Row, row, row your boat

Liberty’s crew team brings home the gold in dominant men’s 4-person match

Liberty University’s crew team recently rowed in the Head of Ohio Regatta in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where the men’s novice team of four took home the gold.

“Two years ago, they had a seventh-place finish at nationals,” Coach Debbie Prowse said.

“Last year, they had a fifth place, so I told them, ‘This year, someone is going to medal.’ Whether it is an eight, a four, a double, a single — I just told them to keep that in their sights.”’

The rowers are no strangers to success.

Prowse created different teams within the larger team to compete in these races. Recently, she placed sophomore rower Spencer Barrett in the stroke seat for the gold-medal winning boat.

“Last year, I medaled in all of my races,” Barrett said.

“I can’t wait to get back to spring sprints, because those are so important in collegiate rowing. From there, I hope to win some gold medals and get back up there for nationals.”

Reaching these goals requires deliberate conditioning and preparation.

The rowers keep a rigorous training schedule to prepare for regattas.

“In the fall, we try to get as much water time as possible,” Prowse said. “We work on technique, long pieces and building endurance. They do land workouts twice a week with our trainer Chris Kerr.”

An average Monday morning for a rower starts with a 4 a.m. alarm.

“I leave my house at 4:30 to get to the bus at Docs’ (Diner),” senior rower Josh Elliot said. “We drive for an hour to Smith Mountain Lake. At 6 a.m. we get off the bus and walk to the boathouse to start training.”

The new boathouse in Mitchell’s Point Marina was finished in the middle of July in preparation for this season.

It houses all the team’s equipment, including oars, boats, head lamps and suction navigation lights that illuminate the lake before the sun comes up.

“We usually row for an hour and a half,” Barrett said. “We get on the bus, go to class and go to weightlifting. Then the next day, we start all over again.”

Although Prowse believes the best practice for rowers is on the water, the temperature drop in the winter limits their time in the boats.

“Once we get off the water for winter season, we do a lot of running and erging (indoor rowing machines),” Prowse said.

“Last year, we were even able to use the cycling room once a week to get some cross-training.”

Currently, there are 20 members on the team. When Prowse is looking for new members, she takes into consideration that most students have never rowed before.

“Since I can’t expect them to know the basic form without ever rowing, I rely on basic physical fitness testing,” Prowse said.

“I ask myself, ‘Do they walk like an athlete, talk like an athlete and look like an athlete?’”

The crew team held tryouts Oct. 14, and Prowse is looking forward to inviting new members to join this season.

Novice rower Dave Jensen joined the team before tryouts in late September and will be rowing in the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.

“This coming race, we will have brand new rowers in our novice four (set), so I want to see how far we can go,” Jensen said.

“I lift with the guys every day in practice and outside of practice, so we are pushing ourselves.”

Prowse encourages each rower, novice or varsity, to focus on the basic stroke and form.

However, the coxswain has a different set of responsibilities. Junior rower Lydia Miller was a coxswain before transitioning to full-fledged rower.

“It is the strategic aspect of the sport,” Miller said. “It is the coxswain’s job to pick out the competition. You have to know your rowers and when they give up on themselves and each other. You encourage them individually with their specific strengths and weaknesses. It is about knowing the lineup.”

The coxswain steers and coaches the boat.

During training, he or she tracks and calls the pieces designed by the coach.

Miller described them as the so-called “middlemen.”

“It is like being the jockey on a racehorse,” Miller said.

“We have a race plan that includes when to hold them back or tell them when to sprint.”

Although each position on the boat has different demands, the boat must work cohesively to be successful.

“In crew, you can’t succeed individually,” Elliot said. “You follow the person ahead of you at all times. You have to worry about more than yourself in the boat.”

The basic form and movements of a stroke are multi-faceted, and the rowers must be synchronized.

As Prowse came alongside of the boat of eight as they rowed across Smith Mountain Lake, she reminded them of this.

“Roll up together, catch together and finish together,” Prowse said. “This is why we wake up every morning — so enjoy it.”

Ball is a sports reporter.