The club crew team, under new head coach Djuna Perkins, is looking to expand the amount of people involved in the sport through events like the upcoming Boomer’s Regatta. Perkins was recently promoted to head coach at the end of the fall after taking on an assistant role for the semester.
The team currently competes with only five members, four of whom are seniors. This issue has created many challenges for the team as they look to continue competitions.
“Our greatest challenge is that the pandemic really destabilized the program and decimated our numbers. We need more members—both rowers and coxswains,” who steer the boat but don’t row, said Perkins.
Despite this, the team has created tight-knit bonds that have contributed to their success, which the members credit to Perkins.
“She's really committed to building this program back up. She's already made a lot of adjustments to the boathouse. So it's good to have her lead us because for a while, it was just us captains leading things,” said senior member and event management major Kaitlyn Gargas.
Boomer’s Regatta is just one of the initiatives the team is taking to try and generate student interest. The event will take place on Sunday, April 23 at the Stoller Boathouse, and allows teams of up to five people to compete in a race down the Charles River. The team will host practices beforehand for those unfamiliar with rowing, and also encourages spectators for those who want to be a part of the event without being too involved.
Coach Perkins hopes the event showcases not only how fun the sport is, but also some of the unique resources the club has to offer, such as the Stoller Boathouse.
“Not many students at institutions of Lasell’s size have the opportunity to learn to row (or to get better at it) on such a beautiful, quiet, protected stretch of river so close to campus. It’s the best-kept secret around, but I don’t want it to be a secret anymore! I’m hoping the Boomer Regatta will show everyone at Lasell not only how good rowing is for your body and mind, but also how much fun it is,” said Perkins.
Senior marketing major and team member Maddie Bailey says the regatta serves as an opportunity for students to learn about the program and get involved. She said, “Our whole goal of doing this whole regatta is to have people like, understand what rowing is.”
In addition to hosting Boomer’s Regatta, the team hopes to compete in more regattas. They attended the Charles River All Star Has-Been (C.R.A.S.H.-B.) Sprints, the International World Indoor Rowing Championships in March. Competing in multiple races held at The Track at New Balance in Brighton, Massachusetts, the team got the chance to compete against international rowers from countries such as Ukraine and New Zealand. Bailey says, “We got to see a lot of races and a lot of people from all around the world, which was really cool.”
Bailey believes anyone considering joining the team should reach out to Coach Perkins. “I think that if you're even slightly interested in joining, you should just try it out for one day because it's a lot of fun. It's a great workout. And I know for me, when I was going in as a freshman, I was a little nervous about joining clubs but I definitely recommend just stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new,” Bailey said.