By Tom Rohrer
When competing against the nation’s best, two seventeen-year-old Thurston County rowers were anything but nervous.
In reality, they were relaxed, calm, and…laughing?
“There was this really stupid YouTube video we watched earlier this season, so we would quote that to each other and relax, and relieve the stress,” said Olympia Area Rowing’s Corban Nemeth of his and teammate Walker Capra-Smith’s pre-race regimen at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships earlier this month.
While competing on a national stage strikes fear and doubt into even the most battle-tested athletes, the duo had confidence in their abilities, which paid dividends in the form of a fourth place finish in the 2000 meter varsity men’s pair.
After taking first place at the US Rowing Northwest Junior Championship Regatta in Vancouver, WA., on Sunday, May 20, both Nemeth, a junior at Black Hills High School, and Capra-Smith, also a junior but at Olympia High School, flew with coach Brittney Lundeberg to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the national finals from Friday, June 8, to Sunday, June 10.
Their victory at the regional tournament exceeded their earlier expectations, allowing them to play with house money so to speak at the national event.
“When we won our first heat race at regionals, that was something we had hoped to do, but didn’t really expect to do, but when we won, it made us realize that this was an actual possibility,” Capra-Smith said.
“We had set goals earlier and because we were exceeding and met those goals, there wasn’t really the pressure. We knew that we had it in us internally,” Nemeth noted.
After taking regionals, the rowers had around three weeks to prepare for the contest in the always hot and humid Volunteer State. This meant even more dedication for the two, who have already been the definition of the word heading into regionals.
“We had a lot of morning practices, and some heat training to get used to the different temperatures and humidity,” Nemeth said.
Despite being prepared for the unknown, the daunting weather still proved to be an opponent itself.
“It wasn’t so bad if we raced early in the morning but some of our later heats, it was pretty exhausting,” Capra-Smith said.
However, neither the heat nor the pressure, got to the OAR teammates, who noticed that both factors also affect the opposition.
“There were boats the first day that beat us, but the second day, they were so nervous and tense, they didn’t compete as well,” Capra-Smith said.
“Rowing is a huge mental game, and you don’t really think that initially,” Nemeth said. “There are a lot of mental barriers to break through to get to that point.”
Helping them prepare for such intense competitions is the entire OAR program, which, despite lacking in numbers and funding compared to bigger clubs such as those in Seattle, is able to consistently put rowers into college programs and beyond. This is the third consecutive year that OAR has qualified for Nationals and the fourth time overall.
“Coaches are here to train us, and do so very well,” Capra-Smith said. “But in order for that to be beneficial, you have to set tasks.”
Finishing so highly on a national stage has been a proud moment for the rowers, though they are quick to modesty and deflecting praise.
“It’s a great feeling to represent the club well, against some bigger, more established clubs,” Nemeth said. “But at the same time, we don’t like to put ourselves above the rest of the club, the rest of the team. They are our teammates and we train in the same boats, and we were helped by a lot of coaches, teammates and just support from everyone.”
The sport of rowing has been good to the two water-hounds, as they enjoy the physical challenges presented to them, and the quest for perfection.
“In a pair setting, you have to train a lot together, make sure you both get the stroke on the water at the same time,” Nemeth said. “That’s what I like about it. It’s a quest for perfection on just one thing. In other sports like basketball, there are a bunch of plays you have to memorize. In rowing, you just work on one thing really over and over.”
“I started to row, because I wanted to find a high school sport I enjoyed,” Capra-Smith said. “I really enjoy everything about it. Races are so demanding, and you are so tired during and after a race. You have to break it down into sections in your mind to compete, and I just enjoy the physical demand it puts on your body and mind.”
After placing at a national event, the two rowers have their eyes set on bigger goals, but still remain grounded and focused.
“Do we want to do better, finish in the top three or four? Sure, that’s a goal,” Nemeth said. “But it’s going to take more work and just following the process as a whole. We cannot get ahead of ourselves.”
“It’s important that we don’t settle, but don’t rush full steam ahead as well,” Capra-Smith said. “We have made strides by following a process and I think if we continue doing that, we will reach our goals,”
For more information on Olympia Area Rowing and Nemeth and Capra-Smith’s performance, visit their website.
