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Vol. LXV, No. 27
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Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 27
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Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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(Photo Courtesy of Princeton Crew/Tom Nowak)
GOLD STRAND: Michaela Strand, left, and Sara Hendershot dig deep in 2010 action for the Princeton University women’s open crew first varsity 8. Strand succeeded Hendershot and Ari Frost as team captain and led Princeton to a banner spring in her senior campaign. Strand helped the first varsity 8 win the grand finals in the Eastern Sprints and the NCAAs. Last week, Strand and the Tigers culminated their 2011 season by making the quarterfinals of the Remenham Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in England where they fell to the U.S. national team, the eventual champions of the competition. |
In assuming the role as captain of the Princeton University woman’s open crew this past season, Michaela Strand felt some pressure.
“I had some big shoes to fill; we had two great role models [Sara Hendershot and Ari Frost] to guide us the year before,” said Strand, referring to her predecessors as captain.
Yuna Sakuma focused on endurance sports during her prep career at Phillips Exeter, competing in distance running, swimming, and cycling.
But some of her high school friends thought Sakuma was ideally suited to play a key role in another grueling activity.
“A bunch of my friends on cross country at Exeter also rowed and they told me I would be a perfect coxswain because I am very small, loud, and athletic,” said Sakuma, a native of Tokyo, Japan.
As one of the only prep school players on the West squad for this year’s Sunshine Football Classic, Hun School outside linebacker Nick Pierce wasn’t sure if he would fit in.
Facing the possible end of its run in the District 12 tournament final eight, the Princeton Little League 10-year-old all-star team had plenty of reason to be nervous as it took the field last Monday.