Fremont student Abinav Atreya’s afterschool activities are not so different from those of many other 15-year-olds. His day consists of school and sports. However, instead of being on a court or field, Abinav is in a boat a 30-minute drive away from Fremont.
Two years ago, Abinav tried rowing for the first time after his dad Mohan enrolled him in a summer camp program with the Redwood City-based Norcal Crew rowing team.
Mohan’s decision in choosing rowing came from the undeniable amount of teamwork that the sport demands. “In many other sports there is always one person who may be a little better, and then the entire limelight kind of goes on them,” says Mohan. “Kids of this age kind of lose interest in the sport if they are relegated to the bench or are behind the scenes.”
Along with the desire to find a sport with an unmatched need for teamwork, Mohan also wanted to ensure the elements of nature and physical activity were at the top of the list in the sport. So rowing was a great sport for Abinav to try.
After the first week of an introductory summer camp Abinav loved it and returned for a second week. After about a month Abinav decided to commit to rowing, recalling that the aspect of teamwork made him return. “Because you have more than one person in the boat, you physically need people that you have to be perfectly in tune with to be able to race properly. There aren’t any star players. It’s a bunch of different people who meld together to create something new.”
As Abinav concludes his second year of rowing, his record has been one of success. He—along with his five teammates who are all in the same boat, literally—went far this season. After some smaller regattas, or racing competitions, the team was able to gauge their potential. But the Southwest Regionals in Gold River, California, on the first weekend of May was the true test of where their team stood.
They claimed the bronze medal which qualified them for the USRowing Youth National Champions in Sarasota, Florida. “There was a lot to improve on. I think we all knew that. But the important thing was that we had qualified for Nationals,” said Abinav.
Over the next month the coaches worked to pinpoint where the team could shave off their time. A point of improvement was the team’s “power curve” or where force is applied in each stroke of the oar. When each rower matches where the most force is applied on the stroke, the boat moves more efficiently.
“The intensity of the workout was definitely something,” said Abinav’s mother Uthra Srinivasan. “They are out there in a parking lot by the containers, in a makeshift area. They would bring all the ergs [rowing machines] out and they’d be rowing there, come rain or wind. We were very surprised by that intensity.”
Once at Nationals on June 15, excitement and nerves were prevalent, but Abinav explains how his teammates had to control their adrenaline. “When you get nervous your body tenses up, your breathing quickens. But when you’re racing, you need to be able to think clearly.” The team treated each practice as if it were their Nationals race and replicated the feeling of practice rather than looking at the race as a National Champion.
The Norcal Crew team managed to take a close second place only two seconds behind the first place boat, with a time of 6:49:91. Their time improved so much that they beat the teams they had previously lost to in the Southwest Regional only a month prior.
“It was nerve racking to say the least. But I think one of the best things we did was treating it like a normal practice,” said Abinav as he reflected on the Nationals race.
Even now that the spring season is over, Abinav is already back in the rowing world as he volunteers in the same summer camps where he discovered a love for the sport just two years ago.
Along with volunteering he has also started participating in summer camps of his own. Small Boats summer camp is for returning athletes where they practice in smaller, more unstable boats which helps rowers improve their technique. Abinav has also joined international camps where rowers from all over the world come together and practice.
Abinav plans to finish his high school career with rowing and continue in college. “A bunch of people on my team actually row for Team USA in the high school division, so I’d also like to be part of the legacy,” shares Abinav.
Abinav reflects on what he would say to those who are curious about the sport but have heard of the grueling nature of rowing. He still encourages them to follow their heart rather than what people say about it online. “The sport isn’t a competition of who is the best at loving pain. The sport is a way to bond with people as a way to improve yourself and the people around you day by day.”
