Athlete Spotlight: Siddharth Sancheti

By Praamesh Siva & Aaryan Suri Staff Writers

Senior Siddharth Sancheti began rowing two years ago. It was initially introduced to him by his friend. From early on, Sancheti’s coaches recognized his potential and encouraged him to continue. He was very nervous about pur suing rowing, but knew that he wanted to do it. Now, it has become his passion, and a huge part of his identity.

Sancheti’s compet itive journey began as a member of Norcal Crew, where he learned the ropes of the sport and gained exposure to many tal ented athletes. Sancheti’s frst impression of rowing was his sheer amazement at the coordination, strength, and rigor involved in the sport.

Sancheti was able to showcase his talent in competition soon after starting. “Having a senior coxswain really helped me develop quickly and remain competitive as part of the

He controls the speed and direction of the boat using a small rudder and gives commands to the crew to coordinate their rowing.

Sancheti must also have a good knowledge of the course and the conditions, and be able to make quick decisions in order to dition to steering and commanding, he also vator for the crew, keeping gether as a team. Sancheti is also responsible for the safety of the crew, and must be aware of the weather and water conditions at all times. He communicates with his teammates using a microphone.

Sancheti is the coxswain, the person who sits at the stern, or rear, of a rowing boat and is responsible for steering, power, rhythm, and communication with the crew. With the help of mentors such as Aiden Blasio at Norcal Crew,

This critical role on the team has allowed him to develop his leadership skills and learn the importance of being patient and working with others. Sancheti believes rowing has shaped who he is today. “Learning how to come back from [constant failure] and having patience in the process, then coming back the next week, stronger and more determined, has really shaped me into the person I am today,” Sancheti said.

Despite his constant growth, Sanche ti still believes there is signifcant room for improvement, as shown by the 20 hours of weekly practices that the team attends. Hav ing to manage school, his other passions, and done exceedingly well. He was awarded third place at the Long Beach Invitational. He also won 5th place at the Head of the Lagoon Varsity Competition for his effective communication in the water and his team’s impressive results. Moving forward with all of his experience, Sancheti hopes to achieve even greater success in rowing in the future. He plans to continue rowing in the future, and his dream is to one day make the national rowing team. rowing has especially helped Sancheti develop time management skills. He uses Google Calendar to plan out his weekly schedule and Notion to orga nize his homework assignments.

In recent rowing competitions, has

Taking his talent to bigger and bigger stages each year, Sancheti is truly grateful for how the sport has allowed him to develop and better himself throughout his life, not only physically but mentally as well. “This sport has helped me fnd myself and my skills. It gave me a purpose by being part of a team that works together toward a common goal. I realized that it was not just about me. Every time we won, we felt pride as a team and I started to focus less on myself, and more on those around me,” Sancheti said. ▪