Row, row, row your boat…well it won’t be gently down the stream, especially when competing in the regattas like the Saint Louis University club rowing team has done this past year.
However, this regatta was different as the club rowing won their first regatta ever. The team barely edged Creighton University to collect their first All Points Trophy at the Lake Shawnee Classic in Topeka, Kan.
“I am so proud of every member of our club. We have worked hard to be successful at our competitions, and that hard work has paid off. These rowers are now my family,” varsity rower Hannah Beaty said.
SLU’s club rowing team has been in existence since 2001. However, this is was the first year that the team had enough rowers to even have the opportunity to win a regatta. The team entered 14 different events at the regatta and brought home 87 medals.
“Usually, our club simply hasn’t had enough people to enter into enough races in order to win the trophy. Even with 30 people, it is a major accomplishment to have won the trophy when other schools have many more rowers,” Beatty said.
One of the key moments in the regatta for the rowing team was the women’s open 4 race. During the race, a member of that team got their oar got stuck in the water. Instead of giving up, the women’s team rallied, slowly regained momentum and sprinted past four other boats to claim a bronze medal in the race.
Besides this regatta, the team also competed in the Upper Midwest Collegiate Sprints in Omaha, Neb., and the Washington University in Creve Coeur, Mo. All of the races this spring season were 2,000 meters, which are shorter races than the fall season.
“We have worked really hard this semester during erg sessions, two-a-day practices during spring break and early morning practices in Creve Coeur in order to be successful. We were able to show the rowing community just exactly what SLU crew is capable of,” novice rower Kat Wiacek said.
The team will lose some seniors but believes that they have a bright future ahead.
“I could not think of a better way to end the year than capturing the team’s first-ever points trophy. My only regret is that I will not be around when this team really hits its stride in the next year or two. SLU club rowing is only beginning to show what it is truly capable of,” Joe Hess said.
If this regatta is any indication, it seems the SLU club rowing team will be sweeping away the competition and rowing its way to more success and medals.
