Eden Christian rower taking talents to Syracuse

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 24, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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It appears Eden Christian Academy senior Grant Brauer has the ideal build to begin his college rowing career next year.

Brauer, 17, will take his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame to upstate New York in 2025 as a freshman member of the Syracuse men’s rowing team.

“Yes, I am a very good height and weight for a college freshman,” Brauer said, “although there are some kids in my recruiting class who are much taller. Height is a very important factor in rowing because it provides greater leverage in each stroke.

“The longer arc in the water creates more propulsion per stroke, which translates into more effective power.”

A rower’s weight in the water affects the boat’s speed. The heavier the rower, the more drag on the boat, and the more power that rower will have to produce to be equal to a lighter teammate.

“Weight is an important factor because it generates greater force with each stroke. Heavier rowers often produce more power,” Brauer said. “The weight affects how low the boat sits in the water. An ideal balance means generating enough power for your weight.”

Brauer, who is in his fifth year with the Three Rivers Rowing Association, signed a national letter of intent Nov. 1 with Syracuse.

“I chose Syracuse due to their academic and athletic excellence,” Brauer said, “and more importantly, the team culture. I was also considering the University of Washington and University of Pennsylvania. But overall, Syracuse was the best fit for me.

“Syracuse men’s rowing has a great history which dates back to 1874. It stands as one of the university’s oldest athletic programs at the school. Syracuse’s men’s rowing is consistently ranked in the top 5 in the nation.”

Brauer plans to major in computer engineering in college. He started rowing in eighth grade with Three Rivers.

“I signed up to row after I participated in a camp with them the summer after seventh grade,” said Brauer, who currently is in the first varsity 8+ on his club team.

“This will change in college,” he said. “At first, I will be in the fourth or fifth 8+ and as I get faster and faster, I will work my way eventually earning a spot in the second or first varsity 8+ by my junior or senior year.”

The most popular boat class in rowing is 8+. It consists of eight rowers and one coxswain, who is responsible for steering the boat and making motivational calls during the race to keep the team focused and energized.

Although rowing is a taxing, year-round sport, Brauer has maintained his status as a full-time student-athlete at Eden Christian. He is a member of student council and participates in peer tutoring.

“In the winter, we can’t go on the water,” Brauer said, “but we still do conditioning work on the rowing machine and lift to make sure we are in the best position to be competitive in the spring.”

Syracuse men’s rowing is an international program with athletes on this year’s team from as far away as England, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria and British Columbia, Canada, and as nearby as Niagara Falls, Canada.

Rowers representing California, New Jersey, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Texas, Iowa, Tennessee and, of course, New York also are members of the 2024-25 squad.

Syracuse kicked off the start of its historic 150th men’s rowing season in Cambridge, Mass., at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

The Orange closed out the fall season Nov. 2 at the Cornell Fall Classic on the Cayuga Lake Inlet in Ithica, N.Y., racing against Dartmouth and Cornell on the Cayuga Inlet, the Big Red’s home course.

Syracuse will begin the spring semester with a winter training trip to Florida. The spring season starts April 11 at Redwood Shores.

About the TRRA

Three Rivers Rowing Association offers rowing and dragon boating programs to anyone living in the Pittsburgh region.

Founded in 1984, TRRA grew into one of the largest community-based rowing and paddling clubs in the United States. The club offers lessons for beginners and provides coached programs for more advanced rowers and paddlers. Participants range in age from teenagers to older adults.

TRRA recently accounted for more than 400 members, although the number of people using the Lambert (Washington’s Landing) and Millvale facilities totals more than 2,000 annually.

The club facilities include two boathouses on the Allegheny River just north of downtown Pittsburgh. The Lambert Boathouse is located on Washington’s Landing, and the Millvale Training Center is located on the adjacent riverbank.

The boathouses contain weight rooms, locker rooms, training rooms with ergometers (rowing machines), storage bays holding rowing shells capable of carrying one to eight rowers and dragon boats.

The Millvale complex also houses indoor rowing tanks for training purposes.

TRRA serves as home to crews from three high schools and three local colleges.

Tags: Eden Christian