ROW BLUE Adventures: We Are Family
3/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
April 26, 2011 - We Are Family
I think that using the word family is the perfect description for collegiate sports teams. When looking for a good definition of the word to share with you all I found a definition that I think definitely describe the Michigan women's rowing team:
Family: A group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation.
It sounds pretty simple, right? I think so!
In my time spent with the Michigan women's rowing team I can say that they really are a family complete with the little spats and inside jokes. In fact, I have kind of adopted the Michigan women's rowing family as part my own family. They really are a great bunch and I'm super glad that I get to work with them.
This past weekend when we went to Ohio State for the Ohio State Invitational (Yes, we did beat Ohio State!) I think this was totally on display. We are in finals and with our schedule being a little bit different this year, we were traveling and it happened to be Easter and Passover AND our student-athletes had to study for exams. Now, typically bus trips involve movies and if you remember my post from a few weeks ago, this team definitely knows how to pick a movie! But with the exams coming up, the bus was silent (ok, let's say quieter) so that those that needed or wanted to study could get work done. I know that some people wanted to take a break and watch a movie on the way there and back, but they took one for those that needed to study. That's what a family does.
Families also give a lot of good natured ribbing and this team certainly isn't short on that from our athletic trainer Lisa Hass, who is known for getting her jokes in, to our coaches who are all business on the water but afterwards they like to have a good time with the team too! Sounds like a family to me.
Another important aspect of extended family and in this case it involves parents, family and friends that always seem to make their way to our regattas home or away and often times start the "GO BLUE" cheers at the finish line. Extended family is such an important aspect of being a student-athlete. Those are the folks that you can go to for support, advice and encouragement. I remember from my time as an athlete that while you can always go to your coaches it's nice to have others to bounce things off of as well and the U-M rowing team has no shortage of "extended family"
In short, the Michigan women's rowing team is definitely a family! We're off until the Big Ten Championships on May 15 in Indianapolis, Ind., but you can bet we'll be on the water getting ready for another fantastic day of racing, Maize and Blue style!
Until next time,
ROW BLUE
April 19, 2011 - This Week In Michigan Women's Rowing
I can hardly believe that we are a few days away from our last regular-season race of the season! It seems like we were just on the road to Columbus to open the season back at the end of March and here we are making the same trip back to enemy territory to close out the regular season. The schedule this season is different with the Big Ten Championship getting pushed back to the middle of May and with the annual Central/South Region sprints off the schedule, so the season really has been condensed and with the changes it means that every race, practice and erg workout matters.
The biggest change is the new format to the Big Ten Championships. For the first time the Big Ten Championships will be held at the neutral site and will be finals only races. That means you get ONE shot at it. There are no more heats and you've just got to get out there and row for one race. I think this adds to the excitement of postseason action. The fact that you just have to row your best race one time, I don't know, it just gives the championships a bigger excitement to them. It's like March Madness for NCAA Basketball, except on water in May!
Not to get ahead of this weekend's races with Ohio State and Washington because I also think this is a big weekend as we head into postseason. Both teams are ranked and each of us are looking to not only climb up the national rankings but to also pick up as much momentum as possible heading into the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships. Ohio State is a team that is a contender for the Big Ten Championship and there is a real chance that we'll see Washington State at the NCAA Championships at the end of May, so there really is a lot to race for this weekend.
I am definitely biased towards the Maize and Blue and as I said in my last post I have seem improvement each and every week of the season and after last weekend's crazy races, I also see this team has a bit of a swagger to them in a good way. They are not cocky by any stretch, but they know what they are capable of doing and each and every week they set out to prove that they are up to the challenge and well, I personally think that attitude suits them! I am really excited about this weekend's races and Big Ten's because I know that our team is ready to row. I'm also really excited that this will be my last trip to Columbus for this school year. Nothing against Ohio State (kinda), but I just prefer to not have to go to Ohio anymore or at least not for a regatta.
