Rowing club keeps many students on the water
Nathan Keel and Audrey Reposa are both enjoying their opportunities to train and compete on the Sacramento State club rowing teams.
May 4, 2023
Students might not be aware that Sacramento State has a competitive rowing team, and even fewer might know there is a separate recreational rowing club.
The Sac State Rowing Club is a competitive rowing team open to all Sacramento State Students that has been around for more than 30 years.
The rowing club is comprised of athletes and coxswains. Coxswains are the people who steer the boats and call out instructions. The rowing club competes against other West Coast colleges with rowing programs. No experience is necessary to join the club. The club practices and competes in both Fall and Spring semesters.
The club is a member of the Sports Club department and practices at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, one of the finest rowing facilities in the country, from 7-8 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and for another hour on Saturday morning. While winning is important, the programs also prides itself on emphasizing academic success, building skills for life, and relationships.
Sacramento State also has a women’s rowing team. This program became intercollegiate at Sacramento State in 1995 and has since won six conference championships.
“Rowing at Sacramento State provides … athletes with any rowing experience a rare opportunity to become a member of a varsity, NCAA Division 1 team,” Nathan Keel said.
Rowers with no experience can participate
As with the rowing club, no experience is necessary. Both programs have their pros and cons. Nathan Keel, a former rower for the youth program called Capital Crew, is on the Sac State rowing club.
“I heard about the club when I rowed for Capital, which is a program for people in high school,” Keel said.
He also enjoys the flexibility the club sport gives him.
“I joined the club because I had been rowing at Capital and wanted to continue to row,” he said. “And since Sac State doesn’t have a men’s rowing team, I joined this.”
Audrey Reposa, who joined the rowing club last semester, is currently a freshman. She also enjoys rowing because of how rowing is different from other sports.
“Everyone has to square and feather their blades at the same time, have the same drive, catch, recovery so that the boat is fast and doesn’t catch a crab,” Reposa said.
Reposa also loves the community the team brings into her life.
“I love the girls on the team, and I like working out and pushing myself because of the feeling of accomplishment,” she said. “I’m honestly so glad I joined.”
Reposa heard about the club during the Sport Club days at the beginning of the semester.
“I saw the rowing booth at the Sports Clubs days the first week of school,” Reposa said. “I came over, Amanda Humphries was at the booth so I talked to her, asked about the club and put my name down, and I decided to go to practice to see if I liked it. Which I did,”
Before that, rowing had not even been on her radar.
“Rowing didn’t cross my mind, and I literally only knew about it from that Facebook movie, but I like how it isn’t as demanding as other sports,” she said. “I mean, like it is, but in a different way. It’s upper body, core and legs, but we are sitting.”
The importance of motivation
In addition to providing a positive environment, it is important for athletes to stay motivated while playing their sport.
“When I set a goal and accomplish it I feel so good for the rest of the day so I just remember that while rowing and push through,” Keel said.
Reposa stays motivated because she knows how she knows that if she doesnt “improve and give it 110% during practice, she’ll “feel bad.” Additionally, her teammate Kiana Brunberg also motivates her.
“I try to keep up with her since she is so good,” Reposa said.
The rowing club has had some changes. Recently, the Hornets aquired a new coach. Both Keel and Reposa spoke kindly of him.
“I like Morgan (Nipper) a lot,” Keel said. “It is sorta too early for me to tell because Morgan is still so new. But it seems like he has a plan and is organized. I like that we’ve had so much water time, instead of erging (on rowing machines) for weeks on end like we used to.”
Reposa agreed that the coaching change is working out well.
“Morgan is nice,” Reposa said. “He is actually coaching us and correcting the way we’ve been rowing. Which the old coach didn’t do, so now it is harder to correct what we’ve been doing wrong. But anyways Morgan also let Kiana and I be in a women’s double which is fun.”
For the coach, an ongoing legacy
For Morgan, his work as the club coach is a labor of love.
“I got started in rowing because my dad encouraged me to join a sport in high school, and a buddy of mine rowed for Capital so I thought why not?” Morgan said. “I went to the first practice and pretty much fell in love with the sport right away.”
Connections are important. Morgan found out about the open coaching position from someone he knew who worked at the Aquatic Center when he rowed for Capital. The person thought he would be a good fit. Morgan did too.
“I felt like I had been rowing enough to teach myself and wanted to help new or experienced rowers improve,” he said.
From experience, Morgan knows that when rowers get tired on the rowing machines, they tend to fall back into their old habits, out of familiarity.
“So I try to give constructive criticism,” he said, “and the goal in mind is to help (athletes) see what (they) are doing wrong, give tips on how to improve, and keep reminding.”
Morgan takes his style from his own coaches in the sport.
“I pretty much just try to incorporate the styles of my previous coaches because I know they work, just from experience,” Morgan said. “My two coaches both motivated me, and I try my best to follow their lead.”
