Arizona is typically associated with all things related to the desert — heat, arid landscapes, drought-resistant flora. It is not often associated with water.
Yet, ASU is home to several competitive water sports, ranging from the Wake Devils to Sailing at ASU.
Alongside their aquatic sport counterparts, the Rowing Club at ASU practices at Tempe Town Lake, with each new generation of rowers bringing a common collegiate sport to a desert university.
While the club does not have the established infrastructure that other competitive universities have, club leadership connects the efforts of alumni with the growth of novices in hopes of continuing a legacy of rowing at ASU.
One of the biggest allures — and deterrents — of rowing is the promise of a full-body workout with every practice. However, this comes with the burden of training the entire body, a fact that the men's team does not shy away from when it comes to 5 a.m. practices.
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Griffin Kroubalkian, men’s team captain and senior studying supply chain management, finds a sense of pride in the commitment and exertion required of the sport.
"It's a really, really challenging sport that is so much more than raw physical strength, and it's such an enjoyment to try to master that sport," Kroubalkian said.
Varsity members and club leadership help to guide new members through the difficult transition to long training sessions and grueling hours on the lake alongside the burden of simply being a college student.
Current long-time rowers can remember when they were first starting with the team and the role that veterans played in their development.
"Being able to talk to the varsity rowers, the people who have been there already for a while, and asking them questions about technique was honestly one of the most fun parts of rowing," Said Okuyucu, the club vice president and a senior studying computer science said.
Club President Zackery Mueck, a senior studying automotive systems engineering, and Kroubalkian, serving as captain, embrace the need to welcome new rowers with the same support they received when they joined the team.
The distinction between novice, or first-year rowers, and varsity members helps the team see themselves as generations of athletes who help shape the future of their club through their encouragement and guidance.
"You have to step up and do the same for the next generation that you're going to recruit," Mueck said. "It's a give-and-take experience for sure, but it's very rewarding."
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The role of alumni in the club's success cannot be understated, either.
Both of the men's team's coaches are former Sun Devil rowers, and the team relies on donations from club alumni and support from those past generations to keep the club afloat.
"We're athlete-funded, and we do fundraisers, so having people to reach out to every semester to donate so we can keep affording to do this — that's one of the big roles they play," Okuyucu said.
Alumni will make appearances at team events as well, cheering rowers on during their 2000-meter time trial "tests" or volunteering on race days for their former crew. Their actions form a larger part of the story that ASU rowing writes about the club’s investment in its future.
This future is also reliant on factors not immediately tied to the physical action of rowing. Kroubalkian hopes to resurrect pre-COVID-19 plans of building a Tempe boathouse to properly store the Sun Devils' and other teams' boats while hopefully growing "so much more of a community around rowing."
However, as the sun sets on Tempe Town Lake and the senior leadership of the men's club rowing squad, each athlete can only hope to imbue their novices with dedication and respect for the indomitable sport of rowing.
"All my faith is in the novices, the next generation, so we're trying to get those guys up to speed and winning this (coming) May," Mueck said.
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at bcsmit41@asu.edu.
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Brooklyn Smith is a sports reporter for The State Press and an English Literature and Economics student at ASU. She is in her 2nd semester with The State Press.
