The crew team built upon its recent success in its third regatta of the season at the Kerr Cup this past Saturday. Four separate Leopard boats achieved first-place finishes, with an additional boat coming in second in the men’s varsity four Grand Final. The Leopards most impressive performance was in the men’s varsity four race, where they competed in heat two and logged a time of 7:37.4.
Sophomore Aaron Sigmond-Warner cited several factors – from the coaching staff to the training schedule – that contributed to the impressive showing.
“There is a lot of hard work put in by our rowers, coxswains and coaches alike, and our success at these races would not be possible without the efforts of everyone on Lafayette crew,” Sigmond-Warner said.
Sigmond-Warner attributed much of this weekend’s success to the team’s intense training regiment, which it followed all semester.
“That sees some athletes practice up to eight to ten times a week, dedication from both rowers and coxswains to improve their technique and fitness, as well as unique drills and practice techniques implemented by our coaches – led by our head coach Rick Kelliher who has had over ten successful seasons at Lafayette,” Sigmond-Warner said. “These are things we work on week after week, and this success is the cumulative result of our consistency since the start of the school year.”
Specific drills during practice sessions can also be attributed to the team’s success.
“In practice, we implement a variety of training methods, ranging from intense intervals at or above race pace to long, slow and technique-focused rowing drills,” Sigmond-Warner said. “Our coach watches every rower and every boat closely to diagnose specific weaknesses and craft a series of drills to strengthen the crew.”
Despite their impressive accomplishments, the Leopards faced some unexpected obstacles during the race.
“As the day went on, the conditions became extremely rough and windy,” Sigmond-Warner said. “Almost every single finals race was in very wavy water with high wind gusts, which makes rowing with good technique exponentially more difficult.”
While Sigmond-Warner emphasized that crew is a team-oriented sport, he awarded a special shout-out to the upperclassmen and coxswains.
“In a sport like crew, it is impossible to point towards a single rower in a boat who contributes more towards a boat’s success, as a boat is only as strong as its weakest member. However, I will say that the upperclassmen rowers on the team have been doing a good job of setting an example of hard work and discipline to the less senior rowers,” Sigmond-Warner said. “I would also like to point out that almost all of our coxswains are brand new to crew and have been doing an amazing job stepping up to be the heart and soul of our crews.”
The Leopards look to maintain this positive team dynamic and consistency as they approach the Gifford Sprints, which will take place tomorrow at Pinchot Lake in Rossville, Pennsylvania.
