Rowers look ahead
Mike Brownlee - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
With the boats put away and the water silent, the Iowa rowing team heads into winter training after a fall season in which it showed continued improvement.
"Overall, I thought we improved in each race," Hawkeye head coach Mandi Kowal said. "I saw some positive signs."
Kowal said she was pleased her team finished the season with its best performance of the year, at the Cal-Sag Shootout in Blue Island, Ill., on Sunday.
"That was our best race," she said. "Out of a total of seven races, we had one bad race. Our second varsity 8 boat had a bad morning but bounced back in the afternoon."
Resiliency was a common theme for the rowers this season. Kowal said the ability of her rowers to perform well after a poor race was encouraging.
"In each of the three regattas we competed in, there were boats I thought could've done better," she said. "Every time, they bounced back in their next race."
Kowal said she was pleased with how the sophomores on the team rowed the pairs, which is generally considered the hardest boats to race.
"They were heads up, learned it well," she said. "They really improved. A few years ago, we had a lot of sophomores who never got a handle on the pairs. It was good to see this year's squad progress."
Two highlights from the season were Laura Kanaris' and Kristin Kelly's second-place in the collegiate pairs at the Head of the Rock Regatta and Iowa's first varsity 8 performance in the head-style race at the Cal-Sag Shootout.
"Cal-Sag showed our team making strides," Kowal said. "It was a good note to go into winter training on."
Winter training shifts the rowers from the water to the weight room, with time on a treadmill something the athletes will get accustomed to.
Being indoors and doing the same thing every day during winter workouts can be tedious, but Kowal said this group is good at staying motivated.
"It gets staler indoors, monotonous. It's mentally tough, but we'll try to switch things up to try to keep it fresh," she said. "The kids do a good job of staying focused."
The team will travel to Florida for a week during winter break, and the squad that will make the trip south will be chosen Nov. 14, giving the rowers plenty of incentive.
"I think if we train hard, put in the extra time we need to, and help motivate each other, it'll help push our team forward to a good showing in spring," Kanaris said.
The 14-year head coach is excited about the spring season.
"I'm looking forward to spring," Kowal said. "They've worked hard this fall and will work hard in the winter. We're hoping to see the fruits of our labor this spring."
E-mail DI reporter Mike Brownlee at:
michael-brownlee@uiowa.edu
"Overall, I thought we improved in each race," Hawkeye head coach Mandi Kowal said. "I saw some positive signs."
Kowal said she was pleased her team finished the season with its best performance of the year, at the Cal-Sag Shootout in Blue Island, Ill., on Sunday.
"That was our best race," she said. "Out of a total of seven races, we had one bad race. Our second varsity 8 boat had a bad morning but bounced back in the afternoon."
Resiliency was a common theme for the rowers this season. Kowal said the ability of her rowers to perform well after a poor race was encouraging.
"In each of the three regattas we competed in, there were boats I thought could've done better," she said. "Every time, they bounced back in their next race."
Kowal said she was pleased with how the sophomores on the team rowed the pairs, which is generally considered the hardest boats to race.
"They were heads up, learned it well," she said. "They really improved. A few years ago, we had a lot of sophomores who never got a handle on the pairs. It was good to see this year's squad progress."
Two highlights from the season were Laura Kanaris' and Kristin Kelly's second-place in the collegiate pairs at the Head of the Rock Regatta and Iowa's first varsity 8 performance in the head-style race at the Cal-Sag Shootout.
"Cal-Sag showed our team making strides," Kowal said. "It was a good note to go into winter training on."
Winter training shifts the rowers from the water to the weight room, with time on a treadmill something the athletes will get accustomed to.
Being indoors and doing the same thing every day during winter workouts can be tedious, but Kowal said this group is good at staying motivated.
"It gets staler indoors, monotonous. It's mentally tough, but we'll try to switch things up to try to keep it fresh," she said. "The kids do a good job of staying focused."
The team will travel to Florida for a week during winter break, and the squad that will make the trip south will be chosen Nov. 14, giving the rowers plenty of incentive.
"I think if we train hard, put in the extra time we need to, and help motivate each other, it'll help push our team forward to a good showing in spring," Kanaris said.
The 14-year head coach is excited about the spring season.
"I'm looking forward to spring," Kowal said. "They've worked hard this fall and will work hard in the winter. We're hoping to see the fruits of our labor this spring."
E-mail DI reporter Mike Brownlee at:
michael-brownlee@uiowa.edu
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