Crew, also known as rowing, is an intense sport. Athletes use every major muscle group in their body to repetitively row their oars, propelling their boat to speed across the water towards the finish line. For Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) athletes Caitlin Keough, a senior, and Charlotte Trayes, a junior, the greatest challenge isn't physical – it's mental.
“I know deep down that I can do it physically, but it’s just convincing myself to not overthink everything,” Trayes says. “It’s hard not to get in my head about the expectations that the …
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Crew, also known as rowing, is an intense sport. Athletes use every major muscle group in their body to repetitively row their oars, propelling their boat to speed across the water towards the finish line. For Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) athletes Caitlin Keough, a senior, and Charlotte Trayes, a junior, the greatest challenge isn't physical – it's mental.
“I know deep down that I can do it physically, but it’s just convincing myself to not overthink everything,” Trayes says. “It’s hard not to get in my head about the expectations that the coaches and the team and all the parents have on us.”
It also helps to have so much trust in your teammate.
“I know that [Caitlin] will be there when I need her,” Trayes says. “I have to remind myself that I’m not doing it alone.”
Keough agrees. Two are much stronger than one, she said, when they know how to work together.
“Charlotte is really good at pushing herself, at staying consistent throughout a whole race,” Keough says. “That’s what has pushed me to become a better rower, because it inspires me to also keep pushing. Chemistry is everything in a boat.”
During the season, Keough and Trayes are rowing five to six days a week in either practices or races. Aside from their typical Wednesday off, the high schoolers commit a lot of time to their sport, constantly striving to be the best they can be.
Their journey together began last spring when they first rowed together in a quad – a four-person boat where each rower handles two oars. After showing promise in that larger craft, they transitioned to a double this fall. Julia Rorer, head coach of girls' crew at SCH, notes that both athletes proved their strength through this transition.
“If there’s a successful double together and you add two more people, they’re still successful in the quad,” Rorer says. “It seems like they’re kind of the linchpins in that crew, right?”
Their fall season brought a string of impressive achievements. At the Navy Day Regatta hosted by Saint Joseph's University on October 13, Keough and Trayes placed first out of 30 boats in the women's high school double, with a time of 19:33.61. Since the competitors’ start times were staggered, the first place finish on the Schuylkill came as a welcome surprise.
“We felt strong and consistent, but we really had no sense of the competition and we knew there were some really strong people out there,” Trayes says. “When we found out, we were with our whole team and everyone was so excited and we were cheering. We were surprised, but happy.”
The following weekend, they traveled to Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest three-day regatta in the world. The competitive field includes high schools, colleges and clubs from across the nation and around the world. Their middle-of-the-pack finish represented significant progress for the SCH program.
"Two years ago, I was in the first girls' boat from SCH to compete there and we didn't do so well," Keough notes. "This year was a big improvement...it's just really cool to see how much the program is building up."
Returning to Philadelphia, they tackled the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta on October 27, placing 5th out of 27 boats in the varsity quad and 9th out of 37 in the varsity double. They concluded their season with a gold medal at the Hidden River Chase Regatta on November 3. In their quad performance with teammates Nadia Stockman and Quinn Seawright, they secured second place as well.
Coach Rorer isn't surprised by their success. "They put in the work," she says. "They do it themselves...It's nice to see the hard work pay off because the journey is not always easy."
While both athletes excel in academics and extracurriculars, Rorer says they differ in their personalities. Keough is more serious, but Trayes is “a little goofier.” That chemistry between the pair undoubtedly contributed to their success this fall season.
“We’re always talking and laughing before we go off [on a race],” Keough says. “It really makes us feel more relaxed and like we’re going to do our best, and that’s all we can really do.”
Despite their achievements, both athletes remain humble, consistently crediting their coaches and teammates for their success. Trayes is still considering whether to pursue collegiate crew, while Keough has decided to focus on academics in college. Still, she said, her passion for the sport won't fade.
"I really do want rowing to be part of my life forever," Keough says, "because it really is very special to me."
