On Friday, April 18, 2014, the George Mason rowing team surprised rowing alum Linmarie Martin (previously Lynn Concepcion) by walking up her driveway carrying an eight boat with a new addition: her name. The team was joined by several of Linmarie's teammates from Mason for the dedication.
“Normally it's an honor for someone to have their name on a boat, but for us, it's an honor to have Linmarie's name on our boat,” George Mason head coach Ted Nagorsen commented. “Her work ethic and training ethic while she was a student-athlete is something we look for in our student-athletes to this day and hopefully carrying Linmarie's name on the boat will be something our team will cherish and learn from forever.”
The epitome of a student-athlete, Linmarie rowed for George Mason from 2003-07 in both the varsity 8 and second varsity 8. She was a part of the second varsity 8 that captured first at the Kerr Cup her senior year as the Patriots won their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a first-place team finish at the Kerr Cup. That same year, the 2V8 also claimed first at the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Championships. During her collegiate career, Linmarie also competed at the prestigious Head of the Charles regatta.
“Linmarie is a very strong person with a big heart and a big personality,” commented former head coach Geoff Dillard, who mentored Linmarie as a Patriot. “She grew a lot as a person over her four years at Mason, and learned what it meant to sacrifice for the good of the team. She always put the team first and was a great teammate.”
A strength on the water, she excelled in the classroom and represented the Patriots as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as treasurer in 2006-07. She graduated from the School of Management with a degree in marketing in May 2007.
“Bringing Linmarie the boat was one of the most treasured memories I will carry with me from my time at Mason,” commented Trish Kelshaw, a rowing SAAC representative. “It's moments like these when we are reminded of how much it means to be a part of a team and how much one person can impact a team forever. I am so proud to be a Mason Rower and I am so proud of this team, and now I am even more proud to have Linmarie's name on our boat. It's an honor for the athletes who will row in that boat to know that she will forever be a part of every race.”
“It meant a lot to be a part of the boat dedication for Linmarie, and to see her reaction after the surprise really made it special for everyone involved,” stated current student-athlete Cassie Robbins. “Even though she graduated several years ago, it was awesome that she was able to see she still is important to the team. Once a Mason rower, always a Mason rower.”
Linmarie was diagnosed in 2013 with cancer and went into remission after months of battling the illness. Earlier this month, she was told the cancer had returned and is currently fighting the terminal illness near her family and friends.
Linmarie visited campus while in remission in January to speak with the rowing team and SAAC. While on campus, Linmarie expressed what it meant to be a member of a team while in college and after graduation and how it impacted her life, while also sharing her experience with cancer.
“When you're a part of a team, you realize that individual effort is celebrated through collective achievement,” Linmarie stated. “As a Mason rower from 2003-07, I was one of eight women striving for the same goal – to work together to cross the finish line. Sometimes we did it faster than others, other times we didn't, but what remained consistent was the fact that we always started and finished together.
“Having your name put on a boat is more than just an honor. It's a timeless responsibility, one that I am proud to accept. So in accepting this tremendous honor, I would like my legacy to be synonymous with my name, as a student-athlete who always strived to lead by example to help push others forward. And though my thanks can only be quantified by this short remark, please know how humbled and honored I am to have not only been a Mason rower, but to have my legacy live on with Mason Athletics.”
