The Texas Rowing Center (TRC) has just finished its fall racing season. Over the season, the team could be spotted racing in Waco on the Brazos River, and even all the way in Boston on the Charles River. Now, in preparation for the Spring racing season, they have shifted their focus to Winter training.
Austin High is fortunate to have many of its students on the team. The Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), one of the biggest regattas in the world, saw many familiar AHS faces, including Izzy Rivas in the Women’s Youth Four, Adelyne Mozisek in the Women’s Under-17 Four, Benjamin Palmer in the Men’s Youth Eight, and Zane Perez and Bodhi Rosenbloom in the Men’s Under-17 Four.
It is typical for the team to train two hours each day, six days a week, for the entire school year and summer. Additionally, many members train independently, featuring multiple sessions per day. This high level of commitment to the sport is one of the many unique traits of the team. Ben Palmer, co-captain of the men’s team, stated, “Rowing has really given me a sense of purpose through my everyday life. It is certainly not a sport with a lot of individual glory, as we only race a few times throughout the season. However, the fact that there are very few races makes the training process the real highlight of the sport.” This level of teamwork and dependence on your teammates’ success is what truly makes rowing distinct from any other sport. It also requires its athletes to be dedicated to what they’re doing to the end. “My favorite thing about the sport is how much it pushes you to improve your own performance,” commented Ben Palmer. “I feel like I’ve learned so much about how to commit to long-term goals.”
The team has seen significant success this year, taking wins in both the Men’s and Women’s Eight at the Waco Regatta at the start of their season. In Boston, the highlight was their solid performance by the Men’s and Women’s Four, with the Men finishing 23rd out of 86 and the Women finishing 34th out of 86. Unfortunately, the graduation of seniors last year took a lot of talent out of the team this year. Further, changes in coaching for both the men’s and women’s crews have caused challenges. Nonetheless, they continue to be one of the best teams in the region.
What drew TRC’s rowers to the club? “I became involved in rowing after I had suffered a knee injury in my freshman year playing basketball.” Replied Ben Palmer. “Rowing is a low-impact sport, and I was able to be cleared for it before I could return to something like basketball or track.” While his introduction to the sport had unfortunate beginnings, Ben has seen significant success in his years with rowing. His highlight of this past season has been the Head of the Charles Regatta, adding, “It [was] my first time attending, and it was just so amazing to be in a city with so much rowing history. It was so cool getting to see all of the collegiate boathouses, including Harvard, MIT, BU, and Northeastern.”
The team’s ambitions for the rest of the year are high. The Varsity Men’s team is hoping to retain the Men’s Points Trophy at Regionals, requiring a strong performance in many different boat classes. They also plan to put a strong performance forward for Youth Nationals this summer.