With rowing season set to begin next week, student-athletes from Cal are trying to recover from a setback over the summer. A critical training tool was stolen from the Oakland Estuary.

The Lightweight Rowing Club has been producing athletes for roughly 50 years and has represented UC Berkeley in competitions around the world. The team has high hopes for another successful season but thieves took off with one of their valuable training tools.

"It was a little disheartening," said rower Rohan Aggarwal. "A little disheartening."

It's always gutting we try to work hard and be the best that we can but you have something like this happen and it just sets you back," added rower Sami Houssaini.

Thieves made two trips to steal the launch motor, a critical tool during training sessions.

"First it was the motor," said Aggarwal. "Then a couple of weeks later, the actual tin body of our launch was stolen as well."

Rohan and Sami say this is not the first time the team has been impacted by crime. The launch motor, though, serves a dual purpose on the water.

"Not only is it for athletes' safety in case of accidents on the water, it can be used to ferry athletes from a rowing boat to shore very quickly in case of an emergency," said Aggarwal. "It's also useful for coaches. So they can get up close to athletes, provide feedback in our rowing."

Since the incident, the team started an online fundraiser to replace the equipment. For a program that placed 1st in both the men's novice lightweight and women's varsity pair last season, at the Western Intercollegiate Regional Championship, athletes say they're not going to let this setback impact their championship hopes this year.

"We've had to be scrappy at times, and I think we're just going to have to do it at the start of the season," said Aggarwal. "We'll find a way to make it work."