Court to Classroom Episode II: Mr Allari

Though he’s known for his famous “Fun Shirt Fridays” and comics to kick off class, you might not have known that Mr. Allari rowed at UC Berkeley. After becoming bored of soccer, he started to try out rowing, saying it was “nice to try something completely different.” At Cal, he rowed for two years before attending an exchange program in Wales during his junior year. He recalls how crew “forced [him] into good time management,” as he juggled practices starting at 4:30 am, regular classes, and a second practice in the afternoon. Throughout his career, rowing taught him lessons on mentality, friendship, and perspective.
Because of his size, Allari had to fight for a spot in the first boat all his life. He was forced to fight through the disappointment of being overlooked while still maintaining the strength to be self-reliant and resilient. “You can’t afford to be unfocused in rowing,” he said, because every single movement is so precise and requires immense concentration. No matter what you’re going through, you have to set it aside and focus on the task in front of you to avoid making a mistake that negatively affects the entire team. The perseverance necessary to secure his spot made him a stronger person, and he found that in the years when he didn’t row, he struggled more. He discovered that the lack of structure made pursuing his History Degree difficult and his social life was negatively impacted because he was not surrounded by the community he found during rowing. Like most sports, the bonds he made with those he rowed with were lifelong and his teammates “became some of his best friends.” It’s “something you don’t quite realize,” he said, until you sit back and think about it.
After two years of rowing at Cal and one year in the exchange program, Allari took a year off rowing to work on his thesis and sub-thesis, which he recalls as “one of the most draining things [he’s] ever done.” The year off proved to be very valuable because being an athlete had become his entire identity. He spent time with “normal” students and got a chance to reflect on his life and what it felt like to associate with other students who were not just athletes but had unique backgrounds and interests. He calls SHP students to avoid inherently judging those who might not share the same interests as you as he did because you never know what people you’ll meet.
Allari recognizes that sometimes being an athlete “became too much of [his] identity,” and the year he took off helped him realize this. He hopes that SHP students will aim to try new things because they will discover new relationships and learn valuable lifelong lessons.