As the medals were awarded to the Mclean men’s crew team, it’s hard to imagine that their premier boat had not been in existence until this year. The new coach, Ken Quail, saw the potential in these boys and established Mclean’s first lightweight eight boat, ultimately leading them to claim the title as Virginia state champions on May 9th, 2015.
The boys of this team were determined to prove their new presence deserved recognition. To be a part of this team, dedication was required. The team regularly experienced long hours of conditioning before even stepping foot on a boat. The expectation of greatness formed before their official season had even started.
“Our season this year has been extremely intense. We have constantly been placed outside of our comfort zone,” said junior Patrick Croke.
The boats of previous years had not won any medals, but this year, something felt different. The new coach changed boating arrangements and pushed the boys harder than years before. Ultimately, this strenuous winter conditioning paid off, as the lightweight eight were almost undefeated in their regular season. The only boat that had beat them was TC Williams, and they were ready for a rematch.
“Our mentality going into the race was that we were going to win, it was just a matter of
putting the pieces together,” said junior Ryan Creeser.
The confidence instilled in the boys paid off. The McLean boat started off first and kept TC at their tails through most of the race. The newly established boat had won first place in all of Virginia, giving them the title they most rightly deserved.
With the leadership and direction of Quail, the lightweight eight has become the team’s premier boat. The boys are now hopeful for a medal at nationals this upcoming weekend. The team has come from nonexistent to McLean’s best chance for placing for a national title.