Fall Athlete Spotlight: Austin Straley
As a four-year member of the CBA crew team, Austin Straley exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete. He and the rest of the crew team look to have another successful year in the water.
While people might think that being a part of the crew team is all about physical toughness, it is just as tough mentally. It requires a lot of personal growth and dedication in order to achieve success.
“Since freshman year, I have grown physically and mentally,” Straley stated. “Although crew is a very strenuous physical activity, it also tests the mental strength of its participants.”
During Straley’s time on the crew team, they have had great success for CBA, winning many events at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta while placing second at Youth Nationals in the Men’s Youth 4+. Straley believes that the crew team will once again be a very dominant team for CBA during his senior year.
“I have high expectations for the crew team this year,” Straley said. “Although a large portion of the team just graduated and the former head coach resigned, I believe that the group of guys on the crew team this year will be able to get things done and hopefully come home with a bunch of medals this year.”
For his senior season, Straley has stepped into a bigger leadership position on the crew team, as he was named one of the team’s captains. He plans to help lead some of the team’s newer members through the tedious training process so their results can be displayed come competition day.
However, most people do not really know what the training process for crew entails. We all see where the crew team trains every day, but few actually see what is happening behind those doors. This is where athletes like Straley thrive, and where their talents are best highlighted.
“There is no doubt that the crew team at CBA has a history of winning on the water,” Straley said. “However, there is more to Crew than the water, a lot of time is spent indoors on Concept 2 ergometers. CBA crew has a history of fast times on the ergometer as well, I personally hold a couple of school records and hope to beat some more school records this year as well.”
Throughout Straley’s crew career, he has demonstrated grit, dedication, and determination. These are some of the main factors that have contributed to the amount of success that Straley and the rest of the crew team have experienced in recent years. But as Straley describes, every member of the crew team needs to have a strong work ethic to succeed.
“When we practice we make sure that everyone is giving their all,” Straley explained. “As a team, we do our best to motivate each other so that when the workouts start to get progressively more difficult, each athlete knows that all their teammates are enduring the pain with them.”
Straley’s powerful work ethic has led to his captaincy going into his last year on the crew team. And while being named a captain for any sport can be difficult, Straley feels he is ready to step up and lead the crew team to another year of glory. He plans to do whatever he can to set an example and be a role model for the rest of the crew team this year.
“As captain, I know that my teammates look to me as an example of a good athlete and student, because of this I am willing to put in as much work as I need in not only rowing but also in the classroom. I am really excited for the upcoming year and I am super pumped to see what the team will accomplish this year.”
