Athletes of the Week: Maya Blake & Honor Clements
Six boats, fifty four girls, one team and two amazing captains. Leading the Exeter Girls Crew multilevel crew team are seniors and co-captains Maya Blake and Honor Clements. Like many rowers at Exeter, the two picked up the sport in high school but through the hard work and diligence that they both embody, rose to captains, who albeit with their differences form the perfect pair.
Together, captains Blake and Clements form a dynamic duo to bring the team success. Their passion for rowing is infectious for everyone in the Boathouse, and their leadership is a crucial ingredient for the team’s dominance over other schools. Both Blake and Clements have rowed in Exeter’s most elite boats for most of their time on the team. As a result, both girls have won an insane amount of races. Despite their speed in the boat, many of the team agreed that this year’s team captains are friends to all. Senior and teammate Alex Rothstein corroborated this fact and said, “Maya and Honor just have very compatible personalities. Together they help to make the team really focused, but they also always know when it’s the right time to laugh. They both definitely bring intensity to the team which I think we really need.”
Both girls know how to win, but also how to make rowing enjoyable. Although 5 a.m. practices, the pressure to PR on 2k erg tests, and running hills are grueling for every member of the team, captains Blake and Clements are somehow able to put a smile on everyone’s faces. Senior Kat Dumoulin, their friend and current teammate, acknowledged the girls’ friendliness. “It great to have them as our leaders, because they keep us motivated and happy at the same time,” she said.
Both girls’ amicable character is what enables them to serve as both strong leaders and friends to the rest of the team. “Maya’s personality is hilarious. Whenever I am around her I’m never not laughing,” Rothstein said fondly of Blake. “However, I know I can always go to her whenever I need help with something in the boathouse whether it’s technicals in the boat, or tips on my stroke.”
Rothstein continued to comment on the support Clements has given her over the last four years. “Honor is such a bubbly person. She is honestly one of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met.” Clements, because of her kindness and willingness to help others, is always able to organize her team. “She is very grounded in the boathouse so when everything seems chaotic, she’s a great person to help calm the storm,” Rothstein said.
Clements and Blake both started their crew careers during their first year in high school. For Clements, the sport had been running in her family through her older brothers, who rowed in high school. Clements entered Exeter as a new lower, so she came to the school with some rowing experience under her belt.
“I thought that the sport seemed interesting, so I gave it a shot,” Clements recalled. When Clements started started her rowing at Exeter in her lower spring, she quickly climbed the ranks of the boathouse and became a force to be reckoned with on the ergs.
On the other hand, Blake began rowing at the encouragement of one of the coxswains, an experienced member on the crew team. At first, she was nervous about the sport as it was known to require a lot of endurance. Blake played on the varsity basketball team in the winter, which required a completely different set of skills. But with her motivated and hardworking personality, Blake fell in love with intensity of it all. “By the end of the first practice I was hooked,” Blake said. Joining the crew team turned out to be one of Blake’s best choices while at Exeter because she developed a passion for the sport.
Through the multiple years they have been rowing on Big Red’s crew team, the sport has made a great impact on the two captains. They have both endured tough practices, experienced the joy of winning races, and now lead the team. For Clements, the sport has taught her how to do her best in all situations, applying it to many aspects in her life. “Like any endurance sport, a huge part of rowing is mental. So to succeed, you have to be able to continue long after your body tells you to stop. Rowing has taught me how to push my limits, both physically and mentally, which has been incredibly empowering,” Clements said.
The kind words of their teammates is a strong testament to the leadership of Blake and Clements. Both co-captains look forward to leading their team to victory at NEIRAs three weeks from now. In the meantime, the team has three more races, starting with Hanover this Saturday.