Row, row, row your boats
The SMU men’s crew headed to the Sooner State Games in Oklahoma City on Sunday for the team’s first regatta of the year.
The rowers raced in three events; the men’s four, men’s eight and the mixed eight. In its first event, the men’s eight, the team rowed strongly, placing fourth.
The team also placed fourth in the mixed eight event, borrowing two rowers from the OU women’s team.
The two boats racing in the men’s four pulled second- and fourth-place finishes, just behind the OU and Oklahoma Rowing Association boats, respectively.
The day was not the success the team wanted. Having rowed for only a few weeks together, it was a learning experience, especially for the many novices on the team.
Club president Adam Stoermer summed up the day’s final mood in the team meeting after the regatta.
“Be frustrated, but want to work harder,” he said. “The team definitely has lots of room for improvement and although this year’s group of rowers may be inexperienced, they are dedicated, hardworking, and probably the best group in years in that respect.”
Two of the biggest challenges men’s crew faces annually are the high turnover rate and lack of adequate funding.
Each fall the team battles with re-creating a team comprised of mostly novices. Much of the team’s dynamics and familiarities built through the year is lost at the end of spring, and has to be re-established every fall.
Even though the club requires dues and receives some compensation from SMU’s Student Senate, they have no official funding through the athletic department.
The lack of steady capital places a heavy weight on the team’s shoulders. Zachary Shultz, a new member, spoke for the team when he said that it needed funding.
Last year, through a heavy fundraising effort, the team was able to purchase a top-of-the-line vessel, a Vespoli Millennium Four.
There are various other items the team would like to have the ability to purchase, such as a new eight-man boat and a double Jeffrey Stoermer and Ben Reid, two returning varsity members, would row.
Stoermer, head of the Parent and Alumni Association, said there are also other basic pieces of equipment the team wants to purchase, such as a trailer. Currently, the team either piggy-backs on another team’s trailer or it ties its thousands-of-dollars-worth of equipment to the roofs of the member’s SUVs, creating quite a sight for passers-by.
This fall the team plans to compete in the Head of the Red in Shreveport, La., the Pumpkinhead Regatta in Austin, the Homecoming Regatta and Fall Royal American Classic, both in Kansas, and one of the most prominent rowing events of the fall, the Head of the Hooch in Atlanta.
“We are preparing this fall to defend our Big Twelve Title in the spring,” Stoermer said.
Few realize the dedication these little-known athletes show. Though it may be a sport that is commonly Ivy-League associated, it is actually quite unglamorous.
Workouts begin before daybreak, and outdoor practices continue in 40-degree weather on White Rock Lake. On blustery days, as the waves roll into the boat, it is apparent this is not a sport for those afraid of getting wet.
“I respect the fact that these guys get up every morning and pay (dues each semester) for this,” coxswain Jennifer Gamrod said.
