Penn hosts women rowers

The Junior National Team is staying on campus this summer. They wake up at 5:30, practice, sleep for two hours, practice again and then basically collapse for the rest of the day. If that schedule sounds grueling, well, it is. But that's what it takes to be a rower in the Junior Women's National Team Selection Camp. On June 7, 20 women from across the country arrived at Penn to take part in this year's camp. The women -- who are in the 18 and under division -- will be staying in Hamilton College House and training on the Schuylkill River for Nationals and Worlds until July 26th. For the fourth consecutive year, Penn women's rowing coach Barb Kirch is serving as head coach for the camp. Her goal is to put together the fastest boat or boats possible out of the 20 rowers in the seven-week long camp. That means, of course, that not everyone will make the cut. Some rowers will be leaving after the National Competition in Indianapolis, Ind., in two weeks, as many of the camp members will not get the opportunity to row at the World Championships in Bulgaria. "I was kinda worried that it was going to be really cutthroat," camp member Laura Scherberger said. "But right now we're all really good friends. We're competing but at the same time we respect each other." To determine who will compete in which boat, Kirch uses both ergometer and seat racing tests. An ergometer is a rowing machine that measures how fast and how strong an individual rows. Seat racing, meanwhile, involves racing a particular group of people and then replacing one person in the boat. By comparing times of the two boats, she can determine the better rower. But the process for selection is a little more complicated than that. "[The coaches] try not to tell you a whole lot," camp member Joanna Riley said. "So you're always pulling hard and always doing what you think you need to do and not trying to analyze, 'Well, let's see, I need to beat this girl and this girl, and I need to do it this way and this way.'" Every practice is important for these rowers in trying to make the team, but there is certainly no shortage of practices. Kirch holds practices twice each day except for Saturday and Sunday, when the team only practices once a day. "We have the opportunity since they're not in school to train twice a day and have their undivided attention toward one goal," Kirch said. "It's a real luxury." Of course, Kirch does allow the team some freedom. They go out for food, shop, see movies, visit Fairmount Park and, according to Scherberger, "flirt with guys." But the rowers did not come to Philadelphia for the other activities. They have to pay for this camp, so they are definitely here to row. The crew members were chosen based on participation in National Team Testing, Talent Identification Camps, ergometer timings, letters of recommendations and spring race results. Five of the rowers are here for a second time. Claudia Durkin, Megan Burritt, Sarah Schreiner, Helen Dalis and Katie Baurichter have all participated in the Junior Women's National Team Selection Camp in the past. But three-fourths of the rowers are in their first selection camp. "I've rowed ever since my freshman year of high school and I've always wanted to get invited to selection camp," Scherberger said. "It's just an honor." The honor of being chosen for the Junior Women's National Team Selection Camp transcends regional boundaries, with rowers coming from all over the United States. Scherberger is from Atlanta, Riley from Connecticut, Schreiner from San Diego and Laura Mutti is from Dallas. But, despite being from different areas and never having rowed together, these women have no trouble rowing quickly. "All of us, since we were good enough to get invited here, were used to being the best or one of the best on our little home team," Scherberger said. "And then we all get here and come together and we're like, 'Whoa, these boats are really fast.'" Unfortunately for some of the women, some boats are faster than others. And that means some rowers won't make the cut when final selections are announced in two weeks. But are the rowers nervous yet? "Yeah," said Riley. "Oh yeah."