: 30px;\n  align-items: center;\n  width: 100%;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text img {\n  display: block;\n  width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  max-width: 100%;\n  margin: 0;\n}\n\n.magazine-image-text p {\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n@media (max-width: 767px) {\n  .magazine-image-text {\n    grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n    gap: 20px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"magazine-image-text\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260304_Surfing-Club_0707-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Four Citadel Surfing Club members wearing black wetsuits walk along the beach carrying surfboards, with ocean waves and their reflections in the wet sand.\">\n\n  <p>\n    Van De Brake said he rarely surfs alone. A message in the group chat can turn into a gathering at the Washout, with experienced surfers helping beginners and beginners learning alongside one another.\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone\u2019s always learning,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to feel kind of cut out. You\u2019re always going to be included.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Van De Brake, that feeling is part of what keeps him coming back. He still remembers the feeling of catching his first wave, a moment he said hooked him on surfing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even after years on a board, he is still learning\u2014still working on new turns and maneuvers, still chasing the next wave. And when he finally heads back toward campus, the bridge carries him into a familiar view again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the Ashley River, another group of cadets is finding their own way onto the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cadet Braeden Stallings, \u201929, had never rowed before coming to 91ÁÔÆæ. He learned the basics on an indoor rowing machine inside Deas Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, when the Rowing Club is on the Ashley, he sometimes looks toward campus. \u201cSometimes we will pass 91ÁÔÆæ, and I\u2019ll just look over at the clock tower, and I\u2019ll think, \u2018Wow, I go there,\u2019\u201d Stallings said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the boat, 91ÁÔÆæ is still unmistakable: a bastion rising over the marsh, the clock tower of Padgett-Thomas Barracks keeping time above the tree line. The buildings, the parade deck, the familiar landmarks are all there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for a few hours, cadets can look back at the place that sets the rhythm of their lives while they find a new rhythm of their own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the cadets put the boat into the Ashley River, they make a quiet pact. It\u2019s just them and the water, rowing in rhythm, with the same goal in mind. Here, timing is crucial. Hand positions matter. Where the oar blade enters the water determines the boat\u2019s stability. If the oar drags, it\u2019s a futile [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":694,"featured_media":1133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Rhythm of Their Own - 91ÁÔÆæ Magazine 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Citadel cadets find balance beyond the classroom through rowing, surfing, music, chess and other clubs and activities that build lifelong skills.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/2026\/10\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Rhythm of Their Own\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how Citadel cadets find balance beyond the classroom through rowing, surfing, music, chess and other clubs and activities that build lifelong skills.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/2026\/10\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"91ÁÔÆæ Magazine 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-15T15:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-19T14:15:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Web Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/magazine-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/230\/Rhythm_20260331_Magazine_Crew-Team_0256-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Web Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Web Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a36c2cfc4450a1df19b02eab76ed8573\"},\"headline\":\"A Rhythm of Their Own\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-15T15:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-19T14:15:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2272,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/230\\\/Rhythm_20260331_Magazine_Crew-Team_0256-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/magazine-2026\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/a-rhythm-of-their-own\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Rhythm of Their Own - 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