As spring continues, the rowing competition season gears up for amazing regattas all summer long. Although the sport is not done through a high school team, many LOHS students participate in club teams around the area. From Lake Oswego Community Rowing to Rose City Rowing Club these athletes are some of the toughest. Not only is crew an extremely difficult sport but it requires precise technique.

Following a long winter full of dryland and erging (using a land rowing machine), regatta season is now in full swing. Most practices are held on the Willamette river, however, regattas are held all over and nationals were even held in Florida. Junior Owen Benicosa who placed third in the nation last year talked about how the competition works “at nationals they split it into the top six times and then race the semi-finals and finals;” however, he states that it was all worth it, “I just enjoy the races a lot, it’s definitely very hard but the feeling at the end of it is the best.”

Although rowing isn’t done through LOHS, students still get varsity letters for their hard work. Junior Katie Gellatly a rower for LOCR highlights this process, “you typically get it after competing on novice and then completing a full year of varsity.” The varsity letter is just an added bonus for Gellatly. For them their favorite part is competing at regattas and “being a part of such a tight night community.” Since crew is a lesser known sport she loves “seeing how big the community can really get.”

Although rowing may not be every student’s sport, the community that is created revolving around it in Lake Oswego is something not to be overlooked.