This years U17/Novice boys squad represents 17 different schools. That means 17 school schedules, plenty of different personalities, and a group of boys who might never have crossed paths if they hadn’t picked up an oar.
At first, it’s quiet. Almost suspiciously quiet for a group of teenage boys. Introductions are short, conversations are cautious, and everyone seems to be figuring out where to stand and what to say.
Enjoy that quiet while it lasts.
Within a week or two, the jokes start flying, nicknames emerge, and boys who recently needed help remembering each other’s names are behaving like lifelong best friends. As a coach, you go from encouraging them to talk to occasionally reminding them that they can continue the conversation after you explain the workout.
That transformation is one of my favorite parts of the season.
Rowing gives these boys a chance to make friends outside their usual school circles. They meet teammates with different backgrounds, interests, and experiences, then discover how much they have in common. Sometimes it’s a shared sense of humor. Sometimes it’s the mutual realization that carrying an eight requires everyone to pay attention.
The friendships grow through the ordinary moments of practice: learning something new, getting through a tough workout, celebrating progress, and laughing together afterward. Spending that much time working toward a common goal gives them plenty of opportunities to earn each other’s trust. Before long, someone who was a stranger becomes one of the people they look forward to seeing every afternoon.
We want these boys to fall in love with sport. We also want them to find a place where they feel welcome, valued, and connected. The friendships they build here can last long after their final season, keeping them close even as school, college, and life take them in different directions.
They arrive from 17 different schools. Within a couple of weeks, they’re one team, and the quiet is a distant memory! 
Love this!!! It’s exactly what NAC is all about. <3