If you're in the area we're racing Ohio State and Washington State on Saturday (April 23) on the Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River. We open the racing at 9 a.m. against Washington State and will close the day against the Buckeyes with racing starting at 1 p.m. Stop by and give us a big "ROW BLUE"!
Until next time,
ROW BLUE
April 12, 2011 - What A Difference A Week Can Make
I've discovered in my years of working in athletics things are NEVER the same from week to week and that's part of the reason I like working in the field of athletics. Nothing is ever the same and it makes for lots of excitement throughout the course of a season. At least that's how I look at it!
I think that rowing is the one sport that I've worked with where one week has the potential to make a huge difference. I saw that difference over the last two weeks. When we traveled to Ohio State for the Big Ten /ACC Double Dual I saw improvement from the first week of the season, boats were starting to move more deliberately and the Wolverines were in just about every race of the day.
Last weekend at the Big Ten Double Dual, I saw more of the same improvement that I saw at the Big Ten /ACC Dual but I also saw something else. I saw some serious FIGHT and HEART from the Wolverines. After opening the day by dismantling Minnesota, the Wolverines took on defending Big Ten Champion, Wisconsin and they came ready to row!
I know that as an athlete, I can remember taking on those teams that you just ALWAYS got up for. For me, growing up in Ann Arbor and being a proud Huron River Rat, anytime we played Pioneer, in anything, it was a game that I just ALWAYS got up for and in college it's no different. I saw that on Saturday when we raced Wisconsin. Against the Badgers, our rowing team looked like they were all on one accord. I could see that in the way that they were carrying themselves and I really felt that they were excited to see how the race with the Badgers was going to go and I can say that each boat put everything into their races. It was really special and fun to watch. I can't say that we defeated Wisconsin because we didn't, but I can say that this team has showcased in the first three weeks of the season that they have a lot of heart and you can't count them out. It's pretty cool to be able to watch a team grow over the course of a season and this team has grown each and every week and I expect them to be at just the right place when the Big Ten Championship and NCAA Championships come around.
Make sure to get out to Belleville Lake on Saturday (April 16) for our lone home race this season. The racing will start with a morning session at 9 a.m. We'll race against Buffalo and Grand Valley in the morning and in the afternoon session starting at 1 p.m. we'll take on Oklahoma.
Looking forward to seeing you all out on Belleville Lake and until next time,
ROW BLUE
April, 6, 2011 - On The Road Again
As a sports information director I've had the opportunity to travel with quite a few sports teams throughout the years and I have to say traveling with teams has been something that I really enjoy! It gives me an opportunity to connect with the coaches and players on a different level and gives me a peek into what life is like for them on the road.
This past weekend, I took my first road trip of the season with the rowing team to Buckeye land. Last season, I went with the coaches in a van to Columbus, but this year I traveled with the team on the bus and I had SO much fun.
Despite that fact that we were going to Columbus and the weather forecast was calling for wind, rain and darn right chilly temperatures, I had a good time on the bus. Since I'm "sort of" a staff member I sat in the front of the bus next to our Director of Operations, Jordan Harris. (Big shout out to Jordan – he keeps things running smoothly for the rowing team from bringing extra gear, to making sure the rowers have food, to making sure we're keeping on the right schedule, Jordan is THE MAN!)
Now, while this was my first "roadie" with the team I've been on my fair share of bus trips and I think you can tell a lot about a team by the movies that they watch. I knew that I was with an intellectual bunch when we watched Inception on the way down. That is certainly a movie that requires one to pay attention and in my mind that shows that we have a focused, driven bunch of rowers. Even more telling was the fact that we watched the animated Tangled on the way home. Now, this is also a positive thing. It shows that they don't take themselves too seriously and like to let loose a little bit, especially after a long day of racing in dreary weather. In short, judging from this group's movie selections, they are definitely on the right track.
