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3/22/08-Rowing
Unlikely rower is leader of Eaglets crew
By HILLARY SAWCHUK/Special to The Oakland Press
ORCHARD LAKE--The end of high school is definitely not going to mean the end of rowing for one senior at Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
And with spring right around the corner, the St. Mary's rowing team is read to hit the water with that senior -- Ian Silveira.
If all goes as planned, Silveira's motivation, commitment and discipline could drive his teammates toward their best crew season yet.
Silveira strives for the perfect balance of teamwork and the ability to accomplish personal goals in crew, a notoriously team-oriented sport.
Teammate John Miskena describes Silveira as a leader.
"Even though we don't officially have a team captain, we look up to him as our captain," he said.
Like many rowers in the 31-year history of rowing at St. Mary's, Silveira did not have the intention of rowing from the start. In fact, he preferred football.
Due to a shoulder injury in eighth grade, he was unable to play football, but was asked to look inton the crew team and took to the sport.
Four years later, he has a long list of accomplishments that place him in the top 10 of high school rowers in the country.
Silveira competed last summer in Beijing, on the U.S. Junior Men's National Team. Last month, he placed fourth in the U.S. and seventh in the world in the World Indoor Rowing Championship. He broke the school record this year and last year on the erg machine, an indoor rowing machine, for most meters erged per hour. (These machines simulate the action of rowing on the water for the purpose of exercise and training.)
All of his accomplishments did not come at once, however. Christ Czarnecki began coaching the novice at St. Mary's wehn Silveira was a freshman.
"I taught him how to row," Czarnecki said.
It was not until Silveira's sophomore year when Czarnecki saw the desire in him.
"I've never met a kid as tough as him," Czarnecki said. "He competes to win and beat you."
That desire paid dividends, as Silveira was one of the youngest rowers to make the Senior Eight boat as a sophomore in the spring of 2006.
7th annual St. Mary's Crew Erg-a-thon
March 8 was a special day for Silveira. He set out on breaking the world record on the erg machine. He needed to erg over 17,125 meters in one hour. In order to do this he needed to maintain a pace of 1:45 per 500 meters.
Teammates and coaches believed he was capable of breaking the record.
"He has the fitness to break it," Czarnecki said.
However, coaches know there are more factors that go into a record-breaking erg race.
"Did he get enough sleep? Is everything else going on in his life taken care of so he can perform his very best?" Czarnecki said.
Retired coach Jack LeBlanc said Silveira was driven more than anyone else.
"It's going to be tough though. He is not as big as most of the others who have brokern this record," LeBlanc said.
Silveira began the race averaging 1:44 per 500 meters. "He started out hard, a little harder than what I would have liked" Czarnecki said. "I trust him though. He knows his body."
At the 30-minute mark Silveira was on pace.
"It's going to be really close. He needs a stronger second half," said Czarnecki. "The good thing is that he is a fighter in the end."
The second half is when the pain set in. With only minutes remaining, the crowd gathered around with his mother, who could barely watch, and the rest of his family. Silveira finished with 16,835 meters, averaging 1:46.9 per 500 meters. Although this did not break the world record, he broke the school record, which he had set the previous year, by over 600 meters. Teammate Gabriel Charette came in second with 16,162 meters, averaging 1:51.4 per 500 meters.
The Erg-a-thon raised $25,000 for the crew program. A new school record was set by rowing 688,313 total meters in the nine hours among 56 rowers.
Actions speak louder
It's difficult to find someone to say something negative about Silveira.
"He is aggressive, he has good sportsmanship, he is motivating, and he is an all-around good guy," Miskena said.
LeBlanc smiles when asked about Silveira.
"He is the quiet type. He doesn't brag. Actions speak louder than words," LeBlanc said.
Silveira's best memory at St. Mary's so far is winning the Junior Eight race at the Midwest Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio last year. His mother's favorite moment is when he made the Senior Eight Varsity boat as a sophomore.
What amazes people the most is how Silveira is willing to give up anything to row.
"School is his No. 1 priority and rowing is No. 2," said mother Geri Silveira.
Everyone who know Silveira understands he is serious.
"Rowing is about human will. Deciding what you are going to do. Not about money. There is no time for a job or life," Czarnecki said.
Lofty goals
"I want to go to the Olympics," Silveira said.
Until then he will be rowing for Princeton University, beginning next fall on a scholarship.
Silveira knows everybody has to produce and that the team is only as strong as its weakest link. He is aware that doing well on an erg machine does not necessarily translate to being good on the water rowing with the team.
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