Crew

SKS oarsmen have head-to-head regattas with other independent schools such as Choate, Pomfret, Newburgh Free Academy, Rockland, EO Smith, Canterbury, Chase, Bancroft, and Gunnery. SKS also competes in the Founder’s Cup on Lake Waramaug and qualifies for the NEIRA Regatta. Winning the NEIRA regatta qualifies the crew for the Henley Royal Regatta in England, as well as an invitation to the US Rowing Youth Nationals in Cincinnati, OH. The coaches have developed an extremely rigorous rowing program to both foster personal growth and to prepare the team for the physical challenges in the tradition of competitive crew at South Kent. The SKS Spring crew program is designed to focus on the most accomplished rowers, beginning with a very competitive tryout where the boys must earn their spot on the roster. Knowing that the Fall Season is in place for the novice oarsmen, the coaches look for truly committed and hardworking oarsmen for the spring. Regardless of their level of expertise, both varsity and lower boat oarsmen compete in races, enhancing SKS crew team unity.

Philosophy

The South Kent crew program is designed to allow every member of the crew team to participate in as many races as possible. Even a novice rower, who has never been in a boat before, has the opportunity to compete by the end of each season. Our schedule matches South Kent's boats against highly competitive boats from other schools. As a result, crew races challenge every member of the team to be at his best. Fortunately, a crew team's success is not governed as much by size and strength, as it is by effective technique and cooperative precision. The crew coaches strive to teach and develop effective rowing technique in every oarsman. Even boys of very small stature are invaluable to the crew team as coxswains, leading their boats with crisp directions and good steering. Most importantly, South Kent expects the members of its crew team to compete fairly. We approach every practice and race with grace and class.