Indiana University Athletics
Training in Tampa - Colleen Ryan
1/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Jan. 5, 2006
TAMPA, Fla. - The Indiana rowing team is currently training in Tampa, Fla., for its winter training trip from Dec. 31 to Jan. 7. The Hoosiers will write in to IUHOOSIERS.com from time to time to let everyone know how the team is doing. Junior Colleen Ryan is the fourth to report in from Tampa.
After another beautiful day in Tampa, we have made it through the halfway point. We have put in a lot of hard work on the water this week and it is only a preview of the hard work we will continue to do leading up to the spring racing season. In our sport, we are only allotted a certain number of days for practicing on the water. The other days, which make up the winter offseason consist of erging and other indoor workouts like stadium stairs and relays. We are off the water from the middle of November through most of February. Unfortunately, it is easy to get a little burned out being indoors for so long. The winter training trip provides us some time to regain our focus, enthusiasm and motivation for the upcoming season.
There is a lot of competition within the team this year. We have 12 extremely talented, strong and athletic rowers competing for a seat in the Varsity 8. Any combination of girls would make a fast boat. Coach Steve has the difficult job of making the fastest boat. This morning, he really put us to the test. Before we launched, he gave us a run down of what practice would be. He explained that we would be in three fours and doing three-minute pieces. Between the pieces, we would be switching up the line-ups. The only two words that we rowers heard were "seat racing". That's all he had to say: seat racing. Everyone could feel the tension in the air. We were out to beat each other. The water was flat and the sun was bright. It was a great morning to be racing. Everyone was focused and everyone worked hard.
The best thing about this group of girls is that after a hard practice like that where some girls won their seat race and some girls lost, is that we are all friends afterwards. There are no hard feelings. There is no grudge held against the teammate that beat you in the race. You might not be happy about the results, but we are all still as tight as we were before practice. However, if you did lose, you are going to work that much harder to beat her in the next race. Lineups are never final in this sport. They can change the week or day before the race. It is only January, if you think you deserve that seat in the first Varsity 8+ come Big Tens, there is still a lot of time both on and off the water to prove yourself.
Everyday in every way we get a little stronger! Go Hoosiers!
