PORTAGE TOWNSHIP -- Andrew Troyanowski has been rowing for the past five years, and he's been a part of Michigan Tech's Rowing Club for four years.
Andrew says rowing is his passion.
"It's all about getting four people…eight people…to row together, work hard, push each other, and then you just go out and practice and then race day, you get to see how all your hard work turns out," said Andrew Troyanowski, crew member.
Usually the team is out on the water, but the winter season forces them to turn to indoor rowing.
Head coach Terry Smythe founded the club 18 years ago with a group of alumni, and she says rowing is the type of sport where students can learn lifelong lessons.
"You learn leadership and synchronicity and cooperation. It's a sacrifice because obviously the students are special to me because they're disciplined enough to get out of bed everyday and show up to practice," said Smythe.
During winter, they practice two to three times a week, and the workout lasts around 45 minutes.
The Concept 2 rowing ergometer is what the athletes use inside. When they’re on the machine, despite what you may think, it's all about the legs. That's because your legs are what drives the force of the stroke.
"There's no bad aspect about rowing. As a matter of fact, if you really look into research, it's pretty much the perfect exercise, but it's a very strenuous sport. I like to say it's a sport that hurts so bad but looks so pretty, if you think about Olympic rowing on the water," Smythe said.
For more information on Tech's Rowing Club, click here. If you're interested in learning how you can participate in indoor rowing, Terry has her own indoor rowing company called UCanRow2. Click here for more.
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