After months of hard work and preparation, Locust Valley High School siblings Izabella and Oliver Watson both became New York State Scholastic Rowing champions in May. The Watsons and their Oak Neck Rowing Academy crews are now looking ahead to their next hurdle: The United States Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida in June.
Izabella and her teammates finished a clear first in the girls varsity quadruple sculls, while Oliver and his crew won the boys freshman quadruple sculls at the state regatta in Saratoga. The siblings grew up on the water, with their sailor father, and were inspired to pick up the oars by watching their older brother, Orlando, who also trained at Oak Neck Rowing Academy and now rows at Dartmouth College.
“We’re always competing and trying to beat each other in everything,” Izabella said. “
“It’s just such a neat sport,” Oliver added. “It requires so such finesse and form, but at the same time you need to have the right build and strength and height.”
The two state champions have spent countless hours before and after school training in dreadful cold and oppressive heat alike, but neither has been able to stop them.
“One thing people focus on with rowing is the athletic part of it and the drive you need for strength and cardio, but you have to be mentally driven to want to practice even if it’s 28 degrees and there’s ice on the water,” Izabella said.
Moments where the two have pushed through those hindrances have prepared them for cold weather like they experienced at Saratoga, where their crews took on the best of the best teams from all over the state and emerged victorious.
“You have to make sure you’re not rowing as four people, you’re rowing together,” Izabella said.
While training and technique are important, morale also needs to be high. Oliver has emerged as the go-to team member for pep talks before races and encouragement while on the water.
“I love to give these little calls and mantras,” Oliver said. “I can feel the change in the boat when I’m on the water and I’m telling them come on, let’s push it, let’s bleed speed.”
The siblings will be on the water plenty of the next few weeks, as they prepare for the national championships, and it will be a much different environment in hot and humid Sarasota, Florida. But they are already preparing by changing their diets, keeping hydrated and getting out on the water as much as possible.