Conestoga High School senior Helena Laursen is ready to lead her rowing crew to the national championships before she sets off to New Zealand for a gap year with National Outdoor Leadership School, writes Aaron Carter for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Despite an injury that threatened to derail her senior season, Laursen, the team captain, and her Conestoga Crew Club quad boat recently finished sixth at the USRowing Youth National Championships and secured a spot in the final.

Laursen, who had grown up a dancer, is set apart by her skills as the “bow,” the position closest to the front of the boat.

“She is probably, technically, the best rower on the team,” said Conestoga coach Goldia Kiteck.

That, along with her ability to “understand the water, how it works with the boat, and how to use it to increase boat speed,” makes Laursen special, added Kiteck.

Laursen, meanwhile, credits former team leaders at Conestoga with creating an environment that ensured she had the chance to flourish.

“It’s definitely helped me with leadership,” she said.

Read more about Helena Laursen going to championships and then New Zealand in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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