Crew? What the Hell is That?

As the end of April quickly approaches I have begun to think more and more about crew. Now I know I probably have to explain what crew is for many people. Crew is another term for rowing, as in the sport of rowing; you know that sport with the eight people in the long boat that you see the English especially talk about? Some of you may still be confused, so feel free to check out this wiki article if you need more details, but I will try to quickly describe the sport.

A Quick Summary

First off, I know most people know the sport as rowing, but I know it as crew as do many who row. You may have also seen rowing machines before in gyms, but those are referred to as ergs by rowers. I will try to quickly summarize rowing, though it is more complex than it seems. The most common form of competitive rowing is the eight man boat, which contains eight rowers -- 4 starboard rowers and 4 port rowers, alternating their way down the boat. -- and a coxswain who steers the boat and is essentially the substitute coach inside the boat, motivating rowers and guiding them. When moving, rowers sit backwards and the coxswain sits facing forwards in the direction they are moving. The first seat in the boat is the stroke and it is their rhythm that all of the other rowers follow as they row. Rowers practice on the water as much as possible, but use ergs when the water is frozen over to practice and stay in shape. When in season (springtime), rowers can have any number of races, but when they do race they typically race 1,500 meters in high school and 2,000 meters in college. There are usually 6-8 lanes for boats to race at once and races, known as regattas, are often full day events with many teams and levels racing throughout the day -- especially true in high school. Professional teams do exist and rowing can get quite competitive. Generally, it is a very close knit sport and there are also other boats besides the eight man boats that race (4, 2, and even 1 man crews). It is a fun, but gruelling sport.

Hopefully that very hurried summary was informative enough to guide you as we dive into my experience with crew and why it is a fun if often misunderstood sport. As a disclaimer, I did not row in college; mainly because I am not a morning person and collegiate practice is bright and early.

How I Became a Part of the Cult

The title of this section is a bit of a joke, but only somewhat as crew can get very culty and that is the impression many have of the sport. In fact, when I first began to row many of my friends scoffed at the idea and either dismissed it as a joke or as a weird sport to join. I can’t deny that I initially had similar feelings. In fact, I only joined because I had a friend who had started rowing and really liked it, plus I knew I wasn’t going to start on the soccer team so I decided to try something new. Crew does rank boats, but it is a new sport for nearly all high schoolers meaning I could be on the same learning curve as everyone.

When I joined my freshman year I started off with winter conditioning, which meant lots of running, stairs, abs, and long workouts on the ergs. I hated it. God did I hate it, but I’m not a quitter and I love the water so the prospect of that motivated me. Not only that, but some people I knew had actually decided to join the team as well. Finally we hit the water and I began to really learn the sport. At first our freshman boat could not even row all eight at once without the threat of us tipping, but we learned bit by bit and soon were quite good. We began to win race after race and soon were at the state championship regatta, which is in April around this time. There we placed second and performed well at an invitational regatta in Pennsylvania and at nationals, which are both weekend long events. It was a great start to a brand new sport.

More Than Just Winning

Not only had we done well in our regattas throughout the season, after a slow start, but me and the other freshmen on my boat had become very close. With regattas being whole day events, there is a lot of time to sit around and get to know everyone while other crews race. Not only that, but in the boat you rely on each and every person, there are no exceptions because one mistake can end a race or even flip a boat. Though for many sports teamwork is essential to being successful, there is always a chance for someone with an outstanding performance or simply remarkable skill to carry the team on their back. Rowing is different. There can be a very strong rower or someone with perfect form, but if the rest of their boat is not perfectly in sync and rowing as hard as possible they will lose to a team with average strength rowers that work as a perfect team. This may be why some joke about the “crew cult” because it does have to be like a cult in the unity sense of a cult. 

Rowing is also a sport that rarely receives much recognition from peers or even schools. Our high school only ever gave us funds for buses to regattas, so we had to fundraise a lottt to pay for the ~30,000 boats and their upkeep. Despite that, rowers are passionate and hard working. Not only did we run 3.5 miles down to the boathouse every weekday, but we went out on the water rain or shine. More so though, if you ever try a hard workout on an erg (rowing machine) you will feel how intense rowing is as an exercise. This is of course not to discount other sports, but rowers put in that hard work and dedication because they truly care about the sport and the team; recognition or not.

The Lasting Impacts

After my freshman year my boat rowed a relatively successful sophomore season, a not so great junior season, and an up and down senior season. At times my interest waned, but I never gave up the passion and dedication I had learned from the very start. Nor did I lose effort to always bring my best to the team, even if my teammates at times did. Crew may not be the most recognizable sport, but it truly helped me grow into a leader, teamplayer, hard worker, and passionate person. It is a sport that many do not know of or understand, but it is really a wonderful sport to at least give a try.

Anyway, that's my spiel that may have gone on a bit long, but I guess is a great example of my passion for crew. Till next time!