On the afternoon of September 16, at the 3rd Head of Shanghai River Regatta (HSRR) Rowing Junior Performance 500-meter City Dash,  Rowing Stallions from  Shanghai High School stood out from the five participating high school teams, winning 1st place in the men's Quadruple Sculls and 3rd place in the Mixed Quadruple Sculls, 1st place of overall scores. Rowing Stallions achieved great results upon their debut, showcasing the spirit of fearlessness and pursuits of excellence.

Overcoming the Hardship and Striving for Excellence

At the end of July this year, after receiving an invitation to participate in the HSRR "Junior Performance Competition, the school immediately started to form a team. More than 60 students signed up, and after selection, more than ten students from the SHSID high school formed the school rowing team. In mid August, the team started a joint training session. Although it was scorching hot, the students persisted in putting in the heat to train. Every weekend, the rowing team practiced at the water training base of Shanghai Oriental Green Boat, led by Qian Yinghao, a rowing coach at Xuhui District Sports School, a leader of water sports teaching and research, and one of the top ten coaches in Shanghai. Xu Fei, a bronze medalist in the women's eight-person single paddle at the Tokyo Olympics, also came to the rowing team's training and explained her skills to the team members. Starting from mid August, the team has been training intensively for over one hundred hours. The training process was particularly arduous, with the blood bubbles on every team members' hands repeatedly worn out and their training clothes soaked through time and time again. Their physical strength, willpower, and endurance were all greatly tested.

A Brand New Varsity Team

Through the team preparation, the passion of rowing is rising  on campus. Although the current team is specially formed for the HSRR event and cannot be considered a true rowing school team, with this opportunity, the prospect of formally forming a rowing team on campus has become more likely. After traditional varsities such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, and table tennis, the school may welcome a unique and brand new school team.

"We have always supported students to 'play' more, encouraging them to cultivate a wide range of interests and hobbies, while also focusing on academic puisuits. After learning about the intention to invite Shanghai High School to participate in the rowing competition, we directly initiated registration among the students. Based on my understanding of them, there must be some who enjoy rowing in their spare time, so forming a team should not be a big problem."

——Mr. Feng Zhigang

Principal of Shanghai High School

Voices from the Students

"Unexpectedly, one day, my favorite rowing sport was integrated with my school. Finally, it was time for having a rowing team!  It was great for everyone to do something happily together. Being able to represent the school in the competition made me feel very proud."

——SHSID Rower Mimi

"I have never been to the boating scene before. However, just watching the live broadcast on TV  made me feel excited, especially from the cheering of the audience from both sides of the people on the bank. I could feel the enthusiasm through the screen, and the atmosphere at the scene was really lively. I didn't expect to be able to represent the school now, and it was so exciting"

——SHSID Rower Leo

"If I hadn't just graduated this year, I would have participated in the competition with Shanghai High School. My younger brother from the same high school as me participated in the competition this time."

——Eric He,  Alumnus of Class of 2023,

who is to study mathematics at Oxford University

newspaper reports

The school's team preparation for the HSRR has also received attention from multiple media centers such as Xinmin Evening News, Shanghai Sports, and Oriental Sports Daily. Rowing is a sport that has a strong ability to spread between people. The school has always encouraged students to develop in various fields, encouraging them to showcase their personalities and talents, and grow into people with ideas, skills, and abilities. Weave strength with sweat, achieve dreams with perseverance, and create brilliance with hard work. Behind the fruits of joy, there is full support and escort from the school, and it cannot be separated from the hard work and training of every coach and participating team members.

(Written by School Affairs Center of High School    Pictures by P. E. Department)