by David Swartz

Sports Editor

IOWA CITY — “Row, row, row your boat, gently …”

Gently?

Mason Sander, a 2007 Estherville Lincoln Central graduate, has learned there’s little that’s gentle about the sport of rowing.

During orientation at the University of Iowa last fall, Mason’s dad Greg signed him up to get information on the rowing team (which is actually a recreational club.)

Mason received an e-mail during the fourth week of school, went to a meeting, “thought it’d be cool” and has been part of the rowing team since.

What does it take to be on a rowing team?

“You need endurance,” said Mason. “The training makes me more exhausted than football ever did.

“It also takes strength and being able to focus. A 2K race is 6 1/2 minutes of doing the same thing over and over again.“

When he first began competing, Mason compared it to the first time he played football.

“You have to learn everything from scratch he said. You have to work so hard to be good,” he said.

When explaining the best part of rowing Mason described the race with the other boats right beside him.

“The adrenaline rush is amazing,” he said.

Earlier this month, Mason and the Hawkeyes won the team trophy at the Great Plains Regatta in Topeka, Kan., May 3-4.

Here are Mason Sanders’ results from the two-day event in Topeka.

2K – men’s novice four*- A – 3rd place

2K – men’s novice eight* – 1st place

2K – men’s open four A – 3rd place

2K – men’s open eight – 2nd place

400 m – men’s open lightweight four – 1st place

400 m – men’s novice eight – 1st place

400 m – men’s novice lightweight four – 1st place

400 m – men’s novice four – 2nd place

*Four and eight are

the number of rowers