By Devin McManimon McNally ’17
THE ROUNDUP

The sun sets, seemingly falling into the choppy blue water of Tempe Town Lake.

While to most this means the end of the day, the crew team gets new meaning from this common tradition.

Eight young men hoist “The Phoenix” to a wet dock, positioning themselves and their oars as a team.

“The Phoenix,” a sleek white, all novice, eight man shell for rowing crew—the common name for competition boats—sits poised at the edge of Tempe Town Lake, awaiting instructions from the coxswain, a non-rowing member on the boat who makes commands regarding stroke speed, timing and the ship’s direction.

Rowing these boats, however lightweight and streamlined they are, puts considerable physical and mental strain on the crew. Due to the physical and mental requirements of rowing in a team, many team members said they have made crew the highest priority after school.

“Crew is pretty much my life. It’s really all I do and all I want to do,” said Max Hall ’14, a member of the varsity squad.

The crew team has gained its members in many ways. Some said they joined because they had an older brother on the team. Others joined to try something new.

“I saw some rowing on the television, and it looked like the oddest thing ever, but I just wanted to try something new,” said Andy Herstam ’14, a varsity captain and a member of the executive board.

When asked about their experiences on the crew team, students talked about all the friends they have made, stories of practice and how they deal with everything as comrades.

The crew team, along with teams from high schools and colleges around the Phoenix area and the state, competed in the Hot Head Regatta Oct 12 at Tempe Town Lake.

The Brophy team took first place in five events and placed high in many others. There are four regattas left in the winter semester.

“We’re going to work our hardest, and we’ll get to nationals. Brophy might be bringing home a national championship,” said head coach Mr. John Ciani.