The rowing team is the largest team I have ever traveled with BUT I must say their organization is second to none. From utilizing assembly lines to make sure everyone has their box Panera lunches to the seemingly seamless rigging and de-rigging of the boats, I would describe it as poetry in motion, it just WORKS!
Race day is another thing that could be described as poetry in motion. Racing typically gets underway early, that's when the water is best and the wind is typically at a minimum. When I say early I mean 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. but if you think about it that calls for an EARLY morning more like 5 am for breakfast and getting anything you need from the athletic trainer, etc. but much like everything else with the Michigan women's rowing team, it's a well-oiled machine!
I'm a big fan of race day, those that know me, know that I am a competitor at heart and I love seeing my team winning and winning BIG ( I do know that winning isn't everything but it sure does feel good, just my opinion!) The one thing about a rowing regatta is that more times than not, I'm out in the elements. I've learned the art of layering from my time as a youth soccer player and typically it's not that bad especially if you're in a warm climate but we live in the Midwest and the weather is anything but predictable (hence the snow flurries I saw on April 5th!) but hey at least I have cool Michigan rowing gear which keeps me toasty!
We're off to enemy territory this weekend when we head to Lansing for the annual Big Ten Double Dual on Saturday (April 9). We're racing Minnesota and Wisconsin out on Lake Ovid and it's supposed to be partly cloudy and 61 degrees (according to weather.com) which sounds like good weather for a regatta to me! Hope to see everyone out there.
Until next time,
ROW BLUE
March 29, 2011 - Michigan Rowing is BACK
Hello Michigan rowing fans! Some of you met me last season when I blogged about our trip to the 2010 NCAA Championships in California, but if you don't know me, my name is Jessica Poole and I'm the rowing sports information director here at Michigan and I have the distinct pleasure of working with the women's rowing team and coaches. Due to popular demand, I am expanding my blog from just the NCAA Championships to the entire season this year and I hope you all are as excited as I am!
I guess you could say that I'm still new to rowing. I began working with the Michigan rowing team last season and although I learned a lot (thanks to Mark, Kate, Brett and Annie!) I would have to still classify myself as a rowing "rookie," but hey everyone has to start somewhere!
One of the things that I've learned in my time with the Michigan rowing team is that weather plays a huge factor with rowing. It's really simple if you think about it, if the weather is good and relatively warm, chances are you are going to be able to get on the water and practice and race. If the weather is bad chances are you aren't going to be as successful with getting on the water for practice or races.
We all know that Michigan weather is unpredictable at best and this winter has been a prime example of that. Let's just say it's been a rough winter, but I think the last several weeks have been the WORST. One weekend it's 60 and sunny and you're thinking "spring is on the way" and then the next day without ANY warning, its low 30s and you're thinking "Is this EVER going to end!"
One of the coolest things about rowing is that they have the ability to erg during the winter months. I've done workouts on a rowing machine before and it's a good workout, but it's NOTHING compared to what my rowers do during the winter. There is this little room over in Cliff Keen, properly named the "Erg Room" and in there the rowers put in tons of work during the winter months. They do full workouts on the machines, which is as close to simulating rowing on water, when you can't get on the water. I've heard about "erg tests," which is a 2K race piece that is used by coaches to determine seats and a host of other things. It sounds intimidating to the non-rower, former basketball/soccer player that I am BUT I'm putting it out there that I want to take an erg test AND get in a boat this spring!
That being said, I would like to ask the weather gods to PLEASE give us a little warmer weather so that we can have solid practices ON THE WATER, this week! We have some important races coming up namely the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual this Sunday (April 3), which has us squaring off with Clemson and defending national champion Virginia in Columbus, Ohio. We want to be able to show them what Michigan rowing is all about so we need your cooperation! We promise not to disappoint if you just give us a little warmth and lots of sunshine!
Check in each week for a new ROW BLUE adventure,
Until next time,
ROW BLUE
