Crew team heads to New Jersey as fall season reaches its conclusion

DeMatha’s fall crew season is nearing its completion. The team is preparing to compete and hoping to perform well in New Jersey at a pair of regattas this weekend. They will race in the New York Rowing Association Invitational on Saturday and then the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta on Sunday. Student athletes have worked day in and day out to make sure their skills are at the top of their game, while the coaches work to make sure the team works as a unit. 

Luke Foreman, a junior on the team, thinks the season has started off well. “The season has been going good. We have a bunch to improve on and I’m excited for our regattas next weekend.” Fellow junior Hayden Plakos agrees, adding that the “point of the fall season is to see where we are at to prepare for the spring season.”

Coach Richard Blorstad has been liking the direction the team is heading. “The fall season is usually full of tough competition, but we have consistently been finishing near the top versus the other high school teams.” Even though he feels a lot of work will need to be done in the winter offseason, he’s hopeful for the future of the team. “It’s looking like we will have a very fast and competitive spring,” he said.

 No stranger to hard work, Foreman has spent a good part of the season improving. He’s improved in his intensity “throughout practice in the eights,” along with “pulling more and driving more through the legs.” In terms of racing, his time in the 20-minute race has also improved. 

On the team training, Coach Blorstad notes that the team is very dedicated to individual training. “The team has been pushing themselves by working out on the rowing machine once a week and setting countless personal bests while doing so.” Right now, the team has been training both on and off the water every day or on the ergs, while hitting the weight room three times a week.

Team chemistry is an extremely important thing in any sport, especially in a team sport such as crew. “Since we have to race the 5000 meter course in perfect unison in 8-man boats, team chemistry is important,” Coach Blorstad said. Foreman, in addition, said that the team spirit has improved a lot. “The team has been working on building team culture,” he said. The sense of discipline, Plakos says, has been improved. “We’ve improved as a team…we pull hard and stay locked in during the race.” 

Ultimately, it will be up to the combined effort of all the coaches, rowers, and their support staff to perform their best at the final regatta. However, with all the training and preparation, the team should have no problem doing their best.