SIGS crews place second in first X9 Alliance rowing race

The first stage of the first Shenzhen X9 Alliance of Universities and Institutes (X9 Alliance) Rowing League Around X-Lake Sciensity took place along the Dasha River in Nanshan on November 6^th.

With the support of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, the X9 alliance was formed by institutes of higher education and scientific research in Shenzhen. The first members of the alliance include Shenzhen University; Southern University of Science and Technology; Tsinghua SIGS; Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen; Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute, Tianjin University; Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Peng Cheng Laboratory. More members from X-Lake Sciensity will be added in the future. 

In this first stage of the first X9 Alliance Rowing League Around X-Lake Sciensity, which took place on Sunday, the student men’s eight and mixed eight crew from Tsinghua SIGS won second place. In total, three teams competed from SIGS: the men’s eight and mixed eight crews, comprised of students, and the expert crew, comprised of professors and staff.

Check out the photos from the race below!

SIGS team at the award ceremony

Men’s eight crew

Mixed eight crew

Expert crew

Hears from the Rowers

“In the past month or so, the members of the rowing team were not afraid of hardships, training day after day,” Dong Liang, the advisor for the team, said. He also shared that not long after the establishment of the team, its members had to start preparing for their first large-scale competition. Although their practice time was limited, and some players even injured their hands a week before the competition, they worked together to overcome difficulties.

Zhang Hengxi, a member of the rowing team, came across rowing on TV two years ago. He loves the feeling of riding the wind and waves. When he heard about the establishment of the rowing team, he didn’t hesitate to sign up. The cardio, glute, and leg workouts make you feel sore, but also good. There were, of course, some practices that were pretty excruciating,” Hengxi shared with a smile.

Team practice

Huang Qinxuan gradually developed a good routine after joining the rowing team. The intense and regular training not only improved her physical fitness but also exercised her persistence. To have team members who train together every day and work hard for the same goal, this kind of feeling of fighting side by side is really very valuable,” Qinxuan said.

What impressed me the most was the rowing team's training at five o'clock in the morning. At that time, before the sun came out, the lights on the Dasha River were still on. Although it was very early, no one was late,” Yang Haitao, a member of the team, recalled. In the first few days of training, everyone's hands were almost torn, but they continued to train with blisters. Rowing is a sport that can well cultivate teamwork. Every member of the team is indispensable and it’s important to avoid mistakes. We all always encourage and help each other. To this day, the strength of our entire team is really important. Special thanks to the coaches and advisors for their hard work!”