Junior Jumpstart Monday: Matthew Yeh

Yeh, located in the center, reflects upon his Crew career and details how he is gearing up for his final year in it.

Juan Gonzalez, Staff Writer

 

Q: What are some expectations you believe your team should have in the competition and off the competition?

A: One thing that is important is to always be prepared for disappointment. If you have your hopes very high, it could bring you down when things don’t go your way. It’s best to just try your hardest and see what the outcome is.”

 

Q: What is a memory that stands out to you and what makes it so special from your Crew experience?

A: One of my favorite memories was during the Halloween scrimmage we always hold at the end of the fall season. My boat and I all wore costumes and it was one of the most fun races, even if it wasn’t that serious.”

 

Q: If you could go back and change anything practice or mental wise, what would you change differently?

A: If I could go back, I would have tried harder to be an overall better teammate to everyone, not just through my rowing ability, but also by being a better friend.”

 

Q: What do the trainings and practices look like?

A: “One practice I like to do at home is focus on upper body training like push-ups and in practice team coordination.”

 

Q: What kind of racing results has the team received in the last two years?

A: “The team is full of excellent rowers. Our boats on both boys and girls consistently get medals at regattas.”

 

Q: How do you work through being academically responsible with the expectations of Crew?

A: Academics is one of the biggest challenges of being on the Crew team because practices and regattas are a huge time commitment. I try to get as much work done at school as I can, and I try my best to manage my time at home. I’d say that being on the Crew time has taught me very valuable lessons about time management.”

 

Q: What is some advice you would give someone that is starting out mentally and physically?

A: Mentally, I would say just put your all into every practice and every race. Your teammates are counting on you on the water, so you need to do your best for them. Physically, I would suggest to take drills and stretches very seriously, because they help a lot with your rowing form.”

 

Q: Does your mental state ever impact your skills during practice and competitions, how?

A: Sometimes if I’m feeling tired or just down in general, it results in sloppy rowing. It’s super important to get rest and to stay mentally healthy so your team can rely on you.”

 

Q: How have the skills you’ve been able to experience in the sport impact your daily life?

A: Crew has taught me to be more focused and determined, which helps me when studying. It also taught me the value of teamwork, which is especially helpful in school.”

 

Q: What do you expect Senior year to be like compared to your previous experiences in Crew?

A: I expect senior year to be a lot more competitive, and also a lot more fun. I think it will be the most intense year of Crew for me.”