Women's Crews Impress Coaches During Florida Trip
January 20, 2004 | Women's Rowing
While many of their classmates were braving the sub-zero temperatures that gripped much of the northern part of the country in early January, the members of the Terrier women's varsity and novice crews were working hard in Miami, FL.
The women made their annual trip south and warm weather and hard training sessions were the orders of the day.
While the athletes enjoyed the 80 degree temperatures, varsity coach Holly Hatton, assistant coach Jessica Lizzi, and novice coach Rosi Kerr were very happy with what they saw from the rowers.
"We had a great week of practice," said Hatton. "We were there from January 3rd through the 11th, and the weather was perfect. The rowers were not overwhelmed by the heat so we were able to have some very serious practices."
There were ergometer workouts on dry land and very competitive pieces on the water. The women rowed 500, 2000, and 6000-meter pieces.
"It was very intense," said Hatton. "The workouts were excellent to the point that I still don't know who will be in the varsity boat when we begin our spring season. That's how much the women went for it."
With nine seniors lost from last year's team, five of whom rowed for either the first novice boat as freshmen or in the varsity boat for three years, Hatton was concerned about her team's prospects for the coming season.
"I thought the coming season would be a tough one for us," said the coach. "But, what has happened is that the door has been opened for a lot of people, and, from what I saw in Florida, those people are pounding through the door.
"There was not a boat (in Florida) that lost all the pieces," Hatton continued. "If a boat lost a piece, the rowers knew what they had to do to regroup, and they did what they had to do. As a result, the rowers gained confidence because they could see the difference.
"It was the most positive (winter) camp I have seen in a long time," concluded the coach. "The rowers were young, hungry, and had great spirit. They realized there are seats to be had, and they wanted to achieve more than they had in the past."
The novice rowers looked equally impressive to Kerr.
"It was an awesome training period," said the coach. "The freshmen put in a lot of miles and did a lot of work on their technique. They were competitive but a very close group of kids. It was really fun to see how they came together.
"This is a great freshman class," summed up the coach.
