Wake up, row, eat, row, school, row, study, row, sleep. Repeat. Everyday the same. Starting with the stinging ring of the alarm that reads 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m., he leaps from his comforting sheets to the deserted gym. Lifting weights and erging miles. Independent from his team, he gains hours of strengthening and practice.

Tripp’s hard work and dedication is recognized by most. He is always the most prepared and enthusiastic one in class yet he is so humble, senior Georgie Brayer said.

“I know he dedicates a lot of time to rowing,” Spanier said. “It makes it hard for us to hang out, but at the same time it’s good to see he has his own interests and passions.”
Tripp said that he rowed for the first time the summer before eighth grade at a summer camp, and has been rowing for a little over four years now. He initially wanted to try rowing because his grandfather rowed in high school and he wanted to continue the tradition.

“I remember him saying he wasn’t the best at first but over time, with a lot of practice, he became a lot better, which is something he’s really proud of,” Spanier said.

The key to success is simple, Tripp said. Going to practice a lot, working out outside of practice, and overall getting a lot of mileage is important for improvement. However, Tripp said that making smart day-to-day choices is crucial as well.

“Rowing is about working really hard. It’s about working harder than all of the other teams we compete against and it teaches us a lot of valuable life skills,” Tripp said. “I’ve learned how to control my life, manage my time, eat well, and how to be an adult.”

Tripp said that mastering these skills allowed him to row at Canammex, a Junior National competition against Canada and Mexico, held in Sarasota, Florida this past summer. Tripp was chosen from 80 people at the Junior National Team Selection Camp for the U-19 national team.

“I wasn’t entirely sure if I was fast enough, because I was a lot smaller than the other athletes,” he said. “If you look at the guys who historically make the team, they are well over six feet most of the time.”

Tripp said that he competed in both a six-person boat and an eight-person boat, rowing alongside athletes from all over the country.

“Looking back on it, the Canammex was a good experience because it was a really high level of rowing,” Tripp said. “It has taken a lot of hard work and twenty plus hours a week of training to get to the level I am right now, but the reward has been worth it.”