Crew Finds Competition, Camaraderie

This fall season, both the varsity and novice club crew teams finished strong in their respective events. The novice men's eight finished 51-0, while the varsity four medaled in all events.

This is Steve Condrin's second year coaching the varsity men's team.

Before coming to UNC, he coached a successful season as the men's varsity coach at Northwestern University.

"I came here with the specific intention of building a rowing program at a university that has all the necessary tools," Condrin said.

Some of his considerations include good weather year round and a good athletic program.

The teams are divided into varsity and novice teams. The varsity team consists of four rowers, while the novice teams all consist of eight.

There are four novice teams, but highest priority is given to the A team.

This has been the first year at the University for Phil Holmes, novice men's crew coach. Holmes worked with the women's rowing program at Ithaca College before coming to UNC.

"We've put together a great group of athletes that are dedicated to be the best they can be," he said.

"Much to everyone's surprise, we have been undefeated, best in the region."

The varsity team consists of athletes who have rowed at least one year at UNC, while the novice teams consist of mainly freshmen and first-time rowers.

The crew team attracts many high school varsity athletes looking to compete at the college level without the obligation of a scholarship.

"I didn't want to be in a scholarship sport I couldn't get out of," said novice team member Mark Laabs, a freshman. "I also knew people who really enjoyed rowing."

Because crew is a club rather than a varsity sport, less than 3 percent of the annual budget comes from University funds. Condrin hopes to get it recognized at the varsity level as a scholarship sport.

There are five rowers with academic scholarships. Condrin said crew is consistently one of the top academic groups on campus.

Condrin graduated from the University of California-Berkeley, where he rowed for four years. He said this experience proved to be a turning point in his life. "Reflecting on my own athletic experience and experience in college, I was very much changed ," Condrin said. "I was a true walk-on, like many of the athletes here."

Holmes, on the other hand, competed at a Division III school, so he said he was ready for a team able to compete at the Division I level. He got involved in the sport when he was in eighth grade.

Holmes said the crew coaches and the students put a lot of work into making the team successful.

"It takes the most work from the athletes," Holmes said. "We, the coaching staff, can work endlessly, but they need to go 100 percent every time."

For the crew team, the most important races are yet to come in the upcoming spring season, where they compete in sprint races.

Laabs said a big part of the reason the novice team has been so successful is a combination of team unity and good coaching.

"The combination of a team receptive to working hard and a coach willing to work just as hard as the team was what made for a successful season," Laabs said.

During the fall, the team competes in long-distance races of 4,500 meters and 6,000 meters that Condrin said help the athletes train and be competitive. The primary goal is the 2,000 meter sprint races in the spring.

Offseason training is intensive and includes a combination of exercises such as running, swimming, climbing stairs, rowing, lifting weights and rowing machines.

"The work I've put in this season has been worthwhile in a physical but also in a camaraderie sense," Laabs said.

"I don't think there's a group on campus closer than the crew team."

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