The year 2014 marks senior Tyler Zeng’s last season being on the Malden High School crew team. After being on the team for four years, Zeng has grown an attachment to the sport and his teammates. As well as being a devoted member of the crew team, Zeng challenged himself by taking honors and Advanced Placement (AP) level classes throughout his time at MHS.
Zeng identifies one of his greatest obstacles of high school as time management. Showing great commitment to his school work and to his team, Zeng sometimes found himself juggling many responsibilities, but he always made it work.
Many members of the crew team look up to Zeng for his dedication and motivation, inside and outside of the crew team. Sophomore Samantha Forestier said Zeng “puts all of his effort into everything he does.” Forestier expressed that Zeng’s “humor, passion, and hard work” has had a great impact on the team and it will be missed.
Zeng expressed that being a member of the team has “taught [him] a lot of discipline and teamwork.” Considering that Zeng plans on attending the University of New Hampshire after high school and going to the Army Reserves, having been on the crew team will be beneficial even after he graduates. Dreams of serving in the Army Reserves have followed Zeng since he was a child. Zeng believes “this is a great country and [he] wants to do [his] part and serve.”
Although there was a late start to the season this year, Zeng said he and his teammates use that as motivation to work harder to “catch up to [their] competitors.” The late start causes this season to be more time consuming than previous years have been.
Whether it be at practice or in a race, Zeng is willing to give his team all he has left in his final weeks being apart of the team. Experiencing all that he has during high school and becoming apart of a diverse community, Zeng feels prepared for what life after graduation will hold. Anxious about what is to come in the future, Zeng is ready to begin the new chapter of his life and accomplish some of his life-long dreams.
