You know all those times when you walk through the JSL after school, eager to get home and nap, and you see men in unis grunting on weird-looking machines? If you were not already aware, that is the crew team erging. If you look closely, you’ll see two pals next to each other on ergs, exchanging words and laughs between grunts. Those two pals are Mike Yaron and Mats Terweisch. We decided this brotherly-love was too prominent, adorable, and fascinating to not write an article about! Before they got their erg on, we interviewed the two seniors, who are a more fitting example for the term “brotherly-love in sports” than Eli and Peyton Manning. We talked to them about Crew, their bromance, and everything in between.

Banner: When and why did of you get started in Crew?

Mike: I got started my sophomore year, because of Mats. We were in chorus class, and, uh, it was beautiful. Every moment, it was… it was beautiful that I was with him.

Mats: I’ll take over for the serious answer. I used to be a tennis player. And to be good at tennis you need to have coordination, agility, good footwork, and I realized I had none of those things. So, I did the thing where don’t you need any of that, so I became a rower.

Banner: Were you immediately in the same boat?

Mats: No, because I started when I was a freshman, so I was a little ahead of Mike.

Mike: How the tables have turned…

Mats: (continued) so it took a while, we were trying to be together, on the erg, as soon as he started. And then, once he got good enough, our junior year, we were together, and for the beginning of senior.

Banner: How do you feel about being in each other’s boat?

Mats: I mean, like, rowing’s fun.

Mike: It’s magical.

Banner: Do you guys get competitive with each other?

Mike: All the time.

Mats: Oh, yeah. We’ve got pretty close to fighting while on the water.

Mike: Yeah, there was this one freezing day; it was like 20 degrees…he wanted do a drill that leans the boat all the way to one side and like water could’ve gotten in the boat. And we could’ve flipped because we had two novices in the boat that had no idea how to row. And I said, “you have to stop, we’re not doing this drill. I am not flipping and dying.” And then, he was like, “No, you’re being stupid.” And then I was too cold to punch him or anything.

Mats: I just think he was… a scaredy-cat. (both laugh) Uh, yeah, but we… it gets pretty heated when we workout together, but, afterwards everything’s always good.

Banner: What do you think you guys talk about the most while working out/rowing?

Mats: (laughs) We don’t talk while working out.

Mike: See, we do crew so it’s actually… so it’s like, we have to do stuff, unlike the other sports.

Mats: We’re also sitting behind each other, so there’s no way…

Mike: Yeah, exactly. He’s behind me, I’m stroking, and he’s bowing opposite ends of the boat.

Banner: How do you guys help each other be better rowers?

Mats: Um, well… See, I just give him a lot of advice that I don’t tend to follow myself because it’s easier for me to give advice than actually follow it.

Mike: Yeah, I just beat his times and make him go faster.

Mats: Yeah, we get competitive with each other. (all laugh)

Banner: Do you think the other two guys in your boat get jealous of your… I don’t want to say bromance, but you know what I mean.

Mike: Oh, yeah.

Mats: I think everyone gets jealous.

Mike: Let’s just say our team… like, especially, like if we want to pull some names in here; Aiste, um, Sydney Soll…

Banner: No, no, of your bromance?

Mike: Oh, yeah, yeah, all the girls. Well, we have Aiste? Who else is jealous? The whole girls team.

Mats: Everyone’s jealous.

Mike: Our coach, Nora…

Mats: Everyone wants to be our friend, like he’s saying…

Banner: But, you don’t have that much time [to be everyone’s friend]…

Mike: But, it’s like, we don’t have time [to be friends with all of them], you know what I mean?

Mats: Just, uh, talk to my people though, and figure something out. (all laugh)

Banner: What are your goals for the 2014 crew season?

Mike: It’s obvious, we want to win nationals.

Mats: We’ve been putting a lot of work in over the last couple years. And, for me it’s been four years. Um, so, I guess my big goal is to really like use all of the potential our team has, and, as long as we call up all the potential that we have, then I’ll be happy for the season. And I think if we do that, we can win some big races.

Banner: Do you have any long-term goals for crew?

Mats: Um, well…

Mike: We want to race… in the Olympics against each other one day.

Mats: Well, I was just going to say I definitely want to row in college. And…

Mike: I go big-time, he likes to settle in the minors. (all laugh)

Banner: What do you say to each other before races?

Mike: (laughing) I love you…

Mats: Um…

Mike: Good luck… (laughing)

Mats: I say, row your heart out.

Mike: Before every 2k [it’s like a rowing time trial] when we sit next to each other, we give each other a high-five.

Mats: Yeah, and after…

Mike: Yeah, and after 2ks, [we high-five each other] but we’re all like sweaty and passed out.

Mats: They’re going to retract that (laughing)

Mike: (laughing) Scratch that, please!

Banner: What’s your favorite memory from crew?

Mike: Youth nationals.

Mats: Yeah… last year, we had a kind of tough spring, but, we made a double [when there’s two people in a boat for a crew race] for the end of the season, and we ended up qualifying for youth nationals. And, so, we, like… we had only rowed in a double together for a very short amount of time, but we ended up being able to take it pretty far. And, it was a lot of fun. It was kind of a reward for our hard season.

Favorites

Food–

Mike: Chicken.

Mats: Pasta.

TV show-

Mike: Family guy.

Mats: Shark tank.

Restaurant-

Mats: Chipotle.

Mike: Chipotle.

Subject–

Mats: Psychology and econ.

Mike: History.

Singer/Band-

Mats: Imagine Dragons.

Mike: Imagine Dragons.