Offseason Spotlight: Big Red Varsity Crew
By SAM ALTMAN and MEGHAN TATE ZEE
In the spring term, if you walk past the Exeter Boathouse, you’ll often find rowers exercising, strategizing, and even flying down the water itself. But what, you wonder, do they do during the winter, since the river is frozen over, there are no regattas, and the sport is not in season? Turns out, even when the weather tries to stop them, the renowned Exeter crew teams do not stop training.
Senior Michael Goodall, the varsity boys crew captain, explained how rowers typically go about winter training. “Crew is technically not an official sport in the winter, but we use it informally for training. A lot of athletes want to make varsity, so they’ll take their winter and opt for a choice format to go and train on their own. As the captain, I am responsible for making the training plan and making sure everyone has a good time. It’s part of my job to ensure everyone is in great physical shape when it comes to preseason in Florida, as well as just to keep the ball rolling in the spring,” he said.
Goodall continued, “Since we don’t have access to the boathouse over winter, there are some PE classes that, late in the fall, move the ergs from the boathouse to the third floor of the gym. We like to call this area the erg bay. From there, we use different training modalities to train. We erg, which is basically indoor rowing, but we also do a bunch of lifting, cross training, running, biking in Ransom, and other things to keep us fit and add some variety in our training.”
“Our practices are pretty intense physically, in order to maintain a high level of fitness,” lower Nora Unger commented. “We stay in shape by using the erg machine, working out at the gym, running, basically anything to maintain that strength and endurance that you need to succeed in crew.”
Lower Walt Stucke reflected on the importance of off-season practice. “The winter term is an important time to get ready for the spring season, to form closer bonds in the crew community. My mom has a mantra that she repeats to me: ‘You win races in winter training, you collect the medals in the spring.’ As such, the team has always known the importance of everyone putting in some effort in the off-season,” he commented.
Lower Amelia Post detailed the different possible training regimens in the offseason. “There is off-season training: you opt out of sports, and then during your choice format, go to the erg bay, which is above the basketball courts. You erg with the team and follow the workouts every week that are made by the captain and the coaches. There are team lifts, dynamics, and other different practices that go into it. It really is a structured program. I know everyone who goes into it benefits a lot from it if they stay committed. That being said, there’s no required attendance, you don’t have to show up. So in some sense, it’s mostly self-initiative, but I think a lot of people want to be there because there’s such a positive team culture.”
“We have practice six days a week,” upper Bea Prairie recalled. “From my very limited experience, fall term is long distance and spring term is shorter distance so a lot of the off-season training is going from endurance training to speed training.”
Goodall also expressed his other duties in the winter term. “As I mentioned before, I make the training plan, which is a certain workout routine to get everyone in tip-top shape. But, I also design custom merch for the crew teams. I send out some emails trying to keep everyone motivated and make sure everyone is keeping the morale high, even if the training gets a little gritty.”
Going into the spring term, hopes are high for upcoming regattas. “The crew team is going to DeLand, FL, for preseason during spring break and we’re all very excited to race and compete for the school in the spring term,” prep Bella Tyson Montgomery remarked.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the spring,” Post expressed. “There are a lot of really strong boats because everyone’s been working so hard. I think this is going to be a really fast season for us. Also, we’re excited to work with our new coach, Coach Cathy, since Ms. Morris isn’t coaching anymore. Overall, I’m excited about the supportiveness of the team practices, and just practice in general. It’s so much fun and I look forward to it every day. I also can’t wait for the racing, which is the best part, especially NEIRAs, which happen at the end of the spring.”
Goodall added on to this. “In the spring, I think we have a lot of potential with our current class of rowers, though it is a competitive year this year. I know there’s stiff competition in the NEIRA league (the New England Prep School Rowing Association). It’s gonna be a tough season for sure, but we’re going to try our best, and I think we have the potential to do well. I know it takes a lot of technical work on the water, but I think we have the structure to accomplish our goals,” he said.
“Another thing we’re doing this year is working more with the girls’ team to try to foster a more positive team culture,” Goodall continued. “We’re also trying to be more mindful of injury prevention by not over-training or doing anything that could injure anyone; if you do the same thing over and over while having a bad habit, then that could just get amplified.”
If you know anyone in crew, you’ll know that they work immensely hard year-round to keep in shape and to be ready for the next season. Post reflected on the challenges that she’s been through in crew. “It’s a big commitment, especially if you are part of the first couple of boats. We have to commit to training, commit to being a team member, and commit to showing up. But in the end, it’s all worth it, because we all benefit as a team. It’s not easy, but it gives everyone something to work towards.”
So, the next time you see someone you know involved in the crew teams, consider recognizing their hard work, because as we head into the spring term, they’ve been training hard, and they’re ready to bring Exeter the athletic glory it knows all too well.