By Cody Pomeranz, ’11, Sports Section Editor
Cynics call it a cult. Team members call it a way of life. One thing is for certain: rowing requires a blend of talent and determination. Talent is both innate and learned. Determination– the will to push forward and do whatever it takes to accomplish a goal – is a much rarer quality that is vital to success in an endurance sport like rowing.
Myriad rowers spend their summers and winters gearing up for the spring season. This determination for greatness is what has fueled CCDS’s top rowers to both reach individual goals and help the team be among the best in the nation. But to understand the full extent of their commitment, one must gain insight into their diligent work ethic. Two of these determined rowers are junior Lilly Fleischmann and senior Jimmy Stafford (pictured).
Fleischmann has been a part of CCDS rowing since she began high school three years ago. While her aptitude for the sport is indisputable, it is her sheer fortitude and diligence that separate her from other rowers. Her rigorous winter training schedule begins in early November. Fleischmann starts off the week on Monday at Urban Active with Mr. Pedro Palacios, the CCDS rowing coach, weight lifting and running. She heads to Ms. Anne Badanes’ house for erging (practice on a rowing machine) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and caps off the school week with Urban Active again on Friday. But her week doesn’t end there. On Saturday, it’s back at Ms. Badanes’ for more erging. With Sunday off, the junior repeats her routine for the next week.
It’s not just the schedule but the activities themselves that are daunting. Weight lifting usually includes the leg press, bench press, cleans, and pulls-ups. “I do a lot of pull-ups,” said Fleischmann emphatically. “Pedro loves pull-ups!” Erg workouts typically mean a mix of short intervals, longer workouts, and several mid-distance pieces at a time with rest in between. “We try to do a few of each type per week,” said the junior.
So why does she do it, one might ask? “I like the competition, the challenges, the close-knit team, and the chance to be on the water every day after school in the spring,” said Fleischmann. And to get to the level she has risen to, hard work and discipline are not optional. While trying at times, the junior notes that routines in the summer and winter become incorporated into everyday life. “It just becomes a part of what you do during the summer. It would be more difficult to slack off during the summer and then work extra hard to get back into shape. Maintenance is the easiest plan.”
Her work ethic has certainly paid off. The quad Fleischmann was in last spring won Midwest Scholastics and came in third at Midwest Juniors. In addition, she and fellow rower Jo Jeelani, ’12, were second at the Speakmon event in Columbus and fourth in their double at Head of the Hooch, out of 40 teams, this past fall. Fleischmann was also named one of the recipients of the Hopple Award this past year.
Jimmy Stafford is no less diligent. Stafford, however, must balance two sports during the winter. “I never really have an off-season,” he said. Tailoring his schedule around the current swimming season, Stafford practices his swimming on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons and Tuesday and Thursday mornings, leaving Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for rowing practice. “For those practices I will row on . . . an erg for 10,000-20,000 meters,” said the senior. “Over the winter, training is long pieces that focus on building cardio.” During the winter, Stafford trains daily in his basement, and he joins team practice at a lake in Newtown when the season begins in the spring.
As is the case for Fleischmann, a majority of Stafford’s practice is self-motivated. “But over the spring and times where you can be on the water, you need a coach to look over technique and to make sure your stroke is right.”
Stafford doesn’t stop after the spring season. Like Fleischmann, the senior follows an arduous year-round schedule, including summer erging. “If you are devoted to rowing and have two hours of free time a day, six of the seven days a week, you can easily get yourself ready for the big championship races.” Stafford, however, doesn’t mind such a rigorous course, for rowing has become somewhat of a way of life. “What I like about rowing is that it’s a life sport. It’s something that I will do for the rest of my life,” said Stafford. “I love getting to hear the run of the boat in the water.”
Stafford has certainly shown the results of his hard work, with first-place finishes in the double at Scholastic Nationals and the Independence Day Regatta, as well as second at the USRowing Club National Championships, among a myriad of other awards and achievements. This year, Stafford hopes to add to his stellar rowing record by winning at the USRowing Youth National Championships and making the USRowing Junior National Team.
Both rowers have shown incredible devotion toward the sport and the team. Fleischmann and Stafford have risen to the highest level of rowing and look to contribute to the team again this spring with their unparalleled aptitude and dogged determination. But the two rowing stars are not the only off-season rowers. Numerous other rowers, like senior Nick Bender and junior Jack Wildman, row during the summer to improve their technique and strength. It is no secret why the CCDS rowing team has evolved into one of the best squads in the nation. Hard work pays off, and rowers like Stafford and Fleischmann are living proof.
Photo courtesy of Jack Wildman.
