Ending the Season the SCAR Way

There are practices where athletes grind through workouts, chase splits, and focus on technique. And then there are practices like this one — the kind everyone talks about long after the season ends.

Our final Development Team practice of the year looked a little different than usual, thanks to Coach Alex, who organized the entire morning and made sure it was packed with fun from start to finish. There were no racing pieces, no erg tests, and no pressure. Instead, the boatyard turned into a giant field day where varsity and development athletes teamed up for a morning that reminded everyone what this sport is really about.

One of the best parts was watching varsity rowers partner with our younger athletes. Sometimes younger rowers see varsity athletes as intimidating or untouchable, but today there was none of that. Everyone was laughing together, helping each other, and diving headfirst into the chaos of relay games and water battles.

The games quickly became competitive in the funniest way possible. Teams tackled wheelbarrow races, tried not to spill water during “pass the water,” struggled through the back-to-back ball relay, and twisted themselves into knots during the hula hoop pass challenge. Some teams were incredibly coordinated. Others… not so much.

By the end of the morning, almost everyone was completely soaked. Water buckets became water dumps. Staying dry stopped being an option about halfway through practice. Nobody seemed to mind.

What stood out most wasn’t who won the games. It was seeing athletes from different experience levels work together, cheer each other on, and just enjoy being part of the team.

That’s something special about rowing communities — even though the sport is demanding, the friendships and memories built around it are often what athletes remember most.

We wrapped up the morning the best way possible: donuts and celebrating one of our birthday girls with the whole team gathered around.

It was messy, loud, competitive, and completely fun — the perfect way to close out the Development season.

And honestly, practices like this are why so many athletes keep coming back.