Prendie crew took tough road to national title
If waking up at 3:45 in the morning, jumping in a boat by 4:45 and arriving at school for a full day of classes by 7:30 sounds crazy - well, then you probably aren't a rower.
If waking up at 3:45 in the morning, jumping in a boat by 4:45 and arriving at school for a full day of classes by 7:30 sounds crazy - well, then you probably aren't a rower.
"Everybody always makes fun of us about it," Bonner-Prendergast senior co-captain Anna Savage said. "My sister usually has to wake me up, and I may have fallen asleep in first period once or twice, but once you get into the routine, it becomes second nature."
That's especially true for a crew of Bonner-Prendergast girls who were fearless enough to take a dip into the unknown and row their way to a national crown in the varsity four plus coxswain at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) championship at Cooper River Park in Camden last week.
The winning boat was comprised of Savage, fellow seniors Emily Sheetz, Brittany Rementer and Victoria Brooks, and the coxswain, junior Alina Wesolowski.
"It's insane how [the sport] really just took over my life," Savage said. "But in such a positive way. It's like, it was once nothing, and then it all happened at once. The dedication you need to have, and the time and commitment we have to put in for a five minute race seems pretty crazy."
Just a few years ago, the school experienced diminished participation in crew. Mascitelli credits Savage's "relentless work ethic" for the programs quick return to prominence.
"We kind of just hyped up Prendie crew," Savage said.
"We were always recruiting people," Sheetz said. "But I think our success brought some people in as well. It's a really cool sport once you try it, many people just don't think about it."
The grueling months spent recruiting and refining their skill defied the odds and paid immense dividends.
"Prendie's rowers were pitted against larger crews such as Radnor and Episcopal," said Anne Miller, who sits on the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association Board of Directors. "After earning fourth place at Stotesbury - to come back to win the national title - that takes a high level of commitment not just from the rowers, but from parents and coaches."
The commitment begins each year on solid ground in early December. When the Pandas aren't lifting weights, they're at Crescent Boat Club on Boathouse Row.
"And we don't sniff the water until the end of February, if we're lucky," head coach Terry Mascitelli said. "This year we had a terrible winter, so we lost two or three weeks of water time that we otherwise would have had, had the weather cooperated."
Slow starts plagued the Pandas for much of the season, especially in the weeks leading up to the championship, and ultimately led to a tough lane-six draw for the finals.
"We hadn't really put together our best race of the season up to that point," Mascitelli said.
Then last Sunday on the Cooper River, it all clicked.
"We were finally with most of the crews from the start of the race," Savage said. "In the final 500 meters, the last two minutes, we just kicked it into gear. There was literally a shift in the boat to the point where I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' and we just went for it."
They fought off regional powerhouses like Langley of Virginia- the Stotesbury runner up - and New York's Baldwinsville to secure the SRAA national title with a time of 5:34.309.
"I think we all went into it lacking a little confidence," Savage said. "And then it finally set in. This is our last high school race, the last time we're ever going to row together, and when you want it, you want it, so we went after it."
With all of the sacrifices involved in the sport, those who stick around long enough can reap benefits. And for what they lack in sleep, they make up for in camaraderie, memories and opportunity.
"The 4:45 a.m. workouts can be really fun if you have good teammates, good coaches and you work hard," Savage said.
Sheetz and Savage received full scholarships to the University of Buffalo and Drexel, respectively. Brooks will row at Temple on a partial scholarship. Rementer is headed to Penn State, but remains undecided about rowing there.
"It's just crazy," co-captain Sheetz said. "Our whole team just progressed greatly, and then all of the sudden colleges started calling and recruiting, I mean, I knew I could get some money, but not like this."