Twins place seventh in nationals for OARS

For most, the summer between sophomore and junior year of high school is a time to kick back, relax and enjoy a break but for twins, Anna and Maija Andert, June brought competition. 

The sophomore pair competed in the USRowing’s Youth National Championship from Wednesday, June 11, to Sunday, June 15. They represented the Orlando Area Rowing Society, which sent nine boats, and the Anderts finished with an A Final for seventh place. 

“It meant that all of our hard work, extra meters and extra private lessons in the pair (Anna and Maija Andert) had paid off,” Anna Andert said. “It meant the world.” 

The women’s head coach, JonMichael Francis, said the OARS club has a large sense of family within it. They strive to build an open community for anyone, of any level and knowledge of rowing, to try it out and “give it your best.”

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He described OARS bringing nine boats to Nationals as an “incredible” moment because typically clubs only are able to take about four, but they were able to take nine boats as the club has been growing over the years. 

Out of the nine OARS teams that competed, three finished with top 10 placement. The men’s youth 4+ team placed fifth overall, the Anderts on the women’s youth 2 team ended seventh overall and the women’s U17 8+ finished ninth overall. 

“We were the only girls boat to make it to A Finals from our club, so holding that responsibility going into the race and then coming out and seeing all of my friends, coaches and family cheering us on was just amazing,” Anna Andert said. “I’m so glad I have them.”

The Anderts have been members of OARS for three years, joining the summer before eighth grade after being inspired by seeing the OARS rowers walk by their elementary school every day. 

“Everyone is so nice and dedicated that it is really easy to push yourself because everyone around you is gunning for the same goals and supporting you throughout,” Maija Andert said.

She said on Thursday, June 12, they competed in a time trial where they raced 2,000 meters in hopes of advancing to the AB semifinals in the top 16 boats. In the AB semifinals, they needed a top four spot to advance to the A Finals and did so by placing third. 

“I honestly wasn’t really sure how nationals was going to go and how my twin and I would stack up against the other clubs,” Maija Andert said. “It felt so great to make it to A Finals and get some open water between us and the next boat as sophomores in a varsity event.” 

Competing in a four-day tournament took a large physical and mental toll on the pair. Anna Andert said she struggled with the “go-go-go” mentality and trying to balance hanging out with friends outside of the competition and taking time for rest. Maija Andert said it was difficult to stay motivated while battling her nerves. 

With OARS, the pair has trained hard since early fall to prepare for nationals and other competitions throughout the season. They began with around practices five days a week and switched to six days to prepare for the First Coast Head Race that took place in October. 

Francis said they begin practices with dynamic stretches before heading into groups to either lift weights or erg (a rowing machine), ending with rowing on the water for a minimum of an hour. 

To prepare for nationals, Maija Andert said they had two-a-day practices with Sundays off and only one-day practices on Saturday. Both their morning and afternoon practices were two hours long. 

“They came in with a mission, ready to work, ready to make our top boat as fast as it can be,” Francis said. “Through that process they were also having fun of like, ‘Oh let’s try growing the pair.’” 

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Outside of practice, Anna Andert weight lifts, ergs and runs as much as possible. She strives to arrive at least half an hour before practices on weekdays or “as early as Maija deals with it” to get a pre-workout in before it begins. 

Maija Andert has a different game-plan for training outside of practices. She tries to rest and focus on school work. When she’s out of exam season, she goes to the gym on Sundays and any off days that they have. 

“Besides coming to practice 30 minutes early to erg and warmup, I am mostly maximizing my time at practice rather than outside of practice,” Maija Andert said. 

The twins began rowing together in early October, and it was their first time being paired up. Francis said he did a few private lessons with them to help grow their strength for their fall race. 

“It’s awesome,” Anna Andert said about rowing with her twin sister. “I get to row with my best friend and as my mom loves to emphasize, (I) never have to worry about if our full lineup will be there because I leave with my pair partner.” 

Francis has noticed their sisterhood has helped them to be “very in tune with what’s going on.” He said they’ve learned a lot, like how to be better communicators between themselves and truly understand each other’s goals. 

“We have a lot of trust together, so I knew Anna would show up everyday and work hard, so I could be vulnerable with her, but also pull some crazy watts out on the water with her,” Maija Andert said. 

The twins are entering their junior year of high school, continuing to train with OARS to try and complete their goal of rowing at a Division I college.