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PHOTO / MAX ARONSON
Space Coast Crew is in a reloading phase after losing 21 of 78 high-school rowers to graduation last spring.
Crew team looks to youth movement
MAX ARONSON /
SPECIAL TO THE ROAR
As junior Anastacia Devlin and her
teammates reflected on the end of last
season, they realized that Space Coast
Crew had just gone through a dramatic
change. More than a quarter of the
high-school crew team graduated, along
with their capable leadership and strong
contribution to team performance.
“[The team] honestly feels a lot smaller,
especially because it’s my fourth year on
the team,” Devlin said. “And a couple of
the guys that graduated last year were on
the team the same year that I joined. It just
feels really small when I think about all of
the people that left.”
Twenty-one out of 78 high-school
rowers graduated and the club is now
learning to adjust to a different team
demographic.
“We lost a [quarter] of our team, but
then ironically we got a [quarter] of a team
that joined in from the eighth-graders
coming up as freshmen,” said Bryan Little,
director of rowing and head coach at
SCC. “Really, we’ve flexed from being a
really mature team to a more novice team,
a younger team. It’s got its pros and its
cons, but I wouldn’t say we’re rebuilding. I
would just say we’re reloaded.”
Little said he believes SCC is lucky.
“I mean if we were rebuilding instead of
reloading it would be much different,” he
said. “If we had lost 20 seniors but gained
20 novices, or brand new kids, I think
it would be a whole different story, and
right now we have a lot of experienced
freshmen, and that’s really helping us.”
Devlin said she also believes having new,
experienced freshmen on the team is an
advantage.
“I love having more girls on the team,
because I just want the team to get big and
get fast,” Devlin said. “There are already a
couple of freshmen who are getting really
strong and getting really good.”
Little said that while SCC lost many
of its leaders last year, he is confident
the team will continue to find internal
guidance from rowers.
“We have Thomas Eastwood right now
who’s stepped up to the plate on the men’s
side, who’s a team captain this year,” Little
said. “And then you also have Anastacia
Devlin, who’s stepped up as a team captain
with Riley Gilman on the women’s side.”
Junior Joseph Derenthal also said he has
seen teammates step in and lead.
“A lot of people had to step up to
become team captain and basically just
leaders of the team,” Derenthal said.
“There’s definitely a big hole in the team
because there were like 20 seniors last year
[who left].”
Devlin said she became a co-captain
with Riley Gilman because of how
important captains are for the younger
rowers.
“I kind of just realized there needs to be
at least a couple girls on the team who take
initiative, otherwise some stuff just won't
get done,” Devlin said. “I think that having
captains is really important for the team
because, especially for the newer kids. It
can be a little intimidating for them to talk
to the coaches. It’s good because we want
to make them feel comfortable, and if they
have any questions that they are nervous
to ask a coach [about], they can come to
us.”
Little said he has high hopes for this
season.
“Every year since I’ve started with this
team we’ve progressively [kept] getting
better,” he said. “The senior class right
now is really stepping up too and doing
their thing, and if [the team] can continue
to develop in the right manner and have
the right culture, we’re going to come out
of the woodwork here and just scare the
state of Florida.”
WESTSHOREROAR.COM / ROAR I 19