Every day after school, a group of Ashland High School students haul heavy boats across a road, down a long muddy hill, and into the shallows of Emigrant Lake. Despite how it sounds, this is no cruel and unusual form of punishment. This is just part of one sport offered at AHS: crew.

In crew, one to eight rowers race their boat across the water, using nothing but pure muscle and sheer force of will. More commonly known as simply “rowing,”crew is one of Ashland High School’s club sports, and is available through the Ashland Rowing Club. These athletes participate in training at Emigrant Lake, and travel to a variety of races, called regattas, which are held throughout the country. Most athletes participate in meets from Northern California to Washington, but the away team may participate in regattas anywhere on the west or east coast.

Lead by team captains Tyler Sell, Emma Wells and Grace Riley-Adams, the Ashland rowing team plans on training for 2k and 5k races this year. When asked what a typical practice might involve, rower Caitlin O’Shea described drills which focus on core strength, balance of the boat, and speed. Although some schools emphasize “dry-land training,” the Ashland Rowing team tries to get on the water as long as the weather permits.

Though the more intense competition happens in the spring, the AHS crew team will be traveling to Sacramento, California for the “Head of the American” regatta on October 30. This 5k race includes competitors of all ages and skill levels. Emma Wells, captain of the Girl’s Team, expects many of the AHS girls doubles to place highly at the competition. Because of Ashland Crew’s level of dedication it’s likely that much of the team will do well in the race.