By Kassandra Nevarez, Marketing and Communications Assistant
Those familiar with rowing know the pain associated with erg races. After only a few strokes, lactic acid starts to build up and your muscles start to burn. Once you begin, you cannot stop and must race consistently (or progressively faster) for six to nine minutes. It takes guts to sit on the erg knowing you will have no choice but to push through the pain until you cross the finish line.
For the past several years, we have marked the end of the winter season by racing at CRASH-B’s. This year, our Adaptive, Veteran and Masters teams came together to race and support each other.
“This year was all about personal records and goals. The competitive team had four athletes:Katherine Valdez- She had her goals set to finish her race in under 6 minutes (simultaneously breaking her personal record from the weekend before at Erg Sprints in Virginia). She and I planned a meter-by-meter race strategy and she completed each meter with a lot of heart. She finished in 5:59.9 and took home silver.Lorin Campos– Due to surgery, Lorin was not present at CRASH B for a couple of years. Her goal was to row hard, never stop, and finish within 10 minutes. She finished her race with strong strokes, cheers from the arena stands, and excited rowers around her. She finished her race with a time of 9:25.5. We were all excited to see her finish her race with grace and stamina.Maria Saldarriaga– Like Lorin, Maria was away from CRASH B for a couple of years. Maria did not make her goal but rather told me that she would do whatever I saw fit. I believe in Maria and her determination, and it was not a problem to tell her to finish her race with an average split below 3 minutes. At the end of the race, Maria left her erg with an Average Split of 2:45.2.Ivonne Quijada– Ivonne trained hard to keep her average split before 3 minutes. Although Ivonne did not reach her goal, she left with a brand new personal record. Seeing my sister understand her accomplishment was very meaningful. It means that hardware will not be the sole metric of how well she raced. Her competition was tough but she continued to row strong until her race was finished.All athletes did a great job. This would not have been possible without the help of Community staff as their coxswains (Denise, Mel, Agnes). Although our athletes have a lot of grit and spirit, it is always encouraging to have friendly faces with them, supporting them when they are experiencing so much pain. We are all proud of all their work.”
The CRASH-B Sprints was formerly known as the World Indoor Rowing Championships. Although it was not this year’s official world championship race, the competition was still fierce. CRASH-B takes place in Boston University’s Agganis Arena like it has for the last ten years. Athletes come from all over the world to compete across all different categories, including juniors, adults, flyweights, lightweights, and heavyweights. This year’s oldest competitor was 97-year-old Dottie Stewart.
Congratulations to all our athletes for a winter full of personal and athletic progress.
Thank you to our coaches who motivate, support and push our athletes to work hard.
Cheers to a successful spring season!
