by Kassandra Nevarez, Marketing and Communications Intern
We’re going to Nationals! This weekend, Row New York will be racing two pairs in Sarasota, Florida alongside 1,500 other athletes and 150 other teams from across the country.
Get to know these wonderful athletes; what going to Nationals means to them, what advice they have for young rowers, which workouts they like and don’t like, and of course, their favorite post-workout snack.
Amayda Arroyo
Nationals, to me, means that I worked as hard as I had set myself to do at the beginning of the year. It also means that my teammates were a strong support system and pushed me to do what I thought was practically the impossible. Being able to represent Row New York through its first ever Nationals bid gives me lots of pride and pushes me to do it for everyone who has been by my side the past 5 1/2 years, as well as those who recently joined the varsity team. Going to Nationals will be one of my biggest accomplishments and I couldn’t be happier to do it through Row New York and in honor of hard work, my pair partner/good friend Sophia, and everyone on the team.
My advice to any aspiring novice who wants to be really good at rowing would have to be to be dedicated to coming every day and to be okay with bad days- even bad weeks. Those bad moments are the ones that make us better whether we want to believe it or not.
My favorite workout is minute on minute off below 2k pace and 10k steady state. My least favorite would have to be 2×40 minutes- but let’s not ignore that it’s great 2k prep! (Sorry, Jackie.)
My favorite post-workout snack: Chewy peanut butter granola bars!
Ricardo Panteleon
Going to Nationals represents the commitments and sacrifices that I’ve had to make for this sport over the last 5 years. It is the reflection of my drive to succeed within rowing.
To young rowers: Take things one stroke at a time. Whether it is a 2k piece, some extra steady state, or a mere paddle, don’t stress about the next stroke before you finish taking the current one. My favorite workout: power hour at 20 spm.
My favorite workout: Power hours at 20 spm. My least favorite: 2k tests.
My favorite post workout snack: Bananas or Cliff bars.
Sophia Carter
Going to Nationals has been a dream of mine since I first starting rowing. Finally qualifying feels like a culmination of the countless hours I put in and all the blood, sweat, and tears that have been shed. When you have work towards a certain goal every single day for years, it’s so rewarding to see it come to fruition. While it’s bittersweet, I cannot think of a more perfect way to end my time at Row New York.
My advice: Being new at this sport can be daunting. However, I would tell new rowers to stick with it, stubbornly, even during those moments where you really want to quit. The sport doesn’t come with very much glory — so it’s important to love all aspects of rowing (even the not-as-fun parts like long erg sessions and blisters) — but the payoff is so much greater than you will ever expect it to be.
My favorite workouts are anaerobic ones like 10x500m but I also like the long and steady ones as well such as 2×40 or a good old 10k.
My favorite post-workout snack is Coach Lizzie’s homemade chia pudding. It’s so good!
Samuel Rojas
Going to nationals has been a goal of mine since I started rowing three years ago. I showed up every single day with Nationals in mind and it’s something that has constantly motivated me. It’s a great and rewarding feeling knowing that the work I’ve put in, during and outside of practice, has finally paid off. I also think that it’s the best way for me to end my final year at Row New York. I think this experience will be one that I’ll never forget and one that will impact me for the rest of my life. I am very excited for this race!
My message to novices: Being a novice is easily the hardest part of getting into the flow of rowing. You’re on the water for a couple of weeks in the fall and you don’t get to experience much and then the coaches proceed to ask you to erg on a machine from December to the beginning of March (if you’re lucky). My advice to you would be to push through to the end. Although erging may not be as fun, a whole new world awaits you in the spring and all the work you did in the winter will pay off.
One of my favorite workouts is 5x5mins at race pace. I think it really shows how far you can push yourself and it’s a great workout to find new gears.
My least favorite workout is probably 2×40 mins although it is extremely effective and builds fitness, it is also extremely boring.
Favorite post workout snack: Probably bananas, they’re great at anytime of the day honestly.
Congratulations to our qualifying athletes, we are all cheering you on! Huge thanks to all their teammates, who motivated them to improve every day and supported them through hard practices. Thank you to all the coaches for their endless hours of commitment to their athletes. Thank you to all the donors who made this trip to Sarasota possible!
Let’s go Row New York!
