Rowing: Spring Training Blog
March 27, 2012 04:15 PM | General
LAKE LURE, N.C. - Every year the rowing team travels to Lake Lure, N.C. for spring training. This year, the team has been working on improving team cohesiveness. Unbeknownst to the majority of the team, the seniors planned a variety of team bonding activities to keep everyone from going stir crazy on the bus.
The games consisted of senior picture guessing where each person had to match the seniors to their baby pictures. This may sound easy, especially given that we spend so much time together, but most of the team was tripped up by the decoy picture thrown into the mix. Somehow, freshman Kelly Kramer was the only person to guess all but one correctly. We then spent the next two hours playing an extreme game of charades with a prize for everyone. Twenty minutes before our arrival at Rumbling Bald Resort, we fell victim to cabin fever.
Everyone was eager to know who their housemates would be for the duration of the week. Upon being split into houses it was a race to claim the best bedroom. The lake is about a 10 minute walk from our houses; for those who don’t know, the Rumbling Bald Resort area consists of 90 degree inclines in every direction for added “conditioning”. The Resort is also home to a golf course that poses hazards (“Fore!”) and additional challenges when walking to and from practice.
Each morning the team treks down to the lake, prepared for a morning of pieces provided the coaches’ launches aren’t breaking down. It’s only Tuesday and they have had to paddle back to shore three times already (which is good for their upper body workout). The team is dreading the day when the motors break down in the middle of the lake and we’re forced to tow them back to shore.
Although still early in the week, the team has already treated themselves to a spa night at the lucky house with a hot tub in preparation for what lies ahead (and while we still have energy).
While the team knows how to have a good time, we also know how to work. Ultimately, the main focus of this week is to gain more boat speed. After seeing some racing success during last weekend against Georgetown and UNC, each crew has been working to make technical improvements. The benefit of being away from Morgantown is that the team can just focus on rowing.
The days are structured around 2-3 practices a day, with an emphasis on getting plenty of quality strokes in. Rowers also have the option of going out in smaller boats in the afternoons to get a break from the larger sweep boats. Small boats can help with sharpening up technique that sometimes gets lost while rowing in the eights. The crews are fully embracing the opportunity this week holds to sharpen up the catch end, which is the beginning of the stroke.
It’s amazing how much of a difference an inch or so at each end of the stroke can make over the course of a 2km race.
Make sure to "Like" the official Facebook page of the WVU Women's Rowing Team for more information and updates throughout the season.
The games consisted of senior picture guessing where each person had to match the seniors to their baby pictures. This may sound easy, especially given that we spend so much time together, but most of the team was tripped up by the decoy picture thrown into the mix. Somehow, freshman Kelly Kramer was the only person to guess all but one correctly. We then spent the next two hours playing an extreme game of charades with a prize for everyone. Twenty minutes before our arrival at Rumbling Bald Resort, we fell victim to cabin fever.
Everyone was eager to know who their housemates would be for the duration of the week. Upon being split into houses it was a race to claim the best bedroom. The lake is about a 10 minute walk from our houses; for those who don’t know, the Rumbling Bald Resort area consists of 90 degree inclines in every direction for added “conditioning”. The Resort is also home to a golf course that poses hazards (“Fore!”) and additional challenges when walking to and from practice.
Each morning the team treks down to the lake, prepared for a morning of pieces provided the coaches’ launches aren’t breaking down. It’s only Tuesday and they have had to paddle back to shore three times already (which is good for their upper body workout). The team is dreading the day when the motors break down in the middle of the lake and we’re forced to tow them back to shore.
Although still early in the week, the team has already treated themselves to a spa night at the lucky house with a hot tub in preparation for what lies ahead (and while we still have energy).
While the team knows how to have a good time, we also know how to work. Ultimately, the main focus of this week is to gain more boat speed. After seeing some racing success during last weekend against Georgetown and UNC, each crew has been working to make technical improvements. The benefit of being away from Morgantown is that the team can just focus on rowing.
The days are structured around 2-3 practices a day, with an emphasis on getting plenty of quality strokes in. Rowers also have the option of going out in smaller boats in the afternoons to get a break from the larger sweep boats. Small boats can help with sharpening up technique that sometimes gets lost while rowing in the eights. The crews are fully embracing the opportunity this week holds to sharpen up the catch end, which is the beginning of the stroke.
It’s amazing how much of a difference an inch or so at each end of the stroke can make over the course of a 2km race.
Make sure to "Like" the official Facebook page of the WVU Women's Rowing Team for more information and updates throughout the season.
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