Parker Salomon
Sports Editor
Despite only rowing for one year, senior Tori del Valle is already at the top of her game and has committed to row for the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Del Vall began rowing her junior year and quickly fell in love with the sport. She gained interest in the sport because many of her friends began rowing and had gotten offers from colleges to row for their teams.
“I was not expecting to fall in love with rowing like I did,” Del Valle said. “I am so glad rowing has become such a big part of my life and I would not trade it for the world.”
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Del Valle is a part of the varsity Marine Aquatics Center (MAC) rowing team located in Marina Del Rey. The team, which practices 6 days a week for 3 hours in both the water and on a rowing machine called the erg. Del Valle says that rowing is a huge time commitment but she is willing to make sacrifices for the sport she loves.
“Rowing has consumed almost all of my free time and it is a major time commitment,” Del Valle said. “Rowing is more than a sport, it is a way of life.”
Del Valle started to talk to schools such as University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, University of Virginia and University of Michigan in January 2015. She sent the coaches her 2k times, height and erg times and received college visit invitations to all of the schools. She ended up falling in love with Michigan’s campus and committed to row for them.
“Del Valle has always been a strong rower and I think she will accomplish great things at Michigan,” Del Valle’s rowing coach Zohar Abramovitz said.
Because rowing in Michigan is different than rowing in California due to the water freezing in Michigan during the winter, players will train solely on the land during the winter. This can cause players to get rusty on the water, and it makes the sport much more competitive Del Valle said.
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“I am sure rowing in Michigan will be much different and much more challenging that where I am at now,” Del Valle said. “The girls I will be competing against will be at a much higher caliber so I will have to work even harder to be at the top of my game.”
By the end of this year, Del Valle hopes to make it to the Junior Nationals for rowing. Additionally, once she graduates from Michigan, She hopes to join the U23 rowing team, which is comprised of the top rowers under the age of 23.
“I have set very lofty goals for myself, but if I put in the effort, I should be able to accomplish them,” Del Valle said.
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