I recently got an e-mail form Courtney about her experiences at the University of Texas. She seems really stoked, but I'll let her tell the story:
"Mr Bousquet,
I made the Texas Crew team! After a long week of tryouts, I made the team. This means I am now a NCAA D1 rower. I am so excited!!!! No experience was necessary but it definitely helped seeing that I am not a runner. We had tryouts for about a week and a half and everyday we had to run .8 miles for a warm-up run. That got easier as the days went on. Twice we had to run an extra 2.6 miles and it was times. That was extremely hard and I really need to work on getting my time down.
For the erg portion, we had to do a broken 2K. 500, 1000, 500 meters. Our splits had to be 2:00.00. That was so much harder than the 2:09.00 I am used to from high school. I managed to do average in this. Coach looked at my technique on the erg and said I am a "butt-cruncher." So I learned that means that from the catch to the finish, I lead with my back first and then my legs. I should not move my back before my legs. So I should go back more hunched over. I didn't even realize I did this until they corrected me.
Everyday we have to stretch as a group and do 30 jumps (which are jumping from a squatting position), 10 push ups, and 50 abs, all 3 times through. We're not even on the water yet!!! Then, on the water, I sit in stroke seat because I have experience and I know what I'm doing. We just paddle around and work on technique. It's so fun and the scenery is so beautiful. We row on a lake so there is no tide, not many wakes, and almost no wind. When we row, they want us to learn how to do so first by rowing on the square. We never did this so it's confusing to me. I struggle with it a little but it's not too bad. What's really funny is when some of the girls freak out because the balance of the eight is off a little. I keep thinking to myself, this is so normal, novices are like this and it could be worse; we could be in a four. We usually only race 8's and the last few people who don't make top eights will be racing in the fours.
I am just super excited and I thought I'd tell you all about it! I will hopefully be back for my spring break and I will definitely try and come out to practices! I have the Crew Blog bookmarked and I will be checking it when the season starts! I hope you're having a great school year! "
On the equipment front there's two new developments. The dilapidated Vespoli Four Mile Run, that Norfolk Academy gave us at the end of last season, is about ready to go. If you remember loading the hull, it was missing everything but the seat tracks: no riggers, seats, stretchers, or fin. It had missing bulkheads and the floor was cracked in numerous places. NA had given the boat up for dead. After working on this project for most of the summer I have just about finished a major re-work that includes hull repairs and a new paint job. I scavenged seats and riggers from the old yellow Dirigo eight, and built new stretchers. The only piece left to complete the boat are the actual shoes and I'm thinking of installing clogs instead (like used by the Villanova crew...) The pics below show the new look. Four Mile Run sports the Catholic chevron and a new cox seat. The speaker system uses a new cable but recycled speakers. We'll probably be needing an additional cox box to support this boat (an excuse for more fund raising!)
I am also working as time permits on a "new" eight, to be named Wildcat. This boat, a Kaschper "International" model, was the top men's eight at Villanova University and was severely damaged in a fall off their boathouse lift system. Coach O'Brien and I took a trip to Philadelphia in late September to pick up the pieces (yes, "pieces" as both the bow and the stern broke off in the fall.) Because the damage was so severe, including a cracked keel, bent rudder, snapped off fin and a major break at seat two, the insurance wrote off the boat as a total loss. Not to worry, though! I can fix most anything...
The pics below show the work to date. The ends are glued back on and some major carbon fiber repair is underway, including vacuuming bagging down new hull panels at seat two. I expect that the finished hull will be out "best" eight. It sports wing riggers and clog-style foot stretchers. After the major breaks are repaired and faired, this hull will also recieve a new paint job turning it white and green. The name "Wildcat" is in honor of the Villanova crew, where coach O'Brien went to school, and where Mairin is now a junior and the cox of the second women's eight. Stay tuned as Wildcat becomes more and more complete.
And on the rowing front, we had a crew of girls that wanted to compete in the Head of the Lafayette, an annual race sponsored by the HRRC. They committed to make six practices prior to the race and these ended up being all before school. So, yes, at o'dark hundred (between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.) these intrepid girls gathered to row on the river. It was amazing how much traffic is out there. We consistently saw the ODU women's varsity and crews from the HHRC that practice before dawn on a regular basis. We bought a nice set of running lights from Chesapeake Rowing so if any other crew gets the urge, we are ready! Unfortunately for Meagan, Meredith, Natalie, Corey, and Hana, the race ended up being canceled due to Sandy. At the height of the storm I did snap a couple of pics of the river. The shots below show the launch and recovery docks, and a couple of shots from my parents' yard. Note the island is completely underwater and the #12 channel marker (the first one we encounter when rowing out) has water just about up to the placard. Yep, it's been an interesting fall season.
So as we transition into the winter sports season I congatulate our fall athletes (cross country, football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey and tennis) and wish them well in the upcoming swimming, basketball and wrestling seasons. We'll all be back on the ergs soon, so until then, keep tough and pull hard, Crusaders!
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