Tryouts for the boys crew club began on Tuesday, Feb. 24, following months of winter conditioning starting in November. Within three days, 21 varsity rowers will be selected to fill the 1V (First Varsity) boat and 2V (Second Varsity) boats. Nearly all freshmen are expected to make the cut.
This three-day tryout is designed to test both raw power and aerobic capacity of rowers. Day one consisted of a 2,000-meter row on the ergometer followed by a one-mile run. On the second day, athletes ran a 6,000-meter endurance row and a “watts test” to measure peak power output. Tryouts will conclude with a third day of high-intensity, three-by-two-minute sprint sessions.
“Tryouts are engineered to give the coaches a better understanding of everyone’s current position and how the team is shaping up,” said senior Carson Fast, last year’s 1V stroke seat. “It’s not specifically designed to weed anybody out.”
As the final roster takes formation, the club’s primary focus is on the Virginia State Championship, which happens early on in the season. For the Highlanders, success at this event is a prerequisite for the rest of the season—that performance determines the trajectory of the program’s postseason eligibility.
“States has always been important to us,” said senior James Millward, a coxswain and rower in previous years. “Nothing else is possible without a good States time. If the 1V doesn’t qualify, the freshmen don’t go. Everything starts there.”
Should McLean meet its benchmarks at the state level, a high-stakes schedule awaits. Potential season highlights include the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, recognized as the largest high school regatta in the world, and U.S. Nationals, which features the highest level of domestic competition.
“Last year, we got knocked out of the semifinals at Stotesbury,” Millward said. “It’s an extremely competitive pool, and we’re traditionally very competitive there.”
The club also looks to build success in international events—last year, McLean’s team traveled to the Canadian International High School Regatta and secured a third-place finish. They only lost to Canada’s fastest high school team, Brentwood College, and Canisius High School from the U.S.
In the meanwhile, conditions needed to propel McLean to success have changed. This year, a smaller team roster has shifted the overall dynamic, which means that a greater emphasis is placed on developing the junior class to fill critical seats in the top boats.
“Relative to previous years, we have a smaller group on the varsity side,” Fast said. “It’s tight-knit, but I believe we can be competitive as a whole. It’s just another factor we have to work with and keep in mind.”
The club’s first practice on Friday will not be on the water due to wintry conditions and the recent surge of sewage into the Potomac River.
“It’s going to be at least a week before we hit the water,” Millward said. “But water or not, there’s a lot of fast sophomores, a lot of fast freshmen. I’m looking forward to seeing what everybody can do. We’re gonna have a great season.”
