Athletes of the Week: Jake Della Pasqua and Marq Schieber

The buzz of a rhythmic stroke resonates throughout the boathouse, where co-captains and seniors Jake Della Pasqua and Marquis Schieber can be found pushing each other on the ergs long after practice has ended. Simply put, rowing is a sport where you can separate yourself through hard work. At least that’s what Della Pasqua believes: “Someone else might be more talented than you, but at the end of the day whoever spends more time on the erg and on the water will become the more talented oarsman,” he said

Many Exonians begin crew prep year due to the accessibility of the sport, whereas it is common for other athletes to begin training the moment they can walk as toddlers. For Della Pasqua, the setback required training every chance he got. “That means that I have had to spend the past four years working to separate myself from my peers—something usually done over an entire lifetime for athletes.” Similarly, Schieber never rowed until he arrived at Exeter, where he began to emphasize the importance of form and establishing a good foundation on novice with coach Townley Chisholm.

Upper Jack Telman described Della Pasqua and Schieber’s leadership on the team, “They’re both great guys to say the least. Marq and Jake are very different, but they work together well to create a strongly knit dynamic on the team,” he said. Schieber kept in contact with the rest of the team throughout winter term, tracking the team’s progress and ensuring that the rowers were enjoying themselves in the midst of hard training sessions.

“I think what it really boils down to now is putting the right guys in the right seats, putting down the hard meters, and really just gelling as a boat and a team.”

Telman also described Della Pasqua’s impressive work ethic. “Jake was there at the ergs every day in the gym motivating the guys to work harder and get faster for the spring season,” he said.

Upper John Ragone had similar thoughts, commenting on how the two captains promoted teamwork, a necessary component for a successful team.

For both captains, the sport has had a positive mental impact. Schieber’s reasoning was as follows, “Rowing at Exeter has helped me a lot mentally, because so much of the sport has to do with your mental dexterity.”

Schieber always goes into races with a plan and sticks to it. “Even if you come off the start down or the other boats start walking away, sticking to that plan is key, and staying in your boat is also key,” he said. This persistent attitude has transferred to the classroom where Schieber has developed a strong work ethic.

Della Pasqua added, “Obviously putting yourself through immense physical pain day in and day out is difficult, but to do it 54 weeks per year is extremely difficult mentally.” He also described how the team counted down the days until getting back on the water while enduring a harsh winter. “No matter how bad it got, I always prided myself in putting in the most work in the winter so I could put my crew in the best position to win in the spring.”

Looking to the future, Schieber hopes to maintain a positive team attitude and stay patient, stating, “We have a good amount of time before our first race and I want all of us to really focus each day and not to get discouraged if the boat isn’t moving the way they want.”

Lower Francis Baviera Maloney said that Schieber does a great job of keeping the team motivated. “In the dark winter months, when it can be easy to become unmotivated and stressed out about one’s performance on the ergs, Marq reminded us to step back and remember the thrill of having a set, fast and competitive boat on the water,” he said.

Della Pasqua has high expectations for this year’s team. With Exeter’s first-ever rowing PG Joe Buckley, four returning B1 oarsmen and the most water time the team has had in recent years, Della Pasqua sees a bright future for this upcoming season. Della Pasqua emphasized the necessity of putting in time and hard work,. “I think what it really boils down to now is putting the right guys in the right seats, putting down the hard meters, and really just gelling as a boat and a team,” he said.

Looking back on his time at Exeter, Della Pasqua spoke of his favorite memory with the team: the NEIRAS finals in his upper year. Exeter crew has established a cutthroat rivalry with St. Paul’s from many years of competition. This past season, St. Paul’s had beaten the team twice even though Della Pasqua remembers the Exeter team being much better in recent years. 

“The first time, we thought it was a fluke and just had a bad race. The second time, we were a bit nervous,” Della Pasqua said. However, when the NEIRA heat sheet came out, we saw that we were the seventh seed and that we were racing St. Paul’s, the sixth seed.” The qualifying race ended up being the redemption  that Schieber and Della Pasqua had worked for all season, as they ended up beating St. Paul’s by three seconds, advancing the team to the Grand Final.

As hard workers and influential leaders, Della Pasqua and Schieber have a lot to look forward to this spring and beyond as they pursue the sport in college next fall.