Louisa Varni: Rowing during the pandemic

For most, COVID-19 has forced people out of their daily routines. But for junior Louisa Varni, the circumstances caused her to spark a new passion: rowing. 

“Louisa just wanted to try something new to get out of the house during COVID-19,” said her mother Lisa Varni. “I thought it was great that she was going to get to be around other high school students while [they] were all in distance learning.”

After looking for rowing teams near her, Louisa Varni discovered the NorCal rowing team.

“[It] seemed like the right program for me,” Louisa Varni said. “I went there for summer camp to try it out and then decided to join the team.”

One of the major benefits of joining the rowing team during the pandemic was the interaction with other high schoolers, something most students were deprived of during the start of the pandemic. 

“It’s been awesome,” Louisa Varni said. “They’re really amazing people. I think I’ve made some of the best friends that I’ve ever had. We’re really grateful to be able to row [even though] it’s kind of a weird thing to do. I’m just glad that I found it.”

Developing new friendships also helped her build chemistry with her teammates.

“Teamwork is probably the most important part of rowing, even if it doesn’t seem like that,” Louisa Varni said. “You all have to be rowing the same exact stroke in the boat. Otherwise, it won’t move very fast. I think that having a bond with the people in your boat helps a lot because … when you get to know someone you know how they row, and then it’s easier to row with.”

A major part of rowers’ training involves strengthening their muscles. Rowing is a physically demanding sport that requires people to use every major muscle in their body, from their arms to their legs to their abdomen. 

“We train a lot for strength,” Louisa Varni said. “What we do on the water is we practice perfecting the stroke and staying in time with each other because that’s how you move about the fastest.”

Currently, Louisa Varni and her team are in their winter training season, which began after finishing their racing season at the Head of The Lagoon Regatta at Foster City Lagoon on Nov. 14.

“She has practice at 5:30 a.m. four days a week,” Lisa Varni said. “[Two] days a week, it is after school from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.,” Lisa Varni said. 

“We practice perfecting the stroke and staying in time with each other because that’s how you move about the fastest”

Despite enjoying her time on the water, the time commitment combined with the increased workload of junior year takes a toll on her. 

“It definitely feels stressful sometimes because when I have a lot of work, I don’t have a ton of time to get it done,” Louisa Varni said. 

Both Louisa Varni and her mother Lisa Varni look forward to continuing Varni’s passion in the future. 

“I hope that … rowing is something she can enjoy throughout her life,” Lisa Varni said.