The White Building gymnasium was fully aglow as the Penn State crew team sat stretching in two circles before practice. The crew members assembled the rowing machines at the far end of the hardwood floor and prepared for another early morning practice.

"Grab the handle and start warming up," varsity coach Jamie Francis called to his women's squad.

Francis casually rolled a portable blackboard in front of the rowers, which gave detailed instructions for the practice. He then turned to the varsity girls and said, "Ready, row." With this command, the team started to row, and as they did, a swift, smooth noise flowed throughout the gym, while sweat dripped from their faces.

Everything seemed perfect, but there was one problem at practice: the small number of crew members.

"I am a junior now and compared to when I started in freshman year, our numbers are a little down," Grieb said. "This year we have about 70 to 80 people with varsity and novice members compared to two years ago where we were at 90 to 100. We would like to have more members in order to be more competitive."

At recruitment drives, the varsity members looked to add novices, who will undergo a two-week trial period before deciding to stay with the team. The drives consisted of tables being set up at the HUB and in East Halls, and members distributing flyers to student mailboxes. The drives managed to add about 20 members, including sophomore Tom Rowader.

"I used to play football, but I never thought about crew until I saw a flyer at the White Building," said Rowader, who sat at the north bleachers during his first day out. "I really don't mind getting up early."

Rowader isn't the only one to have the same type of thoughts on the early start. Francis believed the early wake-up helped members with managing time.

"I have had several rowers tell me that they get more things done and have better time management by starting their day off early," said Francis, who took over as varsity coach this year after previously serving as the novice coach.

No matter the time, the club continues to search for more novices even though its recruitment period has passed.

"Come out and give it a shot," junior rower Conor O'Brien said to those who may be contemplating joining the team. "We're a good group of people and are always looking to add more members."