The Gloucester High School campus has a wide selection of choices for after-school recreational activities, including crew. Crew can be classified as one of the hardest sports, with most participants giving up or feeling ill. Some team members have even expressed feeling discouraged and uneasy due to the activities and events. Despite these hardships, crew has a lot of benefits, including heightened endurance and strength, sportsmanship, and education opportunities.
Many pros of crew are helping physical and mental physique, with endurance in fall and bursts of energy during spring. GHS crew member, Jacob Gross, states, ¨Crew gets you in good shape, it allows you to travel, and you meet many new people.”
With his experience as a rower, it will vary differently from the weaker and shorter coxswains, tasked with steering, directing and coaching the boat through hardships.
Varsity coxswain, Landon Updike, states ¨You meet a lot of new people in crew, you stay fit, and you get to explore and travel across the area.¨
Both Gross and Updike talk about seeing improvements in fitness and meeting new people. This is true, as in most regattas members will meet other crew teams across the state. These aspects make the exhausting work put forth to the GRA team worth it for these members.
Another benefit to to crew are the scholarships that team members can be awarded. Sport scholarships are very helpful, as committing to the team and succeeding could lead to a free admission to college. Many teams are available on the coast for people to join and are always looking for up and coming athletes.
To conclude, the crew is a very hard journey from start to finish with many ultimately stepping away from the sport. However, the members who stick with the team have made a name for themselves being on the GHS crew team and can speak on the benefits of joining.
