Men’s and women’s rowing completed a competitive weekend with both teams finishing in first place on Saturday, Apr. 20 on the Erie Canal. The men and women both raced against St. Lawrence, Vassar, Union, and the University of Rochester.
This competition, the second-to-last home regatta of the semester, saw first-place efforts from all four men’s boats, with the Gilman and Houlihan Cups going to the Continentals’ varsity-8 boats. The women’s first and second varsity-8 boats won the Gilman Plate and Goblet as well as the Women’s V8 Cup.
The teams’ last home regattas will be this weekend against some tougher competition. As the teams gear up for this race and the home stretch of the season,
The Spectator
sat down with three rowers: Trent Pfeiffer ’19, a captain on the men’s first varsity-8 boat; Rachel Sutor ’20, a coxswain on the women’s first varsity-8 boat; and Kat Buckley ’21, a rower on the women’s varsity-8 boat. Pfeiffer, Sutor, and Buckey all gave their thoughts on the season, their journey in the sport of rowing, and the prospects for the rest of their seasons.
Spectator:
First of all, congratulations on the wins last weekend! How did you prepare for and celebrate the weekend?
Buckley:
To start with, there are a lot of meters on the canal and in terms of mental preparation, we have a pre-race routine that varies by boat. Personally, I listen to a lot of hype music and do a lot of visualization of the race and its possible scenarios. This coming weekend is really important for us, so it’s nice to keep the trophies we received, but we’re definitely looking toward this weekend. We are racing Ithaca, which for men and women is a big competition. We’re always really close in times so it’ll be a much more competitive race.
Sutor
: Before any race I like to mentally work though all of the possible outcomes so I am prepared for whatever situation we encounter. I also listen to recordings of national champion coxswains so I can hear what the best are doing and try to implement aspects of that into our race plan. As the coxswain part of my job is limiting the stress and mental work for the rowers. If they know I am prepared, they will have a better race.
Pfeiffer
: Thank you! For preparation, I would say there is a long-term and short-term approach. In the long term, the focus is on fitness, which is a process that starts as soon as the fall season ends. It includes countless hours on the erg (rowing machine) and lifting in the weight room. In the short term, the goal is to work on technique on the water and get in the right mindset so we feel confident as we enter a race. As for celebrating, it usually just includes having a fun time with friends, and occasionally going out to get some food with family if they are in town.
Spectator:
How did you start rowing?
Buckley
: I did cross country for a couple of years in high school, and my brother had just started rowing and said I might like it. I decided to join, and ended up doing an extra year of high school at a boarding school partially to keep rowing. Now here I am!
Sutor
: I started out as a rower my freshman year of high school. Since I am on the smaller side for rowers, when I got to college I decided that I would bring experience behind the oar into the cox seat. The rest is history!
Pfeiffer:
In high school I played several sports that I planned on pursuing in college but was unlucky and came down with two shoulder injuries, which required surgery. When I came to Hamilton I still wanted to be a part of a team, but since I could no longer play those sports, I wasn’t sure what I could do. Up until that point, I had always used the erg as a way to build fitness for other sports, and I could pull some pretty decent times. I was living with Grant, the other men’s team captain, and we both decided to join the team, and the rest is history.
Spectator:
How has being a part of the crew team changed or defined your Hamilton experience?
Pfeiffer:
I’m not necessarily sure how it has changed my experience, because I have been on the team over the entirety of my time at Hamilton. With that said, it has definitely had a really positive impact on my time here. For one, all of my best friends are on the team. The fact that I get to spend nearly all of my time with them is really great. Additionally, I think my time on the team has helped my develop both as an athlete and as a student.
Sutor:
Being on the rowing team is truly my favorite part of my Hamilton experience. The support group is unparalleled. We are an open and accepting group of men and women. To be on a collegiate varsity team requires a lot of time management skills. I am happy to have learned these skills before leaving Hamilton.
Buckley: I was a recruit for rowing, so when I was envisioning myself in college, I was seeing myself as a student-athlete. Like any club or team, most of your friends are on your team. I’ve met some amazing people, and some of my closest friends are on the team and it’s given me a lot of structure. When I came to college at first, I wasn’t used to the openness of my day, so rowing gave me structure that was so important during the transition to college life.
Spectator:
Kat [Buckley], What goals do you have for yourself and for the team in the next two years?
Buckley:
I want to get as fast as I can, obviously, and I want to continue to improve while I’m abroad. For the team, I really want to see us go to the NCAA Championships. We’d have to win the NESCACs or get an at-large bid, which is probably our best shot. We’ve been close in the past and the last time we went was in 2015. Everyone wants to go to Nationals, but I think that in the coming years we have a good shot.
Spectator:
What advice would you have for First Years as you look back on your three years at Hamilton?
Sutor:
Your experience will be what you make of it. The most successful people that I see at Hamilton are the ones who give 100% of themselves to what they love to do.
Pfeiffer:
My advice would be to take advantage of being a part of such a
tight-knit team for the next three years. I have developed amazing friendships which are the result of all the time spent with my teammates. Spending every hour of the day with your best friends is something that can only really happen in college. Try to make the most of it while you can.
Men’s and women’s rowing will return home to the Erie Canal this Saturday, April 27, at 11:40 AM.
