The school year is back. Football athletes march out to the practice field, cross country teams run around Old Trail, and freshman rower Maggie Vidal accidentally flips her boat into the waters of Beaver Creek. This silly mistake is OK for now. Novice rowers don’t have to worry about a regatta until the spring, but in the meanwhile, varsity is hard at work preparing for the first contest of the season.

Led by head coaches Tom Von Hemert and teacher Myriam Pitts, the season is already looking good for Western. The team practices every weekday and Saturday for two hours to prepare for the first varsity race of the year, in only a couple of weeks.

“Varsity’s really good,” said freshman rower Roy Correll. Both he and Vidal look up to the older rowers for motivation, and strive to be rowers like the team captains, Erin Heald and Owen Coleman.