Athlete of the Week: Conrad Homm

For four years, Conrad Homm has learned the ins and outs of crew. Now a senior, Homm has become a crucial part of the team, with unparalleled leadership and dedication, and has pushed himself and his fellow Boat Two rowers to be the best that they can be.“I've always been involved with sports,” Homm said. “I was a competitive tennis player in Mallorca, Spain and planned to play here. I also loved basketball and played passionately until I quit to wrestle in the winter so that I could prepare myself better for rowing. I have always loved sports because of the camaraderie and competitiveness. I can't picture myself not involved with a sport at some sort of level.”Homm is incredibly passionate about crew because of the structure of the sport and the team.“Rowing is the ultimate team sport,” he said. “The team is closer than any other sport I've played in. I'm told we make lifelong friends in this sport, and I can see that. Also, it's months of hard work for one important five minute race. Winning that feels more rewarding than any other sports victory."The coaches and athletes on crew have noticed Homm’s talent and love for the sport.“I can tell you that Conrad is one of the strongest boys on the squad and has been a force in what is called 'the engine room': the middle of the boat,” head coach Albert Leger said. “Conrad is devoted to rowing and has applied himself 100 percent to the sport since he started his prep year on the novice squad.  He has been a valued member of the varsity squad for the past three years.  He has a great sense of humor and is a spirited teammate.”After the weight distribution on the first boat led to Homm rowing for the second boat, he took the setback in stride.“Conrad is a good guy on the team, but his biggest attribute is that if he gets hit by a punch, he rolls with it,” senior co-captain Mark Serbent said. “This year I think he thought that he was going to be up on the first boat, but the way it worked out, we ended up being a pretty light boat, and there’s only room for a couple big guys. He’s been giving second boat his all. What really sets him apart from the other people on the team is that he’ll take this and he’ll turn it into a good thing. He’s really fulfilled the leadership role on the second boat, which is something that can’t be understated. A second boat without a leader is chaos.“He’s been going to the gym every morning on his own, biking forty-five minutes to an hour,” he continued. “He has committed himself to not just making the boat lighter, but also boosting cardio and making himself the best athlete he can be. There’s a whole new level of intensity about him this year, which I think makes him a really strong part of our program. He’s taken all these hits this year and has bettered himself because of it. He’s had some personal stuff going on this year, and he’s been taking it in stride and using it as fuel to make himself the best person he can be, the best leader and the best athlete on the team.”Homm’s fellow rowers look up to him, as an athlete, a leader and a friend.“Conrad always brings his game, he's always on time and working hard,” upper JB Baker said. “I really look up to his commitment and try my best to follow his example. Conrad is a leader who's very hardworking, but most importantly he's a really fun person, which is really relieving in a sport as stressful as a crew.”“Conrad is a very strong and determined athlete,” upper Julian Drury said. “He has come very far since his prep year on the crew team and has worked very hard to be where he is now on B2. As far as a teammate, he is always confident, both in himself and others, and can always be counted on the provide criticism or a joke when necessary.”“Conrad Homm has been a role model for the team this entire year, even during the winter,” lower Benj Cohen said. “He is inspirationaly dedicated. He was a regular in the erg room this winter and was keen on pushing himself, and others. His terrific mental strength adds to his physical power making him an indispensable asset to the crew team.“Conrad is a really nice guy, and always encourages the younger guys on the boat to keep going through some of our harder practices,” Drury continued. “He is successful because he has put the time and the effort into becoming a top tier athlete, both in the weight room and on the erg.”Next year, Homm will be rowing at University of California, Berkeley.“I'm excited to row in warm weather year round on another great team,” he said.“Berkeley always takes a pretty large class of freshmen, and they work them hard,” Serbent said. “I think he’s in a better position because of this year to go in and work his hardest to make that boat as fast as possible.”Homm is grateful for all the support his teammates have given him over the years, and recognizes their talent as well.“The team is closer than it has been in years,” Homm said. “I've had a rough year because of some very tough personal problems, but the guys have been very supportive. [senior co-captain Andrew] Rondeau, Mark and [upper] Nikhil [Chuchra]. So I want to thank them for that.“In terms of power and speed we've had a great turn out,” he added. “We haven't had much erging this season but we have been getting fast. I think I could break my 6:22 personal record right now, and I'm sure several other guys could break 6:20 right now. Benj is a beast who has been improving so fast. [Upper] Sam [Helms] and Mark are strong as usual. [Upper] Lakin [Vitton] and [senior] Blake [Bowman] for their weight are pulling amazingly. This year we also have some great technical rowers in Julian, [senior] Finn [Meeks], JB and Rondeau who also have some power. The whole team has really been working hard and improving rapidly, and I wish I could list them all.”