A Classic performance on the bay

Torero Rowing puts down results on their home course

JAREK MORGAN / ASST. SPORTS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Everybody who’s ever rowed crew knows that coaches love rounding  the team up before the sun rises and basking in all that pre-dawn glory before the rest of the world even hits snooze on their alarm. The calm wind meets the still waters, the smell of fresh saltwater, and the sound of hearing oars hitting the water in perfect unison best describes the unique feeling of being a part of University of San Diego rowing.

Rowing is a risk/reward sport. You have to fail in a good way a lot before you can reach your full potential. USD rowing gets the opportunity to be able to push your body on a regular basis. To find your edge, you have to fail over and over again.

USD senior and captain of the men’s team Drew Paulsen gave his absolute best over the past four years on the crew team. From dealing with multiple different head coaches on the team, all with different philosophies, to enduring significant injuries, Paulsen continues to show his leadership for the team he loves so much.

“My four years have been pretty crazy with all the events that have happened,” Paulsen said. “This experience has been something I will never forget. I try to do my absolute best to lead my team by example. Above all, I try to be the best athlete I can, the best student, and the best version of myself in this world. And at the end of the day if I did all those things I am happy with who I am.”

The sport of rowing involves adapting to a vigorous training program that requires over 20,000 meters of practice, or just over 15 miles in distance. Culminating with a race that offers only the final 500 meters visible to the fans and spectators. 

Nothing sums up the importance of striving for excellence better than hearing the wisdom from USD Men’s Rowing Head Coach Bart Thompson as he describes what this team is committed to this season.

“Athletes require so much growth to succeed as a student college athlete,” Thompson said. “Erasing your ‘Athletic Ego’ will remove you from thinking that you are a person that thinks ‘I before Team’ and Drew and this team this year does not have one guy that gets on the water with his fellow crew member thinking I’m better than the next man.” 

Rowing is by nature broken down into two disciplines: sculling and sweep. Sculling involves a boat with two or four oars (either a two or four person boat). Sweep rowing is usually a boat propelled by eight oars manned by eight rowers.

Spectators at a regatta are treated with absolute royalty. A regatta classically begins with a procession of boats flying their signal flags, followed by a series of races in which boats are grouped by class. The winners receive cups, cash prizes, wreaths, and accolades from the crowd, with members of the crowd watching from stands along the shoreline or from other boats. It is one thing to watch your fellow Torero student perform their best on the water, but this event is in an entirely different environment presented to the average fan at its peak spectatorship. 

Sponsored by local athletic wear, merchandise supporting the sport of rowing, the event also offers tents for viewing for alumni and friends of their prospective universities, up to date stats, and details to the public. Additionally, a plethora of food trucks are offered, and to top it off, a beer garden for those above the age of 21. 

The San Diego Crew Classic (SDCC) is the premiere spring rowing regatta. It is highly regarded among rowers spanning generations. The San Diego Crew Classic spans a lifetime of rowing, bringing athletes from novice to Olympian together, and is the place for rowers to “grow up”.

Many athletes’ first spring regatta experience is at the SDCC as high school competitors. As a teenager, the SDCC is the greatest introduction to the world of rowing. It feels larger than life: the jumbotron, the considerable number of spectators, and rowing shells as far as the eye can see. 

USD senior and team captain Isla Blake relished the chance to make her impact on the weekend’s big events. 

Blake was selected to the 2021 Women’s Rowing All-West Coast Conference (WCC) First Team and was also named an WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention. Blake happily embraced the excitement of rowing in front of friends and family. 

“I tried to tell my friends what to expect when coming to watch me race,” Blake said. “But it is something about being here and feeding off the energy of everyone around you that makes this  event so special.”

With over 20 tents, each representing their respective universities, the race course is well prepared for students and fans, packed with snacks and chairs for all in attendance, and a massive jumbotron for those wanting to watch from the sidelines.

Both USD rowing teams turned out solid performances over the weekend. Collegiate crews compete in two main boat classes: an 8+, which seats eight rowers with one oar each plus a coxswain to steer the boat and motivate her team, and a 4+, which seats four rowers, also with on oar each and a coxswain. The women’s team raced in the first varsity 8+, the second varsity 8+, and the first and second varsity 4+ categories, while the men’s team competed in the first and second varsity 8+ races. 

Women’s rowing finished sixth out of 14 on Sunday in the first varsity 8+, behind crews from neighbor University of California, San Diego and conference rival Gonzaga University. The second varsity 8+ finished 10th out of 16, and the first varsity 4+ won their B final to finish 8th overall. The second 4+ came second in their final to Gonzaga.

Men’s rowing came out 6th of six crews in their final race on Sunday in the first and second 8+’s. 

Both teams will want to improve upon those results in the future, but the results provide an initial benchmark for the teams to determine where they stand against other universities.

Seeing your fellow Torero athletes competing at their highest level, and the dedication and hard work put in by our fellow Toreros, something comes to mind that is best summed up by Thomspon.

“I ask my guys after everything they do on and off the water, and that is ‘is the job done? Or is the job done well?’” Thompson said.

The next time the women’s rowing team hits the water will be April 9, at home, when they face University of California, San Diego. 

The men will travel to Irvine, California to face off in the Ebright Invitational, also on April 9.