When I arrive, some of my teammates are playing frisbee, but most are wandering around rubbing their eyes, sour because of the early wake-up. The rowing team combines students from Spring Lake and Grand Haven, allowing cross-river rivals to come together as a team. We are all talking when the coach yells, “Go for your run!” and the practice officially begins. 

The weather is a cool 58 degrees with little to no wind. I have a love-hate relationship with Saturday practices. On the one hand, they are long and grueling. My body aches once I'm back on land, and the blisters on my hands can be brutal. But on the other hand, mornings like today’s can be beautiful–the fresh smell of the morning air, the flat water with steam slowly rising until dissolving into the air, the songs of birds, and the sound of oars dipping into the water and propelling the boat forward. It is, in a way, poetic.

After our warm-up, we are assigned our boats for practice. There are many different events in rowing. Boats have anywhere from one to eight rowers and can be with or without a coxswain calling commands. In sweep boats, each rower has one long oar, and there is typically a coxswain. In sculling events, each rower has two oars. Boats, or racing shells, vary greatly in size. A single is around 27 feet long, while an eight can be more than 60 feet.

This morning I am placed in my favorite boat and the one I will row at States, a quad with Christian Kondrat, Brennan Manzer, and Dom McGrath. We have been rowing together for years and have worked hard to earn the spot as the fastest boat and lineup on the team. But my crew knows that the competition we will face at States will be fast. Ann Arbor and Forest Hills are always powerhouses. To perform well, we need to give our best at every practice. 

We begin by taking some light strokes down the channel. It's silent. The click of the oarlocks, the rush of the water, and the sounds of nature are all that can be heard. Practice continues as the coaches begin to call increasingly difficult drills. This is where the pain sets in, and I start to get tired.

Rowing is the ultimate team sport because it demands perfection. Every stroke you take must be perfectly in sync with the person in front of you. If synchronization is off, the boat speed tanks. The key to winning races lies not only in strength but also in precision form and unity. My coach always tells us to think like we share a mind – one boat, one mind – and that will give us a competitive edge. 

Over the six years I have dedicated to the team, I have made some of my greatest friends. Training together, team dinners, getting food, hanging out after practice, and working toward the goal of perfect synchronization and one mind have bonded me with my teammates like no other.

The Spring Lake–Grand Haven (SLGH) Crew Club offers middle and high school students the opportunity to participate in competitive rowing during both the fall and spring seasons.

Founded in 2015 by club president Paul Winter, the program began with a single borrowed boat from Grand Valley State University. Since then, more than 300 student-athletes have rowed with SLGH Crew. 

The club has earned multiple state championship titles, including wins in the women’s single and women’s double in 2023, and has sent athletes on to row at the collegiate level. Entering the spring 2026 season, both the men’s and women’s scullers are ranked among the top six in the state.

SLGH Crew is currently recruiting rowers and coxswains; beginners are welcome. Training takes place on the Grand River at Spring Lake Middle School, with plans underway to build a permanent boathouse east of Grabinski Field this spring. The team competes at regattas throughout Michigan and Ohio, and athletes from Spring Lake and Grand Haven High Schools may earn varsity letters.