2008 Woodie Awards
Just Keep Rowing: Smith Crew Knows What To Do
Erin Quinn
Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Ding, ding, ding. The alarm clock reads 4:40 a.m., but in houses around campus, members of the crew team are already waking up for their morning practice. Their reward for getting up before the sun does is a grueling one to two hours of practice on the Connecticut River. Why do they willingly do this? While most teams would be happy with a national second place finish, the Smith team hopes to improve on its 2004 runner-up award by taking home the gold at the NCAA Division III National Championship held in Mercer Lake, N.J. in late May. This goal motivates the team to work hard not only during morning practices this spring, but also in off-season training sessions and afternoon workouts that make the dream of a national title a possibility.
With a time commitment in excess of 20 hours per week, members of the team need strong time management skills - not to mention a love for what they are doing. A passion for competing and each other makes those early morning practice sessions much more tolerable. As Captain Kim Paull '06 explains, "it's the people that I get to row with every morning that really make Smith Crew for me. These women have so much going on in their lives -- like Res Life, leading organzations and writing theses -- but they never make excuses for themselves, and show up ready to race every day. Once, when I told one of my teammates that she was pretty impressive that day, she said 'Don't be impressed. Expect it.' And that pretty much sums it up for me. There are no excuses on this team. Everyone works hard and expects their teammates to do the same. It's pure inspiration." With such intense dedication and a common sense of purpose, it is no wonder that the team is so successful.
Looking forward to the Division III National Championship, Paull comments that "there's no doubt that we deserve a spot on the medals stand." If this does not happen, it will not be for a lack of preparation. During the off-season, each person on the team followed a detailed training regimen designed by head coach Karen Klinger. Paull explains that "the plan encompasses all aspects of training from building an aerobic base -- indoor rowing as well as other cardio -- and pushing your lactic acid threshold, to weight lifting, nutrition and mental preparation." As motivation to keep up with individual training, each person on the team is subjected to a 5K test in early February with the goal of improving on her time from the fall.
With a time commitment in excess of 20 hours per week, members of the team need strong time management skills - not to mention a love for what they are doing. A passion for competing and each other makes those early morning practice sessions much more tolerable. As Captain Kim Paull '06 explains, "it's the people that I get to row with every morning that really make Smith Crew for me. These women have so much going on in their lives -- like Res Life, leading organzations and writing theses -- but they never make excuses for themselves, and show up ready to race every day. Once, when I told one of my teammates that she was pretty impressive that day, she said 'Don't be impressed. Expect it.' And that pretty much sums it up for me. There are no excuses on this team. Everyone works hard and expects their teammates to do the same. It's pure inspiration." With such intense dedication and a common sense of purpose, it is no wonder that the team is so successful.
Looking forward to the Division III National Championship, Paull comments that "there's no doubt that we deserve a spot on the medals stand." If this does not happen, it will not be for a lack of preparation. During the off-season, each person on the team followed a detailed training regimen designed by head coach Karen Klinger. Paull explains that "the plan encompasses all aspects of training from building an aerobic base -- indoor rowing as well as other cardio -- and pushing your lactic acid threshold, to weight lifting, nutrition and mental preparation." As motivation to keep up with individual training, each person on the team is subjected to a 5K test in early February with the goal of improving on her time from the fall.
Be the first to comment on this story