The Conestoga crew team participated in the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association on May 2-3 and the Mid-Atlantic Youth Regional Championships on May 9-10, marking the start of its medal season. Conestoga qualified seven boats to compete at the Scholastic National Championship which the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) hosts. It also qualified four boats for the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships, where they will be competing in Sarasota, Florida from June 11-14. The women’s and men’s teams improved with the 2026 season, shifting from one boat qualifying last season for the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships to four boats qualifying this year.
Senior Sophia Daams has been on the crew team for four years and qualified to compete at the Scholastic National Championship this year. She said that the shift in mentality has helped with the team’s success. According to Daams, the team is moving towards a new coaching staff that encourages engaged work to earn the results that the team wants.
“We kind of had a new coaching staff and they came in with a new mindset for what they wanted from this team,” Daams said. “A big phrase that was used this year, especially amongst the girls’ team, was that we had to earn it. Everybody has just been really pushing harder and doing 110% instead of 100%.”
Austin Burke, the team’s assistant coach, created an atmosphere of team collaboration and trust, allowing the girls to push themselves. The team has shifted its focus from just practicing to be fast in its workout using the rowing machine, or erg, to actually implementing its exercises and training on the water to further improve its performance during races.
Additionally, the boys’ team significantly improved this year as well. Junior Ethan Borst has been on the crew team for three years and qualified to compete at the Scholastic National Championship this year. He said that the boys’ team’s improvement was primarily also caused by new coaching but also the team’s effort. Borst said that Bailey Chick, the head coach for the girls’ and boys’ teams that primarily works with the boys’ team, was under immense pressure due to the team’s tough previous season. However, Chick was able to turn it around this season, making sure to build a safe community for the rowers and driving them to work to the best of their abilities in practices and competition.
Technical upgrades regarding the boats also played a significant part in the team’s accomplishments.
This season, the program invested into new equipment, such as new blades that help the boats move more efficiently. In particular, the boys’ 1V quad team got a new boat to accommodate its specific weight class, making it faster and easier to move when rowing through the water.
“The boys’ team did get a new boat,” Daams said. “Their old boat was for people about 30 pounds heavier than they are. But with the new boat they got, it’s fitted for their weight class, so they are able to move it better. The new boat is also lighter and faster, so it goes through the water quicker.”
The team’s training schedule also helped with its improvement. The crew teams practice from Tuesday to Friday after school from 3:15-7:30 p.m., either rowing along the Schuylkill River or working out in the gym. The teams practice during weekends as well. Team members have shifted to doing extra work outside of practice to help them keep up with competition from other teams.
“I think that as a guy’s team in general, we have just all been putting in the work outside of practice,” Borst said.
The teams hope to continue their momentum demonstrated this season, striving for more success and shifting their mindsets to being more positive.
“The team has grown so much since last year, not only in size, but also in new speed you see with new athletes joining the sport. You meet amazing people in this sport and build very tight bonds,” Daams said. “For next year and the following years, I hope we continue to find new speed.”
Grace Yao can be reached at [email protected].
