Harrison Ham, Opinion Editor Emeritus—

At the start of Grace Cirimele’s freshman year, the Denison  Rowing Club had no more than a small handful of members. The team was diminished by COVID-19 and graduations, and Cirimele considered transferring. 

But she stuck around, and after hiring two new coaches and embarking on a ground-up recruiting process, the team now has 14 members and races competitively.

“The team aspect is huge for me,” Cirimele said. “You’re doing everything together, and you have to be one unit to work.”

Cirimele, a junior Psychology major from California, serves as the coxswain — meaning she sits at the front of the boat and directs traffic, encouraging the rowers and making in-the-moment strategic decisions during races. She must decide when to speed up and bypass another boat, managing the fatigue of her rowers.

The newly-formed crew team attends a couple of regattas, or big race events, a semester, and practices four days a week at Buckeye Lake. Cerimele sees it as a chance to work out with friends in a competitive atmosphere and spend time on the water.

 Coach Ivan Wehner, a former captain of the Miami University (OH) rowing team, says that prior experience isn’t necessary.

“We’ll take anyone, any level of experience,” Wehner said. “We want to make sure it’s a nice workout, and a good way to relieve stress.” 

Only four of the 14 members rowed in high school, and the team spends the first months of the season nailing down form and technique — welcoming newcomers.

Cirimele, a dedicated coxswain who started in high school, says that negative pre-college experiences sometimes scare potential rowers away. 

She emphasized that the crew team is extremely supportive of newcomers and focuses on making the experience an enjoyable one. 

“We try to make it fun,” she said. “We’re intense, but not too intense.”

Cirimele said that the recruiting process in the early days was tough, as the team relied on flyers and social media to let people know that the team existed in the first place. Wehner’s communications background came in handy in trying to get the word out. They’ve grown fast since Wehner and fellow coach Tim Binnig arrived last fall. 

The team practices from five to seven in the evening — avoiding the early morning workouts common for other crew programs. The team develops chemistry at Buckeye Lake, learning to row in-sync with each other and honing the specific techniques necessary to maximize speed. 

They’ll get to test themselves against some of the best programs at two upcoming regattas this fall. The most notable event is the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Wehner says hundreds of teams from around the world gather. 

They are always recruiting new members, and need one more male to fill out their eight-man boat. Cirimele makes a good pitch.

“We’re outside on great days. We’re on water. We don’t wake up in the mornings. It’s a great way to work out with friends. We drive to practice and have fun car ride moments.”

There’s a state of peak satisfaction in rowing, and Cirimele lights up when she talks about it. It’s called “swing,” and it happens when the boat is perfectly balanced, no longer rocking from side to side, as all of the rowers move in perfect unison. 

“It’s euphoric,” she says, smiling and shaking her head. “It’s like you’re flying through the water.”

Interested students can go to denisonrowing.com, or contact [email protected].