Men’s rowing hosts family fun rowing event

By Jensyn Hartzell
Sports Editor

The Washington College men’s rowing team hosted their annual Family Fun Row for Family Weekend over Sept. 18-19. The Shoremen also had a friendly triathlon competition against the WC men’s swimming team.

All team parents were welcome to come visit the College to participate in a family-oriented row competition on the Chester River. Several sets of parents of the Shoremen showed up to take part in the rowing event and spend time with their kids.

The Shoremen parents were taught how to properly row by their children. The Shoremen took out four eight-flights onto the River in which they rowed around 2,000 meters.

This row is a typical competition row that the Shoremen would do in a true match.

This competition did not count towards the Shoremen’s actual record.

To continue the fun, the WC men’s rowing team took on their fellow Shoremen, the WC men’s swimming team, in a good-natured triathlon.

The triathlon started with a 350 meter swim in the Casey Swim Center, then a foot-race from the natatorium to the Hodson Boathouse, which is about a mile run, and ended with a rowing race on the rowing practice machines inside the Hodson Boathouse.

The triathlon was used to demonstrate the conditioning and strength that both teams have.

The winner of the triathlon was freshman Zach Affeldt from the men’s swimming team. Second place was taken by freshman men’s rower Nick Gardner. Freshman men’s swimmer Bianti Dinaj placed third.

“We thought this was a great team building event for both teams and built inter-athletic team spirit,” senior men’s rower Max Moore said. “Both teams did an excellent job.”

Aside from the Family Fun Row and the triathlon, two alumni rowers, Charlie Snyder ’21 and Evan Koch ’21, were named the 2021 IRCA Scholar Athletes by the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

According to the WC Athletics website, awarded student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA higher than a 3.5 and competed in one of the top boats or raced in the most recent Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship.

“Our coach puts a lot of pressure on our academic standings,” Moore said. “It can be exhausting as a student-athlete, but seeing my former teammates earn titles like this is motivating and shows that our hard work is not going unnoticed.”

The men’s rowing team season opener will take place on the Chester River on Saturday, Oct. 2 against Catholic University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Photo by Benjamin Wang

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