Indiana University Athletics
On the Water with IU Rowing: Jackie Riedel
1/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Jan. 31, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Rowing has joined the blogosphere! Two Hoosiers will provide a weekly update on what's going on with the team as they train for the spring season. Here's the first installment of On the Water with IU Rowing from junior Jackie Riedel.
The Pilot, Part One
For many, Andy William's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" tune brings holiday memories and Christmas cheer- but not for IU Rowers. Ask any Hoosier rower and without a doubt, the most wonderful time of the year is winter training. Erging, lifting, running, erging, waking up early, erging... what's not to love? I mean, "it's the happiest season of all," right guys?
Ok so on a serious note, there is very little about winter training that anyone would consider "wonderful." Our days on the water seem distant and every snowfall makes spring seem that much farther away. Call me a Negative Nancy but the reality: winter training is tough, but it's supposed to be. Yeah, the workouts are challenging, but it's an exciting time for us. We're training smart and we're going fast. As a junior, I've been able to see how much IU Rowing has grown since my freshmen year. Every season is built from the last and we're only getting stronger and stronger. Even just three short weeks into winter training coming off of a trip from Tampa, we have a lot of good things to look forward to. The racing season is just around the corner with spring break training in Clemson only 40 short days away. After spring break, everything really flies by. One weekend after another up until Big Tens, we're competing against teams that will definitely put our boat speeds to the test. Every practice since the fall, the long steady states, the erg tests, the "Lanie Playtimes" (everyone's favorite), you name it has been preparing us for these next few months. I guess figuratively speaking you could say we've been putting money in the bank for sometime now and we're ready to cash out. So although things right now might seem tough, before we know it, we'll be sitting at the starting line listening for the official to get the boats aligned and start the race. You might say I'm crazy, but it happens every year.
I hope this blog will be a fun way for you to follow us on our way through the spring. Row Hoosiers!
- Jackie Riedel, Junior, Exercise Science Major
