After a bit of sprucing up their practice site, and spending the winter inside working out, the Briar Woods Crew team is ready for a full complement of spring races.

Senior captain Eric Guessford said the team completed the necessary preparations in anticipation of the season. This includes adding a trailer for winter conditioning, and cleaning the grounds at the Beaver Dam Reservoir in Ashburn.

This season will be sophomore Malena Llanos’s first season with the Briar Woods Crew team. She said she joined the team because it seemed like a unique sport to get involved in.

The crew team hopes to compete at the Polar Bear Regatta at the end of March for their first race of the year.

“We have scheduled a full season of races,” said Guessford, “as opposed to last year, where we only participated in one.”

Along with a season full of races, the team also purchased more shells in order to expand the team.

“Our main goal is to qualify one of our competition boats into the Stotesbury Cup Regatta,” said Guessford.

This race is one of the largest rowing competitions in the nation and takes place on May 18 and 19 near Philadelphia.

In addition to national and regional competition, BWHS will face a local challenge with the addition of a crew team at Stone Bridge High School.

Guessford said, “The local competition will drive us to compete at our highest level. Without a doubt, this will become a rivalry.”

Previously, Briar Woods was the only school in Loudoun County to have a crew club.

“Crew is a sport all about dedication, hard work and most definitely team work,” said Llanos.