It’s a chilly, calm, quiet morning at boathouse row for the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy boys’ crew team. Before the sun even comes above the water, the team is there preparing for the race ahead of them, physically and mentally. The team is tired, sore, and drained, yet they show up ready to give all they have because of how much the sport and the program mean to them.
At SCH Academy, the historic crew program is known for being rigorous, and it’s not just something that people just casually try for fun. The mornings are early, the practices are long, and overall, it is just a true commitment. For the crew athletes, that hard work is why the sport means so much to them.
At SCH, the students are encouraged to try new clubs, activities, and especially new sports, even if they are physically and mentally exhausting. Crew demonstrates that physicality and toughness more than anything. Long practices and hot days on the river, with nothing but a boat, oars, teammates, and the water. For many students, the sport is just too much work, but for senior Stewart Greenleaf, the work drew him in.
Senior Stewart Greenleaf had no prior history of rowing in his past, absolutely nothing, but rowing is in his blood, and he decided to give it a go for the first time during his last year of high school. “It runs in the family. A lot of my family does crew. I’d heard lots of good things about crew. It’s fun, it’s tough, but it’s fun being out there on the water,” said Greenleaf. It is Even though he is the rookie of the pack, his team is always there to not only support him, but help him grow as a player and a person.
“Usually, I stick with the novice group, or people whose first year it is rowing. So it’s nice to have a group of people that are like, on the same level as me, but then sometimes I’ll get put in boats with the varsity people, and they’re always super supportive, even though I may not be as good as they are yet, it’s nice having that support,” said Greenleaf.
Even though it’s his first time ever rowing, he got thrown right into the fire, without even fall or winter preparation, unlike the other kids. Greenleaf heads to the dock each day ready to train and get better, through himself and the help of his teammates and coaches. Greenleaf made it evident that even though he is still striving to improve to help him and his teammates win races, he cannot be great without the greatness of his team, which all has to be in sync in order to be successful in such a physically demanding sport. “We practice in our boats every day, so we have time to work together and get in tune as one. So I think the boats are going to do very well this season.”
Greenleaf is still awaiting his first official race, and it is clear that through his excitement, he is more prepared than he has ever been. As he hops in the boat and he and his teammates push off into the water, he is ready to challenge himself every day in his young rowing career. He is not sure what to expect in the upcoming race, and he knows he isn’t going to be perfect, but on the SCH Academy boys crew team, it isn’t about where you start; it isn’t even about where you finish, it’s about the progress you make and whether or not you are willing to take the journey.
