OARS rower prepares for national rowing camp

Orlando Area Rowing Society athlete Liam Cromartie began with the club three years ago. 

His former club was smaller, and he decided to make the commute to Windermere from Clermont to participate on a more competitive team. He regarded OARS as the “premier” rowing club. 

Cromartie recorded a milestone in his career when he won first place in the Men’s Jr. 1x in the Youth Speed Order Monday, Nov. 24, through Tuesday, Nov. 25, in Sarasota.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” he said of the race. “I hadn’t had that much experience in that boat class, so it was nice getting early success in it.” 

Winning the Youth Speed Order meant more than another medal around Cromartie’s neck. He also earned an invitation to the U19 U.S. Rowing National Team Winter High Performance Camps. The camp will take place in January 2026 in Chula Vista, California. 

Cromartie said more than 50 athletes from both genders are invited to participate in the camp. It’s an important identification camp to see where the rowers are at for possible national team selection. 

“Just getting invited is a really good opportunity,” he said. “Selection camp is very narrow, but that’s the goal.” 

The camp includes intense physiological testing, such as lactate threshold assessments done on the rowing machine. Cromartie said they will prick his ear to measure his lactate levels and it helps them calculate where his threshold level is. 

Being invited to the camp offers Cromartie motivation for the future. 

“Making the national team would be incredible,” he said. “But it’s a very lofty goal. I just want the opportunity to be evaluated.”

Cromartie’s selection to represent OARS at the national camp marks the first significant step toward his future in the sport and it has reinforced to him that the long commute to train with a top rowing club is worth the drive. He said athletes are picked for the national team two months after the camp.

His teammates will be cheering him on throughout the whole journey, and Cromartie will bring his experiences back to share in Windermere. 

ROWING TRANSFORMATIONS

OARS sent five other rowers to the Youth Speed Order to test their individual skills, including Cromartie’s teammate Micah dos Santos. 

When dos Santos joined the Orlando Area Rowing Society five years ago, he didn’t expect it to transform his life. He reluctantly joined OARS after an encouraging push from his mom, Kauana, and at first struggled to pick up the sport. 

But over time, something changed. A core group of teammates formed, and the days out on the water became something dos Santos looked forward to. That core group of middle-schoolers still rows together to this day. 

The junior at Windermere High now is beginning his recruitment process for college and recently stepped outside of his comfort zone by rowing in a single boat at the Youth Speed Order.

Dos Santos finished fourth in the B final after placing 13th in the preliminary round. The result might not have earned him a podium spot, but the experience was meaningful. 

“We don’t practice much in small boats,” he said. “We have a big team and only a few coaches, so usually we go out in bigger boats. Getting the chance to race a single was really valuable.” 

For dos Santos, stepping outside of his comfort zone and trying new skills was a crucial step for development. It allowed him to become more well-rounded by channeling a technique he already mastered. The order was only his second time rowing in a single boat, and he had to rely on himself, rather than a traditional eight-man boat, to pave the journey down the river.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Youth Speed Order event, although focused primarily on individual competition with only two rowers entered in the 2x boats, still fostered a sense of team purpose. The six OARS rowers trained twice per day together up until the race. 

“What made it nice was just being together in that mindset,” Cromartie said. “We’re locked into OARS training, and we’re not worried about anything else during the weekend.” 

As the season continues, OARS rowers will continue to remain focused on improving as a unit. Their next regatta is scheduled for January, and they are looking forward to returning to their eight-man boat, especially dos Santos, who can row with his five-year-old friend group again. 

“You get close with a lot of the guys and you motivate each other,” dos Santos said. “There’s a lot of competition, but it’s friendly competition. It makes it a lot of fun.”

He said his teammates do a phenomenal job at motivating each other, especially when they head out on the water to race one another during practices. 

From a personal side, dos Santos and Cromartie are hoping to improve their rowing machine scores. It’s a common goal between rowers since it’s where they can see their individual strengths and weaknesses. Dos Santos is hopeful a lower erg score will bring more medals in the spring.