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Crew returns to Darlington
Sep 29, 2003 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
After a one-year hiatus the sport of crew, also known as rowing, has come back to Darlington School. President Hicks, whose passion for the sport is widely known, was instrumental in introducing crew to the Darlington campus when the School initially offered it as an after-school activity (ASA) in the spring of 2002. After that inaugural season, however, the crew program had to be cut because of a lack of funding and the departure of the coach, Doncho Pavlov.
Since that time, former crew team members and Hicks have been searching for ways to bring back the sport despite tough odds against them. Not only did they have to find a new coach, but they also needed to find money that could not come from an already tight school budget.
Late this past summer, however, the pieces for the rebirth of the crew program seemed to fall into place. Hicks practically stumbled upon the new coach, David Corbin, who had previously rowed at Berry College and had worked extensively with local rowing expert Hamilton Dixon. Coach Corbin, after hearing about the plight of the young crew program, graciously agreed to coach the team on his own time. His employer, a long-time Darlington supporter, worked to create a schedule that would allow Corbin the time off necessary to coach.
This avid dedication to the sport of crew is not uncommon. Although a relatively new sport in the Southeast, crew is actually the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States, dating back to a race between Harvard and Yale in 1852. The sport’s popularity is constantly growing and many major southeastern colleges and universities now have crew teams, including Auburn, Davidson, Emory, Vanderbilt, and the Universities of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. This is largely a result of the fact that practically anyone who is willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to the team can become a great rower, even if they have never had any experience before.
Large or small, tall or short, all are welcomed in crew. In fact, the smallest member of the team, the “coxswain,” is also the most important as he or she is both the pilot and the on-board coach during the races.
The concept of teamwork is central to crew since without all the rowers working together as a singly unit in a boat, also known as a “shell,” it is impossible to win. Because of this and the long hours of work together in practices, rowers often have a team-camaraderie that is unparalleled in any other sport.
Crew is traditionally year-round, and at Darlington it will be no different. During the fall and spring seasons, the team practices from 4 to 6 p.m. at Ridge Ferry Park on the Oostanaula River and will compete in races, or “regattas,” on Saturdays. During the winter season, the team moves inside to both practice and compete on “ergs,” which are stationary rowing machines. The team currently has six members, but Coach Corbin welcomes anyone with a good work ethic who is also interested in learning why so many people have a passion for this sport.
Since that time, former crew team members and Hicks have been searching for ways to bring back the sport despite tough odds against them. Not only did they have to find a new coach, but they also needed to find money that could not come from an already tight school budget.
Late this past summer, however, the pieces for the rebirth of the crew program seemed to fall into place. Hicks practically stumbled upon the new coach, David Corbin, who had previously rowed at Berry College and had worked extensively with local rowing expert Hamilton Dixon. Coach Corbin, after hearing about the plight of the young crew program, graciously agreed to coach the team on his own time. His employer, a long-time Darlington supporter, worked to create a schedule that would allow Corbin the time off necessary to coach.
This avid dedication to the sport of crew is not uncommon. Although a relatively new sport in the Southeast, crew is actually the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States, dating back to a race between Harvard and Yale in 1852. The sport’s popularity is constantly growing and many major southeastern colleges and universities now have crew teams, including Auburn, Davidson, Emory, Vanderbilt, and the Universities of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. This is largely a result of the fact that practically anyone who is willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to the team can become a great rower, even if they have never had any experience before.
Large or small, tall or short, all are welcomed in crew. In fact, the smallest member of the team, the “coxswain,” is also the most important as he or she is both the pilot and the on-board coach during the races.
The concept of teamwork is central to crew since without all the rowers working together as a singly unit in a boat, also known as a “shell,” it is impossible to win. Because of this and the long hours of work together in practices, rowers often have a team-camaraderie that is unparalleled in any other sport.
Crew is traditionally year-round, and at Darlington it will be no different. During the fall and spring seasons, the team practices from 4 to 6 p.m. at Ridge Ferry Park on the Oostanaula River and will compete in races, or “regattas,” on Saturdays. During the winter season, the team moves inside to both practice and compete on “ergs,” which are stationary rowing machines. The team currently has six members, but Coach Corbin welcomes anyone with a good work ethic who is also interested in learning why so many people have a passion for this sport.
