Rowing through Tempe

SPORTS

ROWING THROUGH TEMPE

(PHOTOS BY TOBIAS REIN) Left, ASU Varsity Men’s Rowing Team competes at the Head of the Harbor competition in Los Angeles. Right, Cooper Tezak, right, and his teammate row at the Head of the Harbor competition in Los Angeles.

ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES A n ASU junior from Albuquerque, Cooper Tezak had only been on a boat fi ve times before he joined the university’s varsity men’s rowing team.

He admits sport of choice was soccer, which he played throughout high school. But he didn’t mesh well with the ASU team and looked elsewhere for his sports fi x.

“The main thing that made me try out was my mom, who told me that, on average, rowers tend to have the highest GPA of all the college sports,” Tezak says. “This interested me because I’m a pretty dedicated student.”

Founded in 2002, the rowing club practices on Tempe Town Lake. Tezak’s third season with the club was cut short due to the city of Tempe’s gathering restrictions in response to COVID-19. He thought it was a smart decision.

“I think the whole world closing down and acting as a global community is really the thing we need to do,” he says. “I think the goal of everything should be no overloading the medical system and making sure as little people die as possible. If it means my season ends early, that’s fi ne.”

Tezak is drawn to the movement of rowing. Being on the water and pulling the handle on the machine is what made him decide that rowing was going to be his sport. “I liked the people on it, and it is a friendly environment,” Tezak says. “I just decided to stick with it.” It has been benefi cial. After three years on the rowing team, Tezak has built a group of really good friends. They all enjoy the morning sunrise during their practice. “We’ve struggled and lost together at events and we work out really hard as well,” Tezak says. “We’ve all puked in the same trash can after a hard workout, which gives you a sense of camaraderie.” It took some time for Tezak to get used to the 5:15 a.m. practice time during the week and the 9 a.m. on Saturday. It was hard not only mentally but physiologically. “Our body is not primed to work out really hard at 5 in the morning, but you kind of have to just force it,” Tezak says. “It’s kind of like a really long-distance sprint, which is challenging but fun.”

Tezak rows either by myself or with a group of four or eight.

“The rowing teams are anywhere from one person to eight people depending on our numbers for the season and what competitions we want to be in,” Tezak says. “The gold standard for the most exciting and the most competitive boats to watch is an eight-rower boat with one coxer.” Tezak is excited to see what his senior year will be like on the rowing team. THE ASU VARSITY MEN’S TEAM IS MAKING WAVES

“The ASU rowing club is on the up and up and I expect us to start winning more with the national level having won silver medals two years in a row,” Tezak says.

“The rowing team has made a very important impact on my life through lessons that I plan on carrying on with me through my adult life.” CT