Crew
This has been an interesting season for our introduction to crew. Zoë's school races in about 5 regattas per season. Looking back at previous calendars, it's pretty consistently 2 home, 2 away, and then Stotesbury which I'm told is like the HS crew championships. This is significantly different from lacrosse, where they have 25 games scheduled. So I already thought I was getting away with a light schedule what with only 5 regattas (even though they run all day, and are on the weekends, vs lacrosse games which most often happen on weekdays).
Then the first regatta was cancelled due to dangerous weather, and it wasn't rescheduled because rescheduling it would bump the second regatta, which they started, but then called early due to dangerous weather and so each team only got to race one of their varsity 8s and no novices got to race at all. They decided not to reschedule the second regatta because it would bump into the third regatta ... which finally went off as planned! It was one of the away regattas so we got to watch the sun rise while driving over the Bay Bridge, which is always lovely. Zoë got to race in an 8 and a 4 and they did really well.
Crew is turning out to be really positive for Zoë. The kids are great, the team is immensely supportive, the kids seem to tend more towards "quirky" than "popular" like the lacrosse kids I'm used to. Nothing negative is meant by either of those terms, but if you live in Maryland and you're not bad at lacrosse and yet you choose to do a different sport, odds are you're going to be just a little bit different. Zoë told me early in the season the coaches asked the kids "why crew?" and aside from the few who said their parents made them, most, like Zoë, were lacrosse refugees. Tired of lacrosse (or, tired of lacrosse in Maryland), wanting to try something different, and crew looked good.
Speaking of lacrosse, she had a phenomenal game on Sunday. She knows she's doing well when the other teams dads start losing their minds on the sideline. After the game she laughed about how they were all yelling different instructions to the kids on their team, and none of them were panning out. We were sitting next to them and they were so frustrated that she kept stopping their kids shots. Almost all of them came up to her after the game and told her what a fantastic game she had. We still lost - not surprising since we only won one draw in the entire game, so we really only had possession of the ball after a save. But we only lost by 2, which is amazing, given the draw imbalance. Zoë was on fire.
And afterwards, she confirmed that the regatta was a lot more fun and while she's sad this is her last season of lacrosse she does not want to play HS lacrosse in Maryland. I asked what if she could stay on JV, and nope, she said even the JV kids (and coaches) are too focused on playing in college and it stops being fun. Of course if she consistently had save percentages like she did on Sunday she'd be a lock to play college lacrosse, but then, as she says, she'd have to play college lacrosse.
I think as a spectator there's less to know with rowing than other sports. I consistently remembered that port was left, I learned it can be really hard to tell who was in the lead in the distance (and I have to remember to put binoculars with my gear!), and I learned that the kids will spend as much time unloading and loading gear as they will actually racing. (And that Zoë was lucky getting to be in two races, because many of her teammates only got to be in one. I had mentally been thinking of rowing like swimming, so I was surprised when she "only" rowed twice, but at least on her team, two races is a compliment.)
Then the first regatta was cancelled due to dangerous weather, and it wasn't rescheduled because rescheduling it would bump the second regatta, which they started, but then called early due to dangerous weather and so each team only got to race one of their varsity 8s and no novices got to race at all. They decided not to reschedule the second regatta because it would bump into the third regatta ... which finally went off as planned! It was one of the away regattas so we got to watch the sun rise while driving over the Bay Bridge, which is always lovely. Zoë got to race in an 8 and a 4 and they did really well.
Crew is turning out to be really positive for Zoë. The kids are great, the team is immensely supportive, the kids seem to tend more towards "quirky" than "popular" like the lacrosse kids I'm used to. Nothing negative is meant by either of those terms, but if you live in Maryland and you're not bad at lacrosse and yet you choose to do a different sport, odds are you're going to be just a little bit different. Zoë told me early in the season the coaches asked the kids "why crew?" and aside from the few who said their parents made them, most, like Zoë, were lacrosse refugees. Tired of lacrosse (or, tired of lacrosse in Maryland), wanting to try something different, and crew looked good.
Speaking of lacrosse, she had a phenomenal game on Sunday. She knows she's doing well when the other teams dads start losing their minds on the sideline. After the game she laughed about how they were all yelling different instructions to the kids on their team, and none of them were panning out. We were sitting next to them and they were so frustrated that she kept stopping their kids shots. Almost all of them came up to her after the game and told her what a fantastic game she had. We still lost - not surprising since we only won one draw in the entire game, so we really only had possession of the ball after a save. But we only lost by 2, which is amazing, given the draw imbalance. Zoë was on fire.
And afterwards, she confirmed that the regatta was a lot more fun and while she's sad this is her last season of lacrosse she does not want to play HS lacrosse in Maryland. I asked what if she could stay on JV, and nope, she said even the JV kids (and coaches) are too focused on playing in college and it stops being fun. Of course if she consistently had save percentages like she did on Sunday she'd be a lock to play college lacrosse, but then, as she says, she'd have to play college lacrosse.
I think as a spectator there's less to know with rowing than other sports. I consistently remembered that port was left, I learned it can be really hard to tell who was in the lead in the distance (and I have to remember to put binoculars with my gear!), and I learned that the kids will spend as much time unloading and loading gear as they will actually racing. (And that Zoë was lucky getting to be in two races, because many of her teammates only got to be in one. I had mentally been thinking of rowing like swimming, so I was surprised when she "only" rowed twice, but at least on her team, two races is a compliment.)