Head Coach: Kurt Freund
Last Year:
– State and Regional Champions
– 4th Place at Stotesbury World Cup Regatta – Lightweight 8
– 12th Place of 65 teams from around the country and a few foreign teams at the Head of the Charles Regatta – Varsity 8
– Many more races won around the country!
A New Year
Overview: Heading into the New Year with 6 returning seniors and 5 returning Varsity members, the Jesuit Crew team is eager to continue its success from previous years. Just as before, the team will continue to travel around the country to places like Boston, Philadelphia, and Chattanooga to compete against the best teams in the country. And with a new year also comes a new coach, Kurt Freund, and a new squad of freshmen rowers ready to take on the challenge that this team presents. Coach Freund claimed that “Once we get back into the swing of things I believe we’ll have a very fast team on the water.”
Boat Lineup Layout: This year, the boats will likely be arranged into a Varsity 8 (a boat compiled with the top 8 rowers on the team), a Lightweight 8 (the top 8 lightweight rowers who weigh 155 lbs or below), a Junior Varsity boat, and 2 Freshman 8s.
Rising Power
One of the newest powerhouses on the Jesuit Crew Team comes from the young sophomore Chet Heldman. During his freshman year, this athlete broke records held by all freshmen rowers to ever go through Jesuit Crew and will look to find his place on the Varsity 8 this year.
Another weapon in the Crew Team’s arsenal resides in Senior Captain and Varsity rower Andrew Hooker. Rowing since he was freshman on the Crew Team, Andrew has formed himself into one of the top lightweight rowers in the country, and a top prospect for colleges like Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. With his incredible physical fitness and flawless abilities on the water, look for Andrew to make a great impact on this team as he goes into his final year at Jesuit.
Among the 6 returning seniors this year are 2 rowers who stand out above the rest. Literally. Austin and Logan Burk return to the Jesuit Crew team this year standing 6’4” and weighing 205 lbs and 185 lbs, respectively. In the past three years, these two rowers have proved their dedication and remarkable power with 40+ medals to show for it.
Overall: With superstar athletes leading the way, the Jesuit Crew Team’s Varsity Eight has high hopes to be one of the strongest Varsity squads the team has ever seen.
Jesuit Crew Team’s Secret to Success
In a race, it’s the team that’s willing to die for each other and fight for every inch, every second, and every stroke that’s going to put them on top. It takes heart. That is the secret weapon of the Jesuit Crew team. More than any other team in the country, this team has proved its dedication and established its pride in what each member does. In crew, one must use every muscle in the body and work until incapable of doing so. This is why heart is the most important thing in a race; brute force can only take a team so far. The rower that can push himself beyond the limits of his body is the one who has the most heart and will overcome any obstacle. Every member of the Varsity 8 knows this, and every member can look at their teammate behind them and know that he will fight for that inch for himself and for the rest of the team. Above all else, this team has what it takes to do great things.
My Projections
(For Varsity 8 only)
State Champions
Regional Champions
Top 10 at Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston
Top 10 at Stotesbury World Cup Regatta
Final Summary: With strong leadership from their new coach Kurt Freund and their senior captains John Bacic and Andrew Hooker, this team has the potential to be one of the best crews in the country. Andrew feels that if the team can “all get the scores necessary during practices, that we can be very competitive against these strong teams.” The biggest challenges will be overcoming the intense competition at Stotesbury in Philadelphia and Charles in Boston, but the team believes that if they work hard in the weeks to come, they will reach their goal.
