Dublin School senior Will Stanhope has only been rowing for two years, but he has already ascended to the upper echelon of the sport.
Stanhope, a native of the Bahamas, has competed as a member of his country’s national team for the past two years, placing 18 out of 26 rowers in 2015 and 22 out of 33 rowers in 2016.
“I started rowing sophomore year because people said I would probably be good at it,” said Stanhope. “When I started rowing, I began to like it; now it’s a massive part of my life.”
Stanhope said that he had always been interested in watching rowing on television, but it wasn’t until he began rowing that he found his passion for the sport.
Before Stanhope knew it, he had gone above and beyond Dublin’s program and began working with a coach in Boston. When he returned home, he began working with a coach in the Bahamas that recruited him for the national team.
“I was in shock,” said Stanhope. “My coach told me that I hit the genetic lottery. Rowing has definitely become a passion for me.”
Stanhope has competed in both single and double scull races in international competitions, and rows four and eight person sculls while rowing for Dublin School. While he enjoys each, Stanhope says single scull is his favorite.
“It’s kind of hard to get used to the boats at first,” said Stanhope. “I had been kayaking before but the boats are completely different.”
Stanhope may only have two years of experience under his belt, but he already has two lofty goals: to go to a division I school for rowing (he said he is already being recruited by a couple schools) and to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Outside of rowing, Stanhope hopes to one day become a pilot. He already has his private pilot license and loves to rent planes and fly around New England is his free time.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.