-Submitted by Nathan Smith

Alex Petrillo, Greg Pape and I (Nathan Smith) went to the four-day Navy Crew Camp at the Naval Academy on June 28 – July 2, 2009. Rowers came from all parts of the country, the farthest I knew was Dallas, Texas. Overall the camp was very good excluding that you had to wake up around 5 AM for a morning row every day. Best part of the camp was probably the fact that all the coaches had very decorated records like going to the Olympics, being on National Teams, or coaching people that had done both of those. My coach, Coach Allsopp, had been to the Olympics twice and rowed on several National Teams.

Another thing that I thought was really helpful was their advice on recruiting. Basically, they said that the best way to show a coach that you are a committed rower and are serious about their program is to pick up the phone and call them, as much as possible (better than email or letters).

During my time there, I realized some flaws in my rowing technique that were quickly corrected at the camp. Also, the coaches were very supportive and really encouraged you. I felt that after coming back from Navy Crew Camp I am a much better rower. Before attending this camp I had heard it was supposed to be really hard but after going through it I realized it wasn’t all that hard. However, you WILL be tired by the end of the day because the days were long.

…and, by the way, the food was really good.