Richmond Crew pulls together as membership grows
Campus Life
At 5:25 a.m., junior Sam Chanenson, co-president of the University of Richmond Crew team, is driving a 12-passenger University van to pick up a group of students dressed in red and blue jackets. They are on their way to James River in downtown Richmond, where other crew members will meet them.
Most of the students had not rowed before arriving in Richmond. The only requirements to become a member are passing a swimming test and committing to attending afternoon practices in the fall and early morning practices in the spring. Senior Arielle Ragals said this can create interesting recruiting conversations when someone asks and learns about the team’s schedule. “They are like,`maybe not,’” said Ragals. "But it's so exciting to see the ones who join in the boat for the first time."
At Rocketts Landing, boats of various sizes, that can hold between one and eight rowers, are stored in the boathouse. Some boats are named after alumni, such as the one for 2006 alum Alec P. Smith.
Just as the birds begin to sing, coxswains shout orders to guide the team through the process of taking down two long boats and carrying them to the creaking dock. Since the UR team shares a single dock with Virginia Commonwealth University, the journey to the water is an elaborate dance of teams holding boats over their heads, waiting, and then moving forward. The dock was previously twice as long but was damaged in recent storms.
Soon, they are off, pulling on their oars, as water splashes against their boats. They hunch forward and then extend backward, repeating the movement in synchronicity. The team runs through a few drills and glides toward the east and the rising sun. They will be rowing a 5K today.
“I think other sports are not team sports in the same way that rowing is,” said Chanenson. “Every move you make completely impacts the guy in front of you and the guy behind you.”
At the 2024 Richmond Chase regatta, the team placed first in every event they entered: the Women’s Double, Men’s Novice 8+, and the Women’s Novice 4+ races.
Sophomore Evan Jordan, the team’s other president, says that rowing is more than a sporting activity. For him, it provides an escape from midterms, papers, and other stresses of college life. “Rowing, you’ve really got to think about the boat and not about other things. It’s a really great way to take a break and breathe.”
Richmond Crew dates back to 1891. Over the years, membership has ebbed and waned. Following the 2020 pandemic, the team has had to rebuild.
When senior Sophia Ludman joined the club three years ago, it was just her and the president, 2023 alum Nolan Sykes, at the first practice. Today, there are 25 members.
“Freshman year, we were lucky if we could get a boat in the water in those days. So the first time we put an eight-rower on the water for practice my sophomore year, I literally cried because I was so excited,” Ludman said.
This past fall, the team participated in two regattas and the annual Clough Cup, where current rowers challenge alumni of the program. Recently, they had an erg (indoor rowing machine) competition and are planning for two regattas this spring. The first one is April 6.
Coach Ben McDearmon, a 2006 alum, rides along in a motorboat, giving guidance to the practice teams. McDearmon rowed at UR when the team competed in prestigious races such as the Head of the Charles Regatta in Massachusetts and the Kingston Head of the River in England. He was there during what Chanenson calls the second renaissance of the team in the early 2000s, with the first occurring from the 1930s to 1940s.
“We used to be known for being a very competitive team,” Chanenson said. “And we’re determined to be that again.”
For now, Chanenson enjoys the sunrise workouts which are often followed by breakfasts at D-hall, where the team takes over a big table. “The sport keeps me coming back,” he said, “but the people keep me coming back, too.”