Down the Scioto River, a group of high school athletes work tirelessly on the water rowing. This group of students is the Upper Arlington High School Crew team. Because the crew team practices so far away, little is known about the environment they have built. In order to shine light on the sport, three captains shared their experiences on and off the water.
Crew is similar to other sports because athletes must rely on one another to thrive; however, in crew, there is an added element: athletes must also rely on one another to survive. Staying afloat is the first step of many that culminate in a strong performance on the water.
One key step is that everyone has to get their oar in and out of the water at the same time, also known as keeping “in-time,” to avoid flipping. Keeping “in-time” among all athletes on a given boat takes consistent practice. Senior and captain Max Hanks has watched as novices learn to work with each other as a team.
“It takes a few weeks, like around six weeks, to get up to where everyone’s rowing at the same time,” Hanks said. “It’s a steep learning curve.”
Each boat holds two to eight people. Created especially narrow to maximize aerodynamics, these boats cost around $40,000 each. Depending on the size of the boat, the process of learning to cooperate and manage timing as well as balance varies. The boats that hold more members tend to be easier to balance yet harder to coordinate. In Hanks’ novice year, he began in a bigger boat.
“We could start rowing earlier in an eight-person boat. If we had rowed in pairs or the smaller boats, we would have just flipped every time,” Hanks said.
While flipping is dangerous for both the people and the equipment, dedicated athletes use the precarious two-person boats, also known as pairs, to practice technique.
“[When you flip], the equipment can get damaged, and that costs a lot of money. But we take out pairs sometimes at practice because pairs help build technique, and those flip a lot. Also, if you don’t have any oars on the water, the boat will flip. Twice I’ve flipped a pair with [Cooper Rehl],” Hanks said.
Senior Cooper Rehl, another captain, recently committed to Northeastern University for rowing. Rehl spoke about his initial decision to join the crew team and his journey toward collegiate rowing.
“When I joined, people told me there were opportunities, but it was never really my goal to [commit for crew]. When I joined, I just joined with some friends, and then it was an opportunity that I ended up wanting to pursue. I just wanted to keep growing,” Rehl said.
Although Rehl did not join crew with the intention to commit, the odds that he would row collegiately are higher than if he had tried in some other sports. According to Rower Academy, men’s odds of rowing at the NCAA Division I level are 17-to-1, with women’s odds being 8-to-1.
Also similar to most other team sports, crew athletes each hold specific positions in the boat. Each position has its own unique challenges and contributes to the overall performance of the crew.
Senior and captain Meredith Fastinger holds the position of bow seat on the girls varsity team. She explained the requirements and importance of the position.
“Bow seat normally is in the back of the boat. That means that I’m the last person, and the bow seat normally is the one that’s either the most ‘in-time’ or the most technique heavy,” she said.
While certain positions might appear to require more time and physical effort than others, each position plays an integral role in the end performance and result of the team. Regardless of an athlete’s position on the team, each person spends around 15 hours a week with the team practicing every month of the year.
“We’re kind of in season all year round, almost excluding summer, but I feel like the difference is in the winter season, we’re inside a lot of the time on the ‘erg’ machines,” Fastinger said.
Despite the time and effort required, the captains encourage anyone interested in joining crew to get involved. Even students with little to no rowing experience are welcome to join.
“Whatever work you put in at the moment will pay off over time,” Hanks said.
This lesson is one that crew athletes continue to pass down, shaping generations of athletes to come.
