AJ Handly, the captain of the men’s crew, is tall and athletic. He has been a part of the University’s club rowing team since the fall of his freshman year, and said that it was the sport’s difficulty that kept him coming back for more.
“I used to watch the boats in Washington when I was younger. I guess it’s just always been in my head,” said Handly, a sophomore architecture major from Alameda, Calif.
Apart from the crack-of-dawn practices, which Handly laughingly calls the “toughest part of crew,” the physical demand of the sport is simply staggering. In a race, up to eight team members are seated in their narrow shell with sliding seats, one in front of the other, and must row in perfect synchronization to move quickly through the water and keep the shell from capsizing.
The length of races varies from season to season. Fall competitions are 3 to 6 kilometers, with the races lasting about 25 minutes. In spring, the races are considerably shorter — 2 kilometers, equaling about 6.5 minutes of intense physical exertion.
“I love crew — it’s my passion,” said Carly Schmidt, the head coach of both the men’s and
women’s crew teams.
Schmidt has been coaching both the men’s and women’s teams since last winter, and she couldn’t be happier.
“My experience here at the UO has been incredibly fulfilling,” she said.
The team members agree.
“My favorite part of crew is our coach, Carly Schmidt,” sophomore team member Elliott Brooks said. “She always keeps us motivated in the morning.”
Brooks, unlike many of his team members, doesn’t mind the morning practices.
“Honestly,” he confessed, “it’s hard to wake up for only the first week or two of each term because you have to get your body used to it after winter and spring break. But, it’s so worth it. You feel very accomplished. We end up doing more from 6 to 8 a.m. than many more people do all day.”
Crew, unfortunately, can’t always be about the joy of the challenge — obstacles continue to put a damper on team spirit and prevent the team from attaining its goals.
Unlike crew at every other school in the Pac-10, the University’s crew is considered a club sport. This means that they don’t have access to the facilities meant for NCAA athletes.
“Unlike all the teams we compete against, we don’t get the same bonuses, like the treatment centers,” Handly said. “Everyone is considered NCAA but us. We’re the underdog, and it’s frustrating.”
Crew, which is the largest club sport at the University, previously had a chance to move up to NCAA-level, but cheerleading was given the spot instead. Part of the problem could be the cost, as the equipment is expensive. Shells cost between $10,000 and $20,000, and audience turnout tends to be fairly small at the team’s competitions, called regattas.
“What we don’t get, compared to varsity, like our budget, is a really big challenge,” Schmidt said. Regardless, Handly is sure that all the team needs is a few impressive wins to convince the school of crew’s legitimacy as a sport.
“My goal is to get into the top five in the Pac-10 to make an argument,” Handly said.
Another impediment that the team has had to work around is a lack of numbers, as the early hours and strenuous work deters most prospective team members.
“What happens is we get a lot of people who think they want to be on crew but then drop out because the early mornings are just too much for them,” Schmidt said. “But we have good numbers for racing, and we’re always looking to expand.”
Despite the challenges of crew, it’s hard not to see how much the rowers enjoy the sport and the people they row with. There’s a certain camaraderie between the teammates — when they are together, conversation is easy and fast-paced.
“My favorite part of crew is definitely the team bonding,” said Drew Rivera, a sophomore human physiology major. “It’s something really special to spill your heart out on the water with your teammates and share that special moment.”
Nini Valerio, a sophomore environmental studies major and a member of the women’s crew, agrees with Rivera’s sentiment.
“Because crew is very demanding and we show up at really early hours, we get to know our teammates at their best and at their worst,” she said. “There is a huge amount of respect for your other teammates and the fact that they are working there with you. You just understand and connect with everyone.”
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All aboard
Daily Emerald
March 9, 2010
Jack Hunter
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