During the last few minutes of a 2,000-meter race, the men’s crew pushes through muscle fatigue, maintains precise technique and concentrates, the eight rowers working as one to sprint to the finish. The Bombers maintain a tough training regimen to make the races easier on the body, helping them secure more first-place finishes.

Rowing combines cardiovascular endurance, physical strength and mental toughness. The South Hill squad runs and completes weight circuits twice a week along with its practice on the water and work on the rowing-simulation machines, called ergometers.

The Bombers follow a cyclical training pattern, escalating the rigor of practices until they peak in the middle of the week. Head Coach Dan Robinson said this typically makes Tuesday and Wednesday practices the most challenging.

“All up until the last week of the season, we’re rowing hard,” Robinson said. “We’ll row at least 10 miles and row hard that whole 10 miles. So, early in the season, we’re working hard to get our pieces in. We’re trying to get more comfortable with the distance.”

Junior Dan Curtis said the complexity of the sport makes every practice a challenge for the rowers.

“Training switches from longer pieces to shorter pieces,” Curtis said. “Toward the beginning we’ll be doing longer pieces, and then we have to get used to doing shorter distances. It’s always intense, every day.”

Many of the Bombers supplement their mandatory practices with outside work on cardio endurance and strength, sometimes running a few miles to the boathouse before practice or doing extra weight circuits.

Curtis said the Bombers often work outside of practice to target individual weaknesses, such as adjusting from the longer distance fall races to shorter spring races. To do this, the Blue and Gold work on their pacing of strokes, both on the ergometer and on the water.

When they work on the ergometers, the Bombers often push through a rotation of six 1,000-meter pieces, sometimes competing head-to-head with their crewmates to secure their seat in a boat. Despite the competition, Curtis said the Bombers place greater emphasis on unity within each boat.

“There’s competition, but at the same time we all accept our boats,” Curtis said. “We pull together within our boats. You’re looking to better yourself, but, at the same time, you want your boat to succeed.”

Training for crew extends beyond physical work. The South Hill squad makes the formation of a connection and rhythm in each boat a top priority.

“It’s important to have a lot of power, but if you’re catching together, that’s when you really get going. There’s the mental toughness, having all the rowers move as one,” sophomore Walker Robinson said. “That’s something we have been improving on recently.”

Senior captain Pete Orlando said the Bombers’ ability to work as a team gives them an advantage over more experienced crews.

“Our greatest strength is our synergy; we really come together,” Orlando said. “When we start working together as a unit, and we start clicking, I think that’s when our boat really starts to do well. Then we can beat some of the better crews out there.”

The Bombers hope the hard work will pay off when they face tough competition on their way to the New York State Championships. The South Hill squad will face

talented Division III competitors like Williams College, Skidmore College and Tufts University. Robinson said the Blue and Gold will be able to improve greatly as they are challenged throughout the season.

“We have to train harder, keep training harder, and not back down and clean up our blade work,” Robinson said. “We take it one race at a time.”