Men's crew in high gear even in offseason

By Kurt Wagner


It's a full-time commitment, sometimes requiring upward of 30 to 40 hours a week. And this is just the offseason.

Welcome to men's crew.

The regular season for the team doesn't begin until March, but the Broncos have been working hard since last summer. Senior captain Brendon Bula has high expectations for this year's team. "We've made it kind of a team goal to shoot for first," Bula said.

The Broncos have spent the last three weekends rowing in invitationals as a way of training. The team has had a strong showing, finishing third with one boat and adding two more top-ten finishes during their first race almost three weeks ago. Last weekend in Newport Beach, the team finished in the top ten.

Last season, the team finished strong, taking fourth place in the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association's finals, their most anticipated race of the year. They followed up their performance by sending two boats to the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, where they took home first place out of 55 squads.

"We were only about 10 or 15 seconds behind the first place team last year. We definitely will be placing top three, just because our team this year is going to be much more developed and faster in general. We are already kind of coming together this fall," said Bula.

Junior James McGrath said that this year's team is much more close-knit than previous teams, and that this chemistry works on all levels of the team.

"We're also trying to push for getting the novice more acquainted with the varsity," McGrath said. "We did a lot of that last year and now the novice who have moved up to varsity program this year are more closely bonded than in the past."

Santa Clara will rely heavily on senior leadership this year, as only a few members were removed from the team's top boat since last season.

The four freshmen who took first in Philadelphia last year have moved up to varsity as well.

"You need to know that the guy sitting in front of you is pulling as hard as he can on every piece and trying to get better in every way," Bula said.

McGrath echoed Bula, saying, "In the boat, all eight people have to be together, and it's just one of these things where if you don't feel one person in your boat is pulling, it is a major screw up."

The Broncos have two more invitationals still on their schedule this preseason, with their next one this Saturday in San Mateo.

The team does not put too much emphasis on these fall races, however. The races are thought of as just tougher practices and a good preparation for the spring season, Bula said.

Contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu.

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