Capital Crew Rows into Vista

Capital+Crew+Rows+into+Vista

Capital Crew is a rowing club in Sacramento, just minutes away from Vista del Lago. This past week, Capital coaches have visited Physical Education (PE) and Fit for Life classes to give students a taste of what it feels like to be a rower using an erg, also known as a rowing machine. This visit also exposes the team sport known as crew to high schoolers who are now physically eligible to participate in rowing as a competitive sport.

The intentions of Capital coaches visiting Vista PE classes is to expose how complex rowing is as a sport, and the benefits that come along with being a rower, such as great scholarship opportunities. “In today’s competitive market, there is a huge opportunity here for scholarships”, said Sac State water skiing coach Rick Caulk, who handles the technical aspect of the program. “Twelve out of the twenty seniors that we had this year are going to Cal, Stanford, UCLA and UCSD,” said Caulk. “As our bodies develop, more complex sports like rowing start to become available to high school and college students.”

Crew is also a huge opportunity for girls and boys to both experience the same sport, without gender stereotypes or competition. “More opportunities for women in this sport is another huge plus,” said Caulk .

During a PE and Fit for Life class, coaches showed videos giving students a visual taste of what rowing looks like, and what it feels like to be a rower. Kids are given a 200-meter piece to complete on the erg and pay attention to their displayed progress on a screen in front of them.

Coaches explain how gyms around the area are adding more and more ergs. “A lot of people don’t know how to use them correctly, and so that could lead to injury,” said Caulk.
Athletes participating in any sport can benefit from the aerobic and anaerobic aspects of using an erg. “You can really feel how Its a great workout,” said Dillon Hansen, freshman.

Technique is a key component to rowing, and students start to recognize that while using the erg. “There is a lot of technique required in keeping your body in line, and that is difficult,” said Morgan Rohmann, a freshman.

“I actually think it is really fun,” said Chris Buch, a junior.

While some students are not aware of this sport, some actually show interest. “I think it is a great experience to have the coaches here and learning about the sport,” said Jaycee Keefe, freshmen.

“It’s actually pretty difficult,” said Seamus McLaughlan, freshman.

This visit also benefits Vista students because of how little people actually get the opportunity to learn this sport. By coaches coming in and sharing instruction, this sport is introduced to more people. This gives athletes the opportunity to try something other than the common school sport, or even to condition in their off-season.

The Capital Crew facility is located at the Sacramento State Aquatic center at 1901 Hazel Ave, Gold River, CA and is reachable at (916) 278-2842