Sports > April 14, 2004

By Peter Bergman

Assistant Sports Editor

Although traditionally associated with the Ivy League and other New England schools, Crew is alive and well at Wake Forest in the form of a club sport.

Since its inception in 1998, the club has steadily gained a solid core of rowers of all experience levels. “Most of us had never rowed before college,” junior Jackie Smith said, “The saying goes ‘Great rowers are made not born,’ so we are always looking for new members.”

While there is racing in the fall, “Spring is by far the most important and exciting season in rowing,” said junior Jon McCracken. “In the fall races are 6,000 meters and boats row through the starting line but spring races are 2,000 meters of agony and boats race in individual lanes. It’s intense but a hell of a lot of fun.”

Despite financial woes, the daily 6 a.m. trek to the lake and unseasonably bad weather, the team has soldiered on and is fielding three varsity boats this spring — a heavyweight men, heavyweight women, lightweight men and a novice women’s boat.

The team practices 35 minutes away at Belews Lake, but, in the case of inclement weather, one can find the team slaving away on the erg, a rowing machine, in Reynolds Gym.

The team rows in boats of four and competes in sweep rowing, where each rower has one oar, typically alternating right to left, or port to starboard down the boat.

Although the team has enjoyed some success in the past, this year’s performances have exceeded all expectations. With a newfound commitment to training both on water and land, a new coach and boats full of seasoned veterans, the team is making noise throughout the Southeast region.

Of particular importance to the club’s success has been the invaluable coaching of Col. Stas Preczewski, the director of rowing for Army crew at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Preczewski, at Wake on a fellowship, has high praise for the team. “Having dealt with the majority of the major Northeast powerhouse varsity programs, I can tell you that the Wake program demonstrates all the qualities of a well-funded varsity program without any of the luxuries