Imagine staring at a clock for 40 minutes as it counts down, second by second, teasing you while you physically exert yourself to the brink of exhaustion.
Such encounters occur on almost a daily basis for the women’s crew team during its grueling winter training, when the weather is too cold to allow for practice on the river and they must resort to training indoors on the erg machines.
“For a lot of other sports, they have a season off,” said Liz Donald, a senior captain whose twin sister, Rebecca, also rows on the team. “But for us, winter training is really crucial to our season.”
The team is excited to get back on the river — even in sub-freezing temperatures.
“I’d much rather be out [on the water] than erging in the dungeon for a few hours,” freshman Megan Fitzgerald said, referring to the winter practices in the basement of Hutchinson Gymnasium.
The team finally got back on the water this past week, and they have only a few days to prepare for the first race of the spring season — the Class Day Races, which will be held Saturday on the Schuylkill River.
The event became a permanent fixture in 2007, during coach Mike Lane’s first season at the helm. The races are essentially a scrimmage that pits each class year against one another in fierce competition, during which bragging rights are at stake. A trophy is even awarded to the winner of the marquee race, the 1500-meter final.
“It’s a fun opportunity for our kids to race and show some class pride,” Lane said.
But it’s not just about the fun, as the races also provide great preparation for the spring season, giving the team “an opportunity to practice the race plan in a pretty laid-back environment.”
In the days leading up to the event, the senior class — two-year winners of the race — is very confident in their ability to three-peat.
“Last year was no contest, so we’re hoping for the underclassmen to at least give us a race,” Liz Donald touted.
“They better watch their backs,” Fitzgerald warned the seniors. “We’ll definitely give them a run for their money. If they do win, we’ll be a close second.”
Even Fitzgerald’s older sister Liz admitted, “the freshmen are going to be our biggest competition.”
Following the Class Day Races, the team is looking forward to their spring break training trip to Gainesville, Ga., the rowing site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. It will be the only time of the season they will be able to focus solely on rowing.
“It’s hard work, and it’s rewarding,” Liz Fitzgerald said. “But it is exhausting. I lie in bed at night and still feel like I’m rowing.”
The spring competition will resume shortly after they return, with a race against Duke and Georgetown set for March 19.
Looking ahead, the team has set some high goals. The captains agreed having each boat reach the grand final at the Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges Sprints, their championship race, is their first goal — something that has never been accomplished in team history. If the team is able to do that, they will have a real shot at making the NCAA Division I Championships in late May.
But for now, they’re focused on Saturday’s event.
“We take this very seriously,” Liz Donald said. “The classes get pretty amped up.”
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