Introduction to Crew

Article & Photo: Logan Lee ’23

Crew is a high demanding sport that Suffield Academy offers as a Spring interscholastic activity. This article provides basic information about Crew for anyone considering trying the sport. Additionally, Ms. Evans, one of the crew coaches, highlights the benefits of the aquatic sport.

Positives of Crew
Crew is a great way to learn important life skills. Teamwork and communication is the core foundation of a crew team. In sweep rowing [where each rower only holds one oar], no single rower has control over the boat’s behavior. This indicates that when things are not running smoothly on the boat, the entire boat needs to work together to fix the problem. While this aspect may seem like a great obstacle, it can improve the accountability and communication skills of the team, as everyone on the boat must work together to solve the issue. This is great practice for situations in life where honest group conversations are necessary to solve problems.

Additionally, as a physically demanding sport, athletes must repeatedly undertake strenuous workouts. They are taxing and challenging but eventually lead to improvement. In her three years coaching crew, Ms. Evans has seen many student athletes learn “how to focus on long term goals and make short term sacrifices to achieve those goals” through rowing.

Crew can also be a great way to disconnect from the stress of school. When you’re rowing, your only job is to pull your hardest and row your best stroke together with your boat. The coxswain handles all the decision making and steering, allowing you to focus all of your energy on your movement.

Crew Workout Drills
The crew team uses a variety of workouts to increase rower fitness. This includes sessions on the ergometers, tanks, and on the water. On certain days we focus on aerobic fitness (longer steady state pieces) and on others we work on anaerobic fitness (sprints and shorter pieces). Each drill develops a different aspect of the stroke. Learning to feather the oar with only the inside hand is an example of a specialized skill. Some drills focus on teaching rowers to fix their timing.

For a boat to be fast, it isn’t enough for each rower to have a clean and efficient stroke. In boats that are truly successful, every rowers’ timing must be precisely synched and each part of their stroke must be performed as one unit. As a result, both teamwork and developing prowess in applying different rowing techniques depending on the various situations are overall the basic goals of the workout drills.

Cautions
If you harbor a fear of water or getting wet, the unpredictable weather patterns and undulating river waters are inseparable aspects of crew that may mean that the aqua sport is not for you. We row in most weather conditions unless there is thunder or large waves. This means that it can get really cold, wet, and windy on the water and some people will be severely put off by these unpleasant conditions. A sense of adventure is an integral personality trait for anyone considering dealing with these slight inconveniences.