USRowing Under-23 Trials Blog: Entry 3
6/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
Rising seniors Sarah Gribler (Marysville, Wash./Marysville-Pilchuk) and Ashley Kroll (Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak) are currently in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where they are attending the USRowing 2009 Under-23 National Team Camp. The camp began in early June and will run through the USRowing Under-23 World Championships Trials, July 6-10, in West Windsor, N.J. Out of the camp, USRowing will choose the women's eight and quadruple sculls that will represent Team USA at the 2009 FISA World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Racice, Czech Republic (July 23-26). Additionally, the camp will choose a four, pair and double sculls that will compete at the USRowing Trials for the opportunity to qualify for the World Championships. Gribler and Kroll will be blogging about their experiences from Oak Ridge. Kroll weighs in for the first time on her experience so far at the camp. Gribler is back for her second entry.
The weather here in Oak Ridge has pushed back our practice time. The river we row on is very cold, so when the air warms up quickly and the dam is open the fog rolls in. The heat has slowly been increasing making each of us a little bit crazier and crazier. Sometimes our conversations get very interesting. The heat has even gotten to our coach Steve [Perry]. He starts to make some very interesting analogies. When trying to get my pair partner Erika Roddy and I to get a very deliberate catch he compared it to setting the table when getting ready for a hot date. You need to be quick and precise about setting the table right before the date starts, then once the date has started -- a.k.a. the catch -- is when the real fun starts.
| Ashley Kroll | Sarah Gribler |
For the last week we have been deep into selection. Selection has been dependent on how our pairs racing goes. For the first part of the week I was paired up with fellow Michigander Sarah Zelenka, who is from Grand Valley State. They liked to call us the Sarah pair. After countless 1,500-meter pieces we switched up partners and I was paired up with Stanford's Erika Roddy. We did another set of trials and have come to the end of the week, so this round of selection is done. Twelve rowers and three coxswains have been chosen to travel to Princeton, N.J., to train and go to USRowing Trials (next week). Out of this group of girls will be the eight, then possibly a group of girls doubling up out of the eight into the straight four and pairs. Ashley Kroll and I both made it through the cuts and will be spending our last week in Oak Ridge then making the drive up to Princeton this weekend.
Entry 2 (6/23/09) | Entry 1 (6/16/09)
Players Mentioned
