Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Host Louisville At Lake Lemon On Saturday
3/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
March 20, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's rowing team will host the 20th ranked University of Louisville Cardinals this Saturday in the first of its two home regattas on Lake Lemon. The regatta will begin at 9 a.m. with the Varsity 8 race, a change from the normal schedule due to predicted weather conditions.
Race Schedule
9:00 a.m. - Varsity 8
9:15 a.m. - 2nd Varsity 8
9:30 a.m. - Varsity 4
9:45 a.m. - Novice 8
10:00 a.m. - Novice 4
The best spot for spectators to watch the regatta is from Riddle Point Park. Directions can found by clicking HERE
Because the Hoosiers have so few home regattas, they are anxious to get out on familiar water the next two weekends against other teams from the Midwest.
"The biggest advantages to a home regatta are we are more familiar with the race course," Indiana head coach Steve Peterson said, "how the weather effects the water and the racing, and in general it is just a more "comfortable" environment to race in. So on race day, when there is a lot of stress and pressure, having the race at home makes it a little easier."
The Hoosiers are coming off a third place finish at the Clemson Challenge last weekend where they were defeated by Clemson and the University of Pennsylvania, but topped Purdue and Ithaca College.
One of the things the hindered the Hoosiers efforts at Clemson was getting off to slow starts, and that is something that Peterson and his coaching staff have been working on this week in practice.
"The fact that we had not been able to get on the water to practice before spring break meant that we would be not 100 percent as race-prepared as we would have liked to be," Peterson said. "I think that was very evident in our race this past weekend at the Clemson Challenge, when both Clemson and the University of Pennsylvania were able to jump out to a pretty good lead early in our race. So this week we are spending more time on preparing to get out of the blocks faster."
But with a young crew in the Varisty 8, Peterson knows that the more the team gets on the water and practices, the more they will begin to work together and eliminate the slow starts.
"The lack of water time we had and because we are a young crew, with three freshmen and one second year rower in Varsity 8 boat, these are things we knew we would have to deal with," Peterson said. "But the good thing is we know we are strong, and that we have more power this year than ever before and we are confident that, as we move through the spring and get more water time and more race experience, these problems will be taken care of and we should be able to really get a sense of how fast our crews are."
The Hoosiers will also be on Lake Lemon next Saturday, March 29, when Dayton, Cincinnati and Eastern Michigan come to town.
