Nathan Damas Shatters Record Board

June 28, 2023

Let it be known that the Bearcats are fierce and full of fight.

With competition always around the corner, UCRC takes training seriously. Every year, our main focus is to improve technique, become stronger, and drop our splits. When it's time to compete in a regatta, there are no breaks between meters. Once the clock starts, you don't stop until you hear the whistle and cross the last buoy. Unlike other sports, rowing requires cardiovascular endurance and strength throughout the entire event. The difference between a few milliseconds is whether you go home with different colored hardware, or if you get hardware at all. That's why it is so astounding when top records get broken.

Nathan Damas has shattered our men's open 2000 record board, overcoming the first place time of 6:11.0, set by Eric Hagenauer in 1989. Nathan's time of 6:09.6 beat the last by 1.4 seconds, a significant feat. Although he has been dedicated to rowing all throughout college, he stepped up his game this year and beat his old record of 6:28.2, which was set in the later half of 2022. To make that level of improvement, it's clear that Nathan has the drive of a champion.

This goes to show that significant improvement can be made no matter where you start. For highly competitive individuals, rowing is the perfect challenge to take all aspects of fitness and combine them into one dauting, but thrilling sport. Furthermore, powering through training can be an arduous mental task. Focus and mental strength must be built overtime, with great rewards all throughout life. When physical strength runs out, it's only your mental toughness that guides you to the end of a race.

Nathan, along with the rest of the team, will continue to improve their athletic abilities as rowers in the coming seasons. We look forward to upcoming regattas in the fall and the post race adrenaline highs that come with them. Keep up with our other record breaks and team events through our instagram @cincyrowing!