Andover Girls Crew Co-Captain Whitney Kanter ’24 uses her optimistic energy to create a welcoming and comfortable space so her team is able to grow and thrive. Kanter joined the crew team as a means to push herself out of her comfort zone in her Junior Year. On the team, Kanter is an empathetic and enthusiastic leader who works to create an inclusive and positive environment.
Kanter began rowing in her Spring Term of Junior Year and almost instantly fell in love with the sport due to the selfless nature of the team. She highlighted that the collaboration and unity of the team is what pushes her to enjoy the sport more.
“I really love the moment in a race, where a coxswain will call for a really powerful ten-stroke, maybe in the middle of the race when everyone is really feeling tired and out of breath, but… everyone just sits up and remembers that they are rowing for other people in the boat and not just themselves. That moment is really beautiful and one of the reasons why I love this sport,” said Kanter.
Kanter added that she strives to make the team a very friendly environment. Regardless of which boat they are in, she hopes that all members of the team feel as if their voice is equally as important as another.
“The type of leadership I strive for is to be very empathetic and enthusiastic. I want people to feel like they can ask me questions or just tell me about their row everyday and to make sure people know that they have a valuable place in this team whether they are rowing in the top boat or the sixth boat,” said Kanter.
Kanter’s enthusiasm and inclusivity is recognized by her teammates. Willow Wright ’26 mentioned Kanter’s constant compassion for her teammates which puts everyone at ease and helps athletes to establish connections and friendships with one another.
“She’s always happy to be at practice, and she constantly has a smile on her face. She’s also really good at looking out for everyone to make sure that each person feels included and like they belong, and she does whatever she can to make the team a safe environment,” wrote Wright in an email to The Phillipian.
In addition to creating a positive atmosphere, Wright describes Kanter as one who brings perseverance and growth to the rest of the team members.
“She has so much perseverance that translates to the team in terms of pushing us to constantly be the best we can be. As a whole, Kanter is such a positive person who knows exactly how to encourage everyone to continue to push themselves while having fun and growing together… She’s extremely uplifting and always wants to see everyone succeed,” wrote Wright in an email to The Phillipian.
According to Carsen Leach ’27, Andover Crew is a rigorous sport but Kanter’s overwhelmingly positive attitude makes it infinitely more bearable. Leach highlighted Kanter’s grit and determination to motivate others to push themselves.
“She always brings music and she always texts in the group chat like, ‘Hey guys, good job today. We’re going to go do core.’ It’s just really nice to have someone remind you that you’re on the team, so don’t ever feel bad that you messed up today, you live and you learn, that’s the point,” said Leach.
Leach continued, “She was just sitting at the back, motivating us, and I could just hear her cheering as I did my workout, and… you don’t see a lot of people motivating people like that not out of their own interest but out of the interest of their team… It was really nice to see that.”
