For many college athletes, competing at the collegiate level takes years of experience in their sport. However, Lehigh’s rowing program offers students a different path — it allows those with little to no experience the opportunity to become Division I athletes.
Walk-ons play an important role in Lehigh’s men’s and women’s rowing programs. They’re instrumental in building the culture of both teams.
Lehigh’s director of rowing, Peter Costas, said walk-ons are important to the teams’ depth and leadership. Since Costas arrived at Lehigh, the women’s team has had a walk-on as a captain every year.
Walk-ons also make up the majority of the men’s roster.
“Rowing isn’t widely accessible before college for many high school athletes,” Costas said. “It offers high-level athletes who may never have encountered the sport an opportunity to discover their potential through exposure to a high-performance environment, time and effort.”
At the beginning of each academic year, the rowing program reaches out to students across campus to find candidates for the team and campaigns at the club fair. The interested students then tryout where the coaches look for general athleticism and a willingness to learn.
Men’s rowing sophomore walk-on Taran Egenolf said he was a hurdler in high school and missed the training and commitment that being an athlete takes. When given the opportunity to try out, he decided to take a shot.
Egenolf said the tryout process lasted about two weeks. He was nervous at first, but he became more comfortable as he kept attending and receiving advice from experienced rowers.
Fellow men’s rowing first-year walk-on Shepherd Odell never rowed before coming to Lehigh. He said he had a conversation with Lehigh men’s soccer coach Dean Koski through a mutual friend, and he suggested Shephard try out for the team.
Odell attended four tryouts and said he learned something new each time.
He said getting on the team is one challenge, but actually learning the sport is an even bigger one.
Costas said new rowers are taught through a combination of land training, time on water and practicing with experienced teammates. The coaches also use video feedback to help with technique.
The teams frequently use rowing machines during their off season, and they take a trip to Florida in the winter to get back in the water.
Egenolf said one of his biggest challenges has been learning the proper form and maintaining it through each stroke while also trying to stay in sync with his teammates.
“Watching someone row on a machine looks simple, but there’s a lot of technique that goes into each and every stroke,” Egenolf said.
There are four phases of a stroke in rowing: the catch, the drive, the finish and recovery to get back into the starting position. Each rower on the boat must stay in sync to move as quickly as possible.
Odell said staying in sync with the rest of the boat has been difficult, but he felt significant improvement in just the first two weeks of practice.
Egenolf said seniors John Deutch and Jack Wicke regularly attended tryouts and offered their advice to the newer rowers. He said their welcoming environment helped him feel more comfortable.He also said the men’s team practices eight times a week during the season, making it difficult for some students to balance rowing obligations with academics and social lives.
Costas said some athletes realize the schedule isn’t the right fit and want to use their time to pursue other things. He said the coaching staff tries to communicate the expectations and schedule early in the process.
Odell said joining the team has made him more aware of how he spends his time outside of class and practice.
“The walk-on culture is very welcoming,” Odell said. “We all realize that success is determined by dedication, work ethic and willingness to learn.”
Costas said having athletes with different levels of experience allows them to learn from one another and become closer as a team.
Egenolf said the biggest difference between rowing and other sports is working together rather than relying on individual performance.
“Everyone rows as one in a race,” Egenolf said. “And we all tend to judge ourselves as a team rather than individually.”
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