Athletes of the Week: Kerrick Edwards and Jenny DiPietro
Under the glaring afternoon sun, two boats, each with eight rowers and a coxswain, race on the river. As both boats approach the finish line, one pulls through, surpassing the other. When the race concludes, a group of rowers, huddled together, cheers on the deck, and at the center, seniors Kerrick Edwards and Jenny Dipietro stand with a golden trophy gripped in their hands.
DiPietro started to row in Exeter when she was recruited by her English teacher. Unlike DiPietro, Edwards began participating in crew both in and out of her previous school when she was in eighth grade. “I started crew the summer after 8th grade, and I rowed for a year at my old school before coming to Exeter, as well as for a few club teams around Boston,” Edwards said.
Edwards also said that her previous experience on smaller boats, which require more refined techniques than the eight-seat boat rowing, has helped her develop into a very technically advanced rower.
“I think it's difficult to describe an individual strength in crew, since we are all rowing the same stroke, but I've had a lot of experience rowing smaller boats, which are more technically challenging than eights, and that has made me pretty technically strong.”
DiPietro said that she, like Edwards, is a very technique-oriented rower as well.
“I am one of the smaller girls on first boat, so I would say that my strengths lie more in the technical realm than in brute force,” Dipietro said. “I am definitely not one of the strongest girls, but I hold myself to high standards to maintain good technique, to follow the girl in front of me, and to consistently pull as hard as I possibly can.”
Despite their solid background, both captains feel that Exeter crew has taught them to become better rowers and teammates. DiPietro explained that being part of the Exeter girl’s crew team taught her to fight through obstacles and learn the importance of a team.
“Exeter has taught me an incredible amount about what it is to be an athlete. It has taught me perseverance, self-discipline, and how to compete with grace, no matter the result. Here I have learned the power of a team, how to balance academics and athletics, and how to push myself to my absolute limits, both mentally and physically,” DiPietro said.
Edwards echoed DiPietro’s sentiments and said that out of all the memorable experiences she’s had in Exeter, the most memorable comes from being part of the crew team.
“The crew team has really been my family here at Exeter. People joke about the team being a cult, and while I don't think this is true, I know there is something really powerful about doing endurance sports with other people. Connections can be as simple as getting through a tough practice together, or after winning a race being able to turn to the girl in front of you and saying, ‘We did that!’ So many of my favorite Exeter memories are from crew practice or spending time with the team.”
Although both DiPietro and Edwards said being part of the team was one of the most important facets of their Exeter career, members of the girl’s varsity crew team said that having both of them as the captains of the team has helped the team improve and attain victories.
“Kerrick and Jenny are more than just team captains. They’re exceptional leaders, great characters in and out of the boathouse, and two of the best role models I've had in my life,” lower Hailey Hudson said. “I am so lucky to be under their guidance during the crew season. They are both very talented and have a tremendous work ethic, which inspires me to work harder everyday.”
DiPietro and Edwards, despite their passion for the sport, have both experienced back injuries. While most rowers would continue rowing despite their injuries to keep their spots on the boat, lower Lily Sexton said that the two captains always pulled themselves out of the boat so that their injuries wouldn’t deter the team’s performance in races.
“I've always admired Jenny and Kerrick’s honesty. Both of them have recently recovered from back injuries this winter, and some days their backs still bother them. When they have painful practices they have no fear in telling Coach Morris of their soreness, even if that would mean they could not race,” Sexton said. “Everyday they go out on the water, and on days when they are in pain, they tell Coach, even if that means they will not be in the boat for the race that weekend. This is a quality I admire in the both of them because it shows how passionate and invested in the team they are. Everyday we as a team are working to make our boats as fast as they can be, and if Jenny and Kerrick feel they are hurting the boats because of their injuries, they aren't afraid to voice it.”
Other members of the team emphasized that the best quality of DiPietro and Edwards, however, is their positivity and their ability to put a smile on each members’ face despite the competitive and serious atmosphere of crew.
“Both Kerrick and Jenny are great captains and role models because of their enthusiasm for the sport and the girls on the team. They bring the whole boathouse together, a team of 60 girls, with their smiles and dedication,” lower and coxswain Ashley Baxter said. “They are both incredible rowers and inspire the rest of us to work as hard as they have and to practice and race everyday for Exeter Girl's Crew, but during practice and races they always have a smile on their face and stay positive no matter how hard the workout gets.”
Hudson echoed Baxter’s sentiments and noted both captains’ incomparable dedication.
“In the stress that the sport tends to build, they sure know how to get a good laugh out of everybody, even after the hardest workout. Crew workouts can be draining, but on an erg, working out next to Kerrick or Jenny, you can see that they always are giving their 150 percent,” Hudson said. “Their dedication is shown through the toughest of our workouts, and they prove to not only the couches, but the rest of the rowers and themselves, that they deserve the spot they have on the team and they motivate me to work just as hard.”