Mike Senf of Newtown and his University of Delaware teammates competed as part of the US National rowing team in the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, this summer.

“The experience was awesome,” said Senf, who previously had competed as far away as Mexico for a friendly competition, but never in Europe, or in the world championships for that matter.

Senf helped his team place eighth overall in the lightweight men’s quad, also second place in the B final, just behind Canada. The team raced a total of three times (heats, repechage, final).

After breezing through the competition to an undefeated summer leading up to the national championships, the group from Delaware got an unfamiliar taste of defeat.

“The heat and the reps were very tough and we saw speed from other crews we have never seen before,” said Senf, acknowledging that it was a tremendous experience to compete with some of the best rowers in the world.

“Denmark, Germany, and Italy are all very strong crews and they still could not beat France, who won the event,” he said.

Still, just representing the country and being on the water among the best U23 rowers is an accomplishment in itself. Senf and his teammates won the Under 23 World Championship Trials in the Men’s Lightweight Quad event on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, in late June, to qualify for the championships.

Senf notes that Bulgaria was very pretty and offered a special manmade 2k course designed just for rowing.

The 20-year-old still has two more years at the U23 level before he moves on to the Senior/Olympic Level. Next year, the U23 and Senior Would Championships are in Rotterdam, Netherlands.  

Rowing has taken Senf to Ontario, Canada, throughout most of the Northeast, and to a variety of Southern states, including Tennessee and Georgia. The opportunity to travel and experience different lifestyles is something the rower appreciates.

“You get to see a lot by doing something you like,” Senf points out.

There are two types of rowing: Sweep rowing, which requires each person to use one oar; and sculling, which requires two oars. Senf’s team competed in sculling. His Delaware teammates are Corey Brown, Andrew Kiershaw, and Reid Cucci. Senf’s position in the boat is in the front (called stroke seat).

“Every seat’s got it’s role. My job is to keep the stroke rate,” said Senf, who leads the way and makes decisions to set the pace during races.

Senf started rowing in 2010, while a student at Newtown High School. He began rowing out of the GMS Rowing Center in New Milford. 

The Newtown rower has come a long way in a short time. He has rowed for only a handful of years, and is hopeful of continuing to progress to a point he can qualify for the Olympics down the road.

During competition in the CanAmMex International Regatta held in Mexico City, Mexico, last July, Senf’s boat earned silver and bronze medals in the Canadian-American-Mexican competition.

A member of the Undine Barge rowing club based in Philadelphia, Senf will be a junior at Delaware this fall. Senf is working toward a double major in finance and economics, and believes that wherever his career path takes him for work, he will have an opportunity to continue rowing. As a sophomore, he was the youngest member of the school’s varsity 8 lightweight boat.

Senf occasionally takes to the water by himself to keep in shape during downtime and the offseason, as well as to enjoy the tranquility that rowing offers.

“It’s so peaceful. It’s just you, a boat, and crystal clear water to travel and explore,” he said.

Since getting involved with rowing, something Senf admits he wasn’t so sure about at first but gave a try with his mom’s insistence, he has become healthier and become more self-motivated, he says.

“I think it helps me stay in shape. It’s good to take time off from school,” he said. “It’s changed my life for sure.”