Senior Spotlight: William Hooper, Crew
4/26/2020
William Hooper is a two year member of the Owls, hailing from Boston, Mass. He made an immediate impact as a junior, joining the Temple team and racing in the stroke seat of the heavyweight varsity eight at the 2019 Murphy Cup. Hooper has spent his entire career with the Owls in the top boat, helping the team win the 2019 Dad Vail Regatta overall points trophy with a fifth place finish in the premiere event. He will graduate from the Fox School of Business with a degree in Economics.
Owlsports.com caught up with Hooper, as he continues his degree at Temple.
In the book of your life, what’s the title of the Temple chapter? As a junior transfer to Temple University, I had a strong aspirations to achieve bigger and better things, as a student-athlete. With that being said the Temple chapter to my life, while not yet finished, would be called “Finding the Secret to Success.” Between the Temple Crew program’s long history of success and the amazing academic resources of Temple University at my fingertips, I knew I would not only start to succeed more, but more importantly learn the ways of the successful “Temple Men” that came before me.
What’s the best part about being a member of the crew team at Temple/what will you miss the most? The best part about being a member of the crew team at Temple is without a doubt the people. While I am fortunate enough to return to the team next year as a 5th year senior, I will greatly miss the members of the class of 2020 who were unable to finish their rowing careers this spring.
What is your favorite memory of being a student-athlete at Temple? While I have so many favorite memories as a student-athlete at Temple, one that stands out to me was our team's very successful scrimmage against Drexel on a foggy Wednesday morning, just hours before the Coronavirus pandemic would cancel our senior season. This memory stands out to me as the precursor to what easily could have been the teams most successful season on the Schuylkill river in the last decade. This memory is also ingrained into my head as the expectation we will carry forward into the fall of 2020.
If you could give advice to your freshman year self, what would it be? Learn to love what you do, and trust the process would be the advice I would give to my freshman year self. While I could talk about all the ups and downs I went through as a student athlete, and how I almost always ended up better on the other side, I think some things are better off left unsaid.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I hope to see myself pursuing a career in finance, but more importantly I hope to see myself continuing to carry the values and lessons that I learned during my time as a student-athlete at Temple University.
My journey at Temple would not have been possible without the support from Coach Perkins and my parents, believing in me when I decided to transfer to Temple after my sophomore year - and for that I am ever thankful.William Hooper, Temple Crew Class of 2020
I would also like to thank my teammates who welcomed me into the brotherhood with open arms from day one at Temple, and have made the last two years the best years of my life. Last but not least, I would like to thank all of the athletic and academic staff who have continued to help me grow as an athlete and as a person during my time at Temple.
