USD Magazine Summer 2010

[ t e a m w o r k ] SHOULDER TO SHOULDER Crew teams embrace demanding sport

by Anthony Shallat

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n Saturday mornings, most students grabbing a bite at the Student Life

30 of my closest friends,” she says. Junior James Arndt agrees. He says that crew helps keep his life balanced. “Having a precise practice schedule gives my life a pattern.” The level of dedication that athletes like Petrich and Arndt have put forth has allowed USD to be a perennial threat among top-25 crew teams. Men’s Crew competed against the best teams in the nation in the San Diego Crew Classic this past March, and Men’s Rowing raced in the presti- gious Copley Cup against nation- al powerhouses Stanford and Cal. The women dominated in the Crew Classic, winning the Cal Cup and recently racing to within a boat length of 12th ranked UCLA. “What it comes down to on race day is how much work your team has done to prepare, and how much pain your boat is will- ing to endure,” explains Petrich. That, and being ready to demonstrate an answer to the question that Arndt says he and his teammates continually ask one another: “What have you done today?”

Pavilion tend to resemble extras from Night of the Living Dead, shuffling around in sweat pants and hoodies. But for members of men and women’s crew, Satur- day brunch is about refueling. By 11 a.m. they’ve already spent four hours rowing 20 kilometers. It takes a special type of stu- dent athlete to commit to crew: How about waking up before dawn for team workouts every other day? But crew members find the experience well worth any personal sacrifice. “It’s hard to balance school with the demands of a year- round Division I sport,” senior Katharine Petrich admits. “Going to class sweaty, tired, and smell- ing like Mission Bay isn’t gener- ally considered a high point. But the benefits far outweigh the other stuff.” Beyond perks like full access to training facilities and help with schoolwork, Petrich enjoys the bonding that comes with being a member of crew. “I get to spend 20 hours a week with

LUIS GARCIA

room, in the classroom and in the community. “I want our athletic program to have the same reputation that academics do at this univer- sity,” Snyder says. “We want to be a Top 100 athletic program that wins conference championships on a regular basis while main- taining academic integrity.” Shortly after Snyder signed a contract extension this spring, he mused about why he was first drawn to USD in 1990, and what convinced him to return in 2003. “I’ve always loved the people and what this place stands for,” Snyder says. “I tell recruits and their families all the time that this is a campus where people care about people. The beauty of the campus is secondary to the beauty of the people. It may sound cheesy, but when you live it and feel it, you can say it.”

“I’m a light sleeper and work is going through my mind quite often,” Snyder says. “Public Safe- ty has driven by the JCP’s work- out room more than a few times and seen me in there between 2:30 and 3:30 in the morning already doing my workout to start the day.” In his seven years at the helm, Snyder has helped build the USD athletic program into a for- midable presence, exemplified by the university having won the WCC Commissioner’s Cup for two years running. “That’s something we want to win every single year,” Snyder says. “It basically tells everybody that this is the strongest all- around athletic program in the conference.” Snyder’s mission is to not only lay a foundation for success on the field but also in the locker

USD ATHLETICS

SUMMER 2010

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