If anyone has an excuse to sleep through an 8 a.m. class, it would be the members of the Virginia men's crew team. The stories about these dedicated rowers are true: they wake up early in the morning, go through a very intense workout and have little time to spare before classes begin. But don't try to tell these guys to put down the oars any time soon.
"I have to say that I, and many of my teammates enjoy morning practice," senior rower Drew Liming said in an email. "There's nothing quite like an intense workout to start the day off, and frankly it's just the most efficient time for scheduling. Honestly, who can come up with a conflict at 6 a.m.? We do it out of a necessity to practice together."
Dedication like this is a necessity for the members of the men's crew team, as they pour hours upon hoursinto practice and workouts in preparation for fewer than 10 competitions per year. The next contest this season will be held April 7, when the team heads to Washington D.C. for the George Washington Invitational. The most recent competition was held in November, but in the interim, the team has not put off its conditioning.
"We are already in the middle of spring training for the racing season," senior Jim McGuire said. "As a matter of fact, the team was down in Florida doing two-a-day practices before school even started again. The spring race season, which consists of 2000 meter sprints, will not get underway until the end of March, but the crew will have races nearly every weekend until well after final exams are completed."
The fall season was a successful one for the crew team, and it was capped off with a victory in the lone home event for the Virginia rowers, the Rivanna Romp, held Nov. 12. Despite rainy conditions, the "A" team took first place and the "B" team placed third in the Varsity 8 event (eight-man teams). Virginia beat Georgetown and North Carolina in this event, and the novice "A" and "B" teams took first and second place, respectively, in the eight-man event.
After the season gets underway with the George Washington Invitational, the team willhead to the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, to be held April 21-22, to compete against the best teams from southern schools. Last year, the Varsity 8 team won first place in their race in the SIRAs, beating out Texas and Purdue among other competitors. Virginia will finish its 2007 season with two events in May: the East Coast Athletic Conference Collegiate Rowing Championships and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. All things considered, Virginia's rowers and coaches are optimistic about the spring season.
"I would say our outlook for the spring is very positive," coach Will Oliver said. "If we can avoid injury, I believe our top eight can be competitive for our league championship, the ECAC Regatta and then put in a good showing at nationals. We have several strong second-year students joining the varsity squad this year and our third-year and fourth-year rowers are seasoned competitors by now."
The growth in the popularity of rowing at the University may come from the rise of crew teams in high schools and local clubs in areas such as Northern Virginia. So it comes as no surprise that while the team will be graduating nine members this year, the future of the program is still bright, with more than 15 first-year rowers on the novice squad.
"I have high hopes for the 2007 novice team," McGuire said. "There are a lot of really powerful rowers in that class that will be a huge asset to the team over the next few years. They did well in their fall season and I expect another good showing from them this spring season."
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