Hun graduate on US Junior National Rowing team
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
While his last name may lend different ideas, Jason Elefant is actually the smallest rower on the United States Junior National boys team.
The recent Hun School graduate was a late addition to the selection camp last year, but didn’t make the first cuts. This year, he made the final 22-person roster that will travel to Eton Dorney, Great Britain for the World Championships that begin Wednesday.
”I’m the smallest guy here by quite a bit,” said Elefant, who at 6-feet-2, isn’t short, but isn’t heavy. “Last year was ridiculous. I was 155 last year and the next lightest guy was 169. This year, I’m like 165 and the next guy is 170.”
In the fall, Elefant won’t be dealing with this size disparity. He is projected to shed a few pounds down to 160 to row in a lightweight boat in his freshman year at Princeton University. There is, however, no Junior national lightweight team.
”It’s tough going up against guys who are 6’5”, 200,” Elefant said. “If I row well and I use my size effectively, I’m fine. It got me to this point, so I’m happy about that.
”Efficiency is big,” he said. “I have to be impeccable technically. I can’t get away with just pounding at the water. I have to stay long through the water and using every inch of my height.”
It’s worked for Elefant, who is one of two alternates that the team will take to England. He believes he’s the first lightweight to make the Junior National team since Tyler Nase, who is a rising junior at Princeton University.
Being an alternate means that while he’s not in any of the four boats that will be competing, he could be if a rower is injured or ill for the World Championships. Just being on the trip is important to him.
”I was very happy to just to make it past the first cut, and make it past the second cuts,” Elefant said. “Even though I wasn’t in one of the main boats, being an alternate, I’m the man if someone goes down. It’s still a pretty big deal.”
The United States will be represented by an eight, a coxed four, a straight four and a pair. By keeping a spare pair — Elefant is the portside substitute — the U.S. won’t have to reshuffle all of their boats if a rower is injured. But being able to row in any of the boats is something for which Elefant has to be prepared.
”Some guys can only row the eight, and they’re terrible in a small boat,” Elefant said. “That helped in my selection. We’re versatile and we’re also fast. We can go in anywhere, anytime.”
Elefant has spent most of his summer since graduating from Hun in training with the selection camp. They spent 38 days in Kent, Conn., before moving to Princeton and a hotel for the final week of training.
”It’s pretty nice after being in the dorms with no air conditioning,” Elefant said last week. “This is like our final week before we leave for the UK. It’s tough to do workouts in the heat. We’ve been fine-tuning a lot of things. All the boats are doing well. I think the team’s a lot deeper than it was last year. It’s great to be a part of it.”
Elefant felt like a bigger part of the selection camp right from the start compared to last year.
”Last year, I was not invited with the rest of the group to selection camp,” Elefant said. “My high school coach, Geoff Evans, was an assistant coach, and when someone dropped out, a spot opened up. I filled in for the first two weeks of camp and then I didn’t go on.
”This time, the whole coaching staff was overhauled, so this one was based on my own merits. I didn’t have my coach help me out on this one.”
Hun, though, did help Elefant get a start in the sport that he will now pursue further in college. He was a freshman when he first rowed.
”My friends I had from the fall soccer team said they were doing this crew preseason workout,” Elefant said. “They said I should come do it with them. I did a few practices with these guys. I needed another team sport, so I said, let’s do this. From there, it just took off.
”It was very simple. If you work harder than everyone else, you’ll get better. This was very work oriented. It’s not where you either have it or you don’t like in other sports.”
Elefant has had to prove that he can outwork those bigger than him. There were almost 50 rowers at the start of the Junior National selection camp. They thinned it to 26 after the first cut, and then to 20 rowers in the final cut.
”I always thought, it would be pretty great to make the team,” said Elefant, a Hamilton resident. “I knew it was a very tall task considering my size. Sure, I’m bummed I’m not in one of the racing boats, but it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I’m not going to turn down being on the team. Two months of it in the summer is a lot better than two weeks.
”The pool was a lot deeper this year. I met all the guys last year. I followed them even after I got cut. This year, there’s more challenges. I’m excited to see how these boats will do.”
Elefant has been training with the other U.S. spare in case they are called into duty.
”We row a pair,” he said. “We do the same practice as the selected pair. We tag alongside them. We spar with them in pieces. We get the same practice and technical help. The coaches work with us and work with them, so it’s been great.”
Last week, he also got a sneak peak at the facilities at Princeton University. He’s also excited for his next step to the college level.
”I’m going to be lightweight for at least freshman year,” Elefant said. “The goal is to stay lightweight for all four years.”
Elefant doesn’t have any more junior eligibility after this summer, and expects that he will need some significant development to make the U-23 team in the coming years. For now, he’s making the most of his first time on the Junior National team and everything that comes with it in preparation for the next level of his career.
”Being on the junior team and training at this intense level, having to be on top of your game every practice because you could be on the chopping block, it helps you go all out all the time,” Elefant said. “It’ll bring me a lot of experience. Not a lot of guys will have international racing experience as freshmen and that’s something that will be helpful.”