Girls Crew Co-Captains Maya Rogers ’25 (right) and Giuliana Cardinale ’25 (left).
Girls Crew Co-Captain Maya Rogers ’25 grew up in Tokyo, Japan, never encountering the sport until she arrived on campus as a new Lower. Despite a lack of familiarity, Rogers ’25 embraced the new experience. As a Co-Captain, she has stressed the importance of inclusion, hoping others will love the sport as much as she has.
Recalling the start of her crew career, Rogers ’25 reminisced about her unfamiliarity with the sport before coming to Andover.
Rogers ’25 said, “I’m from Tokyo, so there are no rivers or crew clubs whatsoever. I didn’t know what crew was like. I thought it was just rowing boats; that is what a lot of people think crew is, but it was completely different than what I imagined. I had to ask people: ‘Oh, should I wear a swimsuit on my first day in case I fall in?’ I think it’s very big in America, obviously, and very big in Europe as well, but, I never heard of it back home in Tokyo.”
In her first year at Andover, Rodgers considered joining other sports during Spring Term, but community members pushed her to try crew throughout the year. Despite a complete lack of experience, she flourished, making the Varsity boats in her first year and establishing herself as a pillar of the program.
“I was a new Lower and I did JV volleyball, JV basketball, and then over the year, people kept telling me, I either look like I do crew or I look like I’d be good at it. For the spring, I was originally going to do track or try lacrosse, but I didn’t have a set sport I wanted to do. I tried crew, and I told myself, if I wasn’t good at it, I’d quit. But I ended up loving it, and I made it into the third boat my first year. Ever since then, I got sucked into the crew cult,” explained Rogers ’25.
Rogers ’25 reflected on the importance of the Junior Varsity boats in the program. She added that the connection between the Junior Varsity and Varsity boats brings the team closer together.
“I depended a lot on my relationships with people especially in the lower boats, because I came from a lower boat, but maintaining those friendships was always a priority to me even as I was moving up, because it’s it’s just the people around you in all the boats, and the culture they bring, that makes the team,” said Rogers ’25.
Roger ’25’s care for the lower boats and novice rowers hasn’t gone unnoticed. Rowers, like novice Russell McLaren ’27, feed off her boundless energy during communal warmups. McLaren described the energy Rogers ’25 brings to these program-wide warmups.
McLaren said, “She’s a really energetic captain. When we are warming up, she knows how to get her voice on and hype us up. I’ve observed her leadership style as outgoing and energetic. It is a very positive and intentional energy she puts forward to get everyone else up to their full effort. You can tell she has a fighting spirit.”
As the second largest sport by participation on campus, crew hosts a wide range of experience and skill levels, with Varsity boats continually improving their performance. Rogers ’25 has made a point to welcome less experienced rowers, pushing every member of the program to improve no matter their starting point.
“For the past three years, we’ve been becoming a deep program. There’s such a good diversification in that way that I’m so confident in our team and moving forward in placing in higher ranks in the coming years.”
Cora Rogers ’27 encapsulated Rogers ’25’s humble and personalized leadership style with an anecdote from crew preseason. Rogers ’25’s constant, infectious initiative to create an open and supportive environment within the team solidified her as a leader.
“My first day of practice, we were on campus, and we were doing this really difficult workout. We were sprinting hills, but I was way behind because I was so out of shape, and I was half walking, half running. Maya was super fit, but she stayed with me the entire time, talked me through the workout and hyped me up. She was awesome,” said Rogers ’27.
Rogers ’25 hopes to continue her rowing career in college next year and potentially race in the Head of the Charles.
