Rowing is a sport that includes competition, stress, and intensity. But, Chloe Zurita, sophomore, would describe it as “the only sport I’ve ever played that I’ve loved this much.” Zurita has raced for Green Lake crew for about three years, starting the sport in 2022. Rowing involves propelling a boat through water using an oar, requiring a high level of physical and mental endurance. It’s described as an extremely competitive sport.
With the sport, there are two different positions, the rowers and the coxswain, Zurita is the coxswain. The crew member who is the eyes and ears of the boat. The coxswain gives instructions to the rowers while also steering the boat, “The position can be very stressful, but it’s also really rewarding,” Zurita says. Zurita tends to listen to coxswain recordings, seeing how they coordinate and motivate the crew, to find what coxswain styles she really likes.
The spring season has just begun for Green Lake, the team has been going strong since starting back in February. Their first regatta (a race) was on March 8. The regatta was at Husky Open, which was incredibly successful for the team, as they won every race they competed in.
Many people would describe the sport as a hard, yet exciting one. Training is incredibly difficult, practices typically consisting of land and water days. “On water days, we get our boats and oars and launch by 4:15 pm,” Zurita says, “then we do laps of the lake, pieces, or drills, depending on what the coaches have decided we should do for the week.” On land days they either erg (mock-rowing while also measuring strength), some weight training or cardio. “Erging is incredibly difficult. I’ve seen some of the strongest people I know cry, throw up, and nearly black out during 2ks,” Zurita says.
Zurita’s goals for the season include improving her own skills and being the best that she can be. “I want to focus in on my calls and how well I can execute race plans,” says Zurita “along with winning as many races as I can.”
One of her favorite memories from rowing was during her novice year, racing in Brentwood, Canada. Her boat was being put in a tough position during the race, with collisions on both sides of the boat, leaving no choice but to stop during the race. “We came back really strong though, and even from a dead stop halfway through the race, managed to finish in third place out of seven boats.”
Zurita says that she would definitely continue the sport into the future, “The community, the thrill of racing, and just how much enjoyment I have in racing is unparalleled,” Zurita says.
