Girls’ crew team is in full swing after competing in several regattas the past few weekends where various boats won medals.

“Winning is an amazing feeling, it makes everything we do so worth it,” junior Ana Guerra said. “Competing is great because it brings those long, painful practices into real life. The drills that the coach had been giving us all week are now important and make the difference between first and third.”

The drills have been making a difference.

“We’re in the beginning of our season,” Guerra said. “But in last weekend’s race my boat place third out five.”

On the typical day of a regatta, members of the team wake up early in the morning.

“Last weekend I was picked up at my house at 2:45 a.m.,” said freshman Evy Guerra, Ana’s sister.

Once they get to the race site and unload all the boats and oars from the trailer, team members usually head to the food tent to rest or eat breakfast to wait for their race. An hour before their race, the rowers gather with the members of their boat and warm up and stretch. Then they launch the boat and row to the starting line and race. The typical race events are varsity, JV, lightweight and novice. Ana rows in the Varsity 8 and the JV 4, while Evy rows in novice events.

“The boatings change around a lot,” Ana said. “But I did race with her once. … We’re on very different levels.”

After racing, the boat comes back to the trailer, they talk about the race with their coach, and then get ready for the next race, relax, or help other boats launch.

“At the end of the day there is a lot stress to get the boats on the trailer and tied down tightly and clean up the site,” Ana said. “Then finally after a long day everyone goes home.”

For the next few weeks, nearly every weekend the crew team will be competing, adding up to about 10 races between February and May.

By Emily Dubec-Hunter