myself because I have come to realize how much my hard work pays off and I feel a sense of obligation to the other girls in my boat to be at the top of my game ,” says Emma Wendt , a senior , who will be rowing at Georgetown in the fall .
DCNRC is aiming to complete their season with strong finishes at the US Rowing Youth National Championships , in Sarasota , Florida . “ A strong finish at youth nationals has been a goal of mine since freshman year . I want to challenge myself at the highest level of competition ,” says Berman .
DCNRC ’ s coaches see their role as not just preparing rowers to compete for championships and for college rowing , but also as preparing them for success as adults . The boats and oars are tools which can teach young people rules by which to live their lives .
Since the onset of the CO-
VID-19 pandemic , the team has had to adapt . Unable to row team boats in the fall , the club purchased sixteen single sculls , which the rowers rotated through . In the winter DCNRC took its normal indoor winter conditioning program outdoors . “ Keeping our community healthy and engaged has been our guiding light through this process ,” says assistant coach , Peter Belmonte .
For many team members , the social and physical outlets were invaluable . “ The girls in my boat have become some of my closest friends , even though I have known most of them for less than a year . Having the routine of coming to practice everyday , with people who I could count on , made the uncertainty of the pandemic less overwhelming ,” says Wendt .
Recently , with local guidelines easing , DCNRC has moved back into team boats . “ Rowing in singles was a great experience but going back to team boats has been so much fun . I love the competitive aspect of it ,” says Matthew Mamalian , a senior .
DCNRC will be offering introductory learn to row classes this summer for interested 8-11th graders . The fall season starts August 22nd . You can visit dcnationalrowing . org for more details .
Julian Canha is head coach and director of DC National Rowing Club whose water training programs are on the upper Potomac River and designed to take high schoolers from their first strokes to the highest levels of competition . Julian started as a coxswain at an early age , was a high school sculler , and rowed competitively for the University of Michigan . He has been coaching professionally since 2007 . dcnationalrowing . org
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