When CHS senior Will Lerwick first started rowing, he never imagined it would become a passion of his. Lerwick had played lacrosse in middle school and saw rowing as a great way to stay in shape throughout the fall and winter months leading up to lacrosse season. However, after rowing for two seasons he had found a home at St. Louis Rowing Club where he trained, and decided to pursue rowing as a full time sport.
Over the past three years, Lerwick’s love for both rowing and St. Louis Rowing Club has only continued to grow. “I really enjoy the atmosphere around the boathouse,” he said. “I have developed great friendships with all my teammates.”
According to teammate Hunter Wallace, Lerwick has grown to become a leader among the team. “You can always look up to [Lerwick] as a model athlete and teammate in the sport,” Wallace said.
In addition to the comradery among his teammates, Lerwick also enjoys the competition. “My favorite part of the sport is competing in the regattas,” Lerwick said. “I love being able to see how we stack up against competition from all around the US.”
This past summer, Lerwick had an opportunity to do just that at the 2016 US Rowing Youth National Championships at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ. Lerwick had placed 5th at nationals the previous year, but he was still very grateful for this opportunity. “This was the second time competing at nationals, so I had a sense of what it was like,” Lerwick explained. “But even still it is an awesome feeling knowing you’ve made it to a level where you can compete with [the best] kids from all over the US,” he said.
After placing second in his semifinal, Lerwick and Wallace advanced to the finals of the 2000 meter pair event. There, they finished first with a time of 6:54.990, nearly seven seconds ahead of their nearest competitor. “Initially I was surprised, but after realizing what had happened [I felt] a great deal of joy, pride, and relief,” Lerwick said.
Although impressive, Lerwick’s success at nationals remains just one of many accomplishments in his sport. Lerwick was a member of the 2015 Junior National Team and participated in the High Performance camp in Pittsburgh. This summer, Lerwick was invited to the Junior National Team Men’s selection camp where top American junior rowers from around the country are selected to race at the Junior World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Perhaps one of the most impressive features is that at six foot two inches and 170 lb, Lerwick is still relatively small in comparison to most other good rowers. Making up for his size, however, is Lerwick’s consistency. ”He is always relaxed before races, very determined, [and] has fun with the sport,” Wallace said. “He never seems to have off days.” This consistency has not gone unrecognized by coaches around the country as Lerwick remains a top recruit for many colleges.
According to Lerwick’s mother, Katie Lerwick, rowing has also helped Lerwick become more successful outside of athletics. “He [Lerwick] has taken the dedication and focus required to be a successful rower, and applied it to other parts of his life – he’s definitely become a better student since he’s started rowing,“ she said. “The friendships he’s made have also been a positive influence. His teammates are his best friends and really bring out the best in him.”
For Katie Lerwick, the pride at watching her son win nationals was accompanied by the knowledge of all the hard work and sacrifice that had gone into that race. “I think what makes me the most proud is watching how hard they [Lerwick and Wallace] worked to get there,” she said. “Will and his teammates have to give up a lot to participate in rowing. There have been countless school related activities and free time on weekends he’s had to miss out on because of regattas. But I don’t think he’d have it any other way.”
