- Written by Charlotte Curri
The cancelation of our spring season in March was a difficult time for the whole team.
We had spent a long winter training indoors and were eager to get out on the water and race. Our hopes were high coming into that season, getting excited to make a push for Southeast Regionals and Nationals. Once Covid-19 hit, these opportunities were unfortunately taken away from us. Despite this, the team kept its drive. Before lockdown went into effect, we were able to take ergs home so we had a way to train. Shortly after, we started having workouts over Zoom. This was definitely not the championship spring we hoped to have. However, it was inspiring to see our teammates faces, even over Zoom, and know that while we were training in our garages we were not alone. After a spring and summer of training over Zoom, we were able to get back on the water. This was a day we had been waiting for over the months we were apart. Although we were only able to return in singles and doubles, we were thrilled to be together in person (at a distance). We were also able to get back the feeling we had been dreaming of for months, gliding over the water.
If you know our club, you know that we cannot resist to make an event of rowing around our two-story tall inflatable duck. After spending weeks on end practicing every day, all we wanted was have a taste of racing. Thanks to our coaches and community, we were able to do just that. In September we had inter-squad races in small boats that consisted of short sprints, and of course the beloved turn around the duck. This event allowed us to get back to the feel of racing, even if it was not what we expected our season to look like.
As our fall season on the water was coming to an end, we were able to have one more race, a duel against Greensboro. With the team being as close as ever, despite what we had been through, everyone was eager to race and see who would come out on top. Over the course of two days, High Point and Greensboro battled it out on Oak Hollow Lake in small boats. These two rainy days were nothing but excitement. For a number of people, it was the last time they would be on the water this fall.
After the time change on November 1, we headed indoors to finish out the season. With days getting shorter and the water temperature growing colder, we have been training in the erg room. We are fortunate enough to have a facility that allows us to follow the USRowing Covid-19 guidelines to safely train together. With our ergs twelve feet apart and the garage door open so air is constantly flowing through, we have had a productive end to the fall. The whole team is excited to put in the work to get stronger and faster over this winter season. We have already seen PRs and have heard the sweet sound of the PR bell ringing. This gives us nothing but hope for the months to come. Looking to winter, it is a time to put our heads down and take each stroke with the goal of preparing for next season, and maybe even having that champion season we missed out on last spring. Overall, we are grateful every day for the opportunity to practice our sport together as a team, as this is something we have learned to not take for granted.
Charlotte Curri is a 2020-21 High Point captain, coxswain, and U17 USRowing SE region champion in the quad sculls and state champion in the lightweight fours.
