When looking at the Syracuse men’s crew, some opponents may see Martin Etem is a sophomore and write him off as the weakest link on a senior-dominated crew.

Etem may be a sophomore, but weak is the last word to describe him.

‘He’s a tremendous talent physically,’ head coach Dave Reischman said. ‘He’s the strongest guy on our squad. He gets better every day.’

This Sunday at 9:50 a.m. in New York City, Etem and the No. 9 Orange will race ranked opponents for the second-straight week: Boston University for the Conlan Cup and Columbia.

One way Etem shows off his strength is through an ergometer. An ergometer, or ‘erg,’ measures the amount of power or energy a rower produces in a certain amount meters. For the spring portion of the season the erg is set at 2,000 meters, the length of the races.

For a distance of 2,000 meters, rowers usually shoot for a time around 6:10. When Etem hopped on the erg this year, he eclipsed that goal time of 6:10 by 12 seconds, with a team-best 5:58.

Etem’s time on the ergometer was not too surprising. His goal time was understandably better this year. As a freshman, Etem recorded a time of 6:02 – also a team best.

The sophomore participated on the freshman team last year, perhaps only because in college rowing, freshmen must row on the freshman team. If that rule was not in place, Etem may have found his way onto the varsity eight last season.

‘It wasn’t an option,’ Reischman said. ‘But he would have made a good push at it. He’s one of those rare physical talents.’

Etem may have been physically ready last year, but as in any sport, the higher the level of competition, the faster the sport becomes. Etem had only rowed his senior year in high school so the transitional year may have helped.

The jump from freshman boat to the varsity eight boat is an even bigger hurdle, especially when the varsity boat is ranked No. 9 in the nation.

‘It’s kind of hard, I’m with a group of guys who haven’t lost in a while,’ Etem said. ‘Everyone else, they are all seniors and you think (to yourself) these guys are really good. You just have to stay positive.’

Out of the nine rowers in the boat, seven are seniors. The others are Etem and junior Ryan Armstrong. Armstrong rowed on the varsity eight last year as a sophomore so he knows what Etem is going through.

‘When you go from the freshman boat to the varsity, it’s a lot faster,’ Armstrong said. ‘It takes time to get used to it, you get a little nervous. But he’s a super powerful kid. He’s done a great job transitioning.’

All the power in the world won’t help some athletes, especially when they are thrown into the pressure filled situation like Etem’s. Being surrounded by seniors on the top-10 crew, Reischman says one of the biggest obstacles for young rowers is the mental aspect.

Reischman said the hardest thing to overcome is the realization that not every bobble is a rower’s fault. Staying calm is the biggest key. It might even be in Etem’s genes.

Both Etem’s parents were rowers. His mother, Patricia Etem, rowed in the 1979-1981, 1983 World Championships as well as in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. Rick Etem, Martin’s dad, rowed for the Naval Academy in college.

Although each of his parents has experience rowing, they try to let the coaching staff do their job. But some characteristics coaches just can’t teach.

‘He’s a pretty composed guy and pretty humble,’ Patricia Etem said. ‘I think the combination of character and power makes him a good fit for the team.’

Published on April 26, 2007 at 12:00 pm