MacDermott's hard work pays off

Most walk-ons hope to just make the team. To eventually become captain seems like an impossible dream. For Penn heavyweight crew team member Sean MacDermott, this dream became a reality. "In my 11 years of coaching, this has never happened before," coach Stan Bergman said. "One year we had a transfer student who became a captain, but never a walk-on." MacDermott will lead his fellow senior heavyweight crew members at Rochester tomorrow. The remainder of the heavyweight team will compete at the Navy Day Regatta on the Schuylkill. Surprisingly, MacDermott had never even rowed crew before he was accepted early decision to Penn. In his senior year of high school, he joined the team mainly because his friends were on the team. "I was curious about the sport," MacDermott said. "Also, the bond that I saw between members of the team was really unique." What he discovered was a sport he cannot compare to others. Right from the beginning, he knew that he had found his sport. "Rowing is an amazing thing," MacDermott said. "When you are out on the water with great weather, there's nothing like it. Rowers really have a relationship with the water -- you can feel the emotion of the water." MacDermott competed on the second freshman boat when he came to Penn. In his sophomore year, MacDermott made the jump to a spot on the varsity first boat. "We had seat races to see who would be in each boat," Bergman said. "Sean did not lose one race. That's when I knew he would make the first boat." MacDermott does not believe there was any drastic change that contributed to his improvement. He credits Bergman's training methods and a lot of hard work for his success. His work ethic has allowed him to advance in crew. Bergman remembers the first day of Winter Break during MacDermott's sophomore year. There was an optional practice, and when the coaches arrived, MacDermott was the only one there, having already started the workout. His reputation as a hard worker earned MacDermott the respect of his teammates. They expressed their support by voting him this year's captain. "He's the type of captain that will always do the work that has to be done," senior Stefan Politz said. "He never complains, and if he's not doing his best, he will still compete." MacDermott, who is quiet by nature, does not yell at his teammates. He does not attack them when they make mistakes. Rather, MacDermott leads by example. "Leadership in crew is not the type where you check up on the other guys," MacDermott said. "The sport can be individualistic, so you just always listen to the coach and hope that other guys will follow." MacDermott believes that the team's ultimate goal should be winning the national championship. He will go about achieving this goal just as he always has, with an aggressive determination.