Print this newsletter from PDF January 15th, 2007
 


A New Winter Camp Theme: Bicycles

Picture a 200 acre training center with dorms, great food, a lake, a boathouse, and temperatures in the 70’s. Combine that with bonfires on Coronado beach, Mexican restaurants in San Diego, and seven days to enjoy it all, and it begins to sound like a great vacation. And it would have been except that Bob Ernst, Michael Callahan and Colin Sykes added three workouts a day. Welcome to the annual Husky Winter Camp.

The coaches and 23 athletes converged on Chula Vista, California, on December 26 and, after a day of wind and rain on the 27th, trained at the Olympic Training Center under sunny skies. Bob said: “We came back to Seattle this time with new standards for work and fun. The guys returned with stronger skills and with stories that are going to last them a lifetime.”

In past years, the men have gone out on the water three times a day in pairs and in eights. This year the coaches mixed up the routine by adding bicycles. Michael and Colin had a quick meeting with the guys before leaving and rounded up 15 bikes – some road, some mountain – and Michael’s own platinum-plated, mega-dollar racing machine.

Throughout the week, the squad trained in pairs in the morning, in eights at midday and on the bikes in the late afternoon. The coaches heard a little grumbling about the new activity the first day or two, but once the men became accustomed to the saddles and familiar with peloton tactics and signals, the fun began. The shortest ride was about 24 miles, the longest about 35 miles. With coxes doing their own training on rollerblades through the Center’s trail system, the camp became an unusual but successful attempt to keep enthusiasm high. Bob said: “We’ve already thought of a few variations that will add a little spice next winter.”

The Winter Camp highlight was a ride to the beach one evening, followed by a five mile run to a beach bonfire (thanks to Colin’s scrounging talents) and then dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. The best news – and this may be a result of the cross-training – the squad had no overuse injuries throughout the week.

Look for more bicycle adventures next December. For now, however, it is time to focus on boats and the upcoming racing season. You can feel it down at the shellhouse; this is going to be a good one.

 

 

 

 

Women's National Team

Accolades

Fire Up Your Calendar

Title IX Impacts

Scholastics

VBC Banquet

  

 

 

 

Women’s National Team Visits

Tom Terhaar, coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team brought 16 team members to Seattle earlier this month giving our women’s team a great opportunity to mix and train with our country’s best. 

The National Team was introduced to a large Husky crowd at half time at the Husky-Arizona State basketball game (January 6th), and three of our own were given a special introduction: Anna Mickelson, Mary Whipple and Megan Kalmoe. Anna, the 2006 US Rowing Female Rower of the Year, will be a candidate this year for the PI Sports Star of the Year. Stay tuned on that affair.

Only a single negative was reported on the visit: Unlike the men in California, the women had a miserable weather week so we have no photos of the visit to share with you.

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Accolades

Last year will go down as one of the great ones for individual Husky rowers. Rob Gibson, Will Crothers and Max Lang were honored by the Rowing Canada Aviron with International Achievement Awards for their great gold medal win in Canada’s eight at the 2006 World Rowing Under 23 Championships last summer.

As we reported last month, alumni Anna Mickelson and Brett Newlin were named female and male Rowers of the Year by US Rowing.

And finally, Lori Dauphiny, Princeton’s women’s coach and former Husky standout, won the US Rowing’s Ernestine Bayer Award for her contributions to women’s rowing. That makes two Huskies in a row; Jan Harville won the same award in 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Up Your Calendar

Get these dates down on your calendar before planning a vacation this spring. The season is going to be extraordinarily exciting. To see the entire Husky schedule, including away races, visit www.huskycrew.com and click on Events and Schedule, but for now make sure these dates are on your calendar.

Friday, March 23, Varsity Boat Club Banquet.

Al Erickson and his volunteer crew have become famous for producing sellout, turn-away crowds for this annual shindig, so don’t delay. Fill out the form at the end of this newsletter and send it in with your check to reserve your spot.

This year the Varsity Boat Club Banquet will feature two extraordinary rowing classes, 1977 and 1997.

The 1977 men’s crew won the Grand Championship at Henley. There will be more in next month’s newsletter on activities planned for the ’77 men over the Banquet-Class Day-BBQ weekend; for now just make sure that all you ’77 jocks get yourselves signed up.

The 1997 men’s crew swept the IRA. Matt Anderson has taken the lead in organizing his class’s activities for the weekend. Expect announcement in the next few weeks about a Banquet pre-function and other activities for the Class Day weekend. If you want to help Matt plan the activities, or if you want more information, send him an email at m.anderson@gmail.com, or call him on 206 321-6288.

Calling all 1997 women! You, too, will be recognized for bringing home the Huskies first NCAA Rowing Championship. Make plans to get together with your classmates on March 23. More information will be forthcoming; meanwhile get signed up for the Banquet. If you want to participate in the planning for your class, or simply are looking for more information, contact Katie Gardner at ktg195@aol.com.

Saturday, March 24, Class Day

Come on down to the Montlake Cut and watch the Sophomore Class defend its winning effort last year. Don’t count out the Juniors, they’re tough as nails.

Saturday, March 24, World Famous BBQ at Conibear Shellhouse

Watch out, Eziel, these guys are in your league and coming on strong. Join the crowd after the Class Day races for the great BBQ spread and awards ceremony.

Saturday, April 28, California Dual

What’s not to love about this race. The Bears have assembled a new boatload of hirelings and they’re going to do some serious dog hunting. Be there for Husky victories.

Sunday, May 5, Windermere Cup

Join 50,000 to 100,000 other racing fans as the Husky men and women take on the Wiakato Club and Purdue University. The Kiwis are strong and fast; it’s going to be an exceptionally good race this year. Make plans to be at the Stewards’ Enclosure for the races and at the shellhouse after the races for the awards ceremonies.

 

 

 

 

Title IX Impacts

As we all know, Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made fundamental changes in intercollegiate athletics. Many are well know and widely discussed – old news, as it were – but one fascinating change might be little understood by many of you reading this newsletter.

Ten years ago, women’s rowing became a recognized sport by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, spurring huge growth in the sport. As part of its new status, the NCAA allowed women’s programs to offer as many as 20 scholarships to athletes. The availability of scholarships at so many schools and the interest in women’s rowing by great athletes across the country led to a leveling in the sport that remains today. There are dozens of women’s programs now in the United States and, in any given year, 12 to 16 that have a legitimate chance to win the National Championship.

The competition for athletes, as a consequence, has become intense. At Washington, we recruit three categories of female athletes, women who are capable of winning world championships (foreign as well as North American athletes), great rowers from Washington State, and great athletes from the Pacific Northwest who may not have rowed.

Why should you be interested and where do you fit into the picture? We need you to keep your eyes open for great athletes who haven't rowed, the high school basketball and volleyball stars for example, and let Eleanor and her staff know about them. On average, two out of eight women in the varsity boat will be walk-ons. They are a key component of the women's program and, with a simple telephone call to the coaches, you could be a major contributor to the program's tradition and success. Here is the number: 206 543-8886.

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Scholastics

High school athletes know that the University of Washington’s academic requirements have made it an especially difficult school to get into. And our rowing student-athletes have discovered that, once enrolled, measuring up both in the classroom and on the water can be even more difficult. But we are happy to report that nearly all of our young women and men are doing both very well. The successful ones invariably say that their busy schedule is an advantage, not a disadvantage, because it makes them become more efficient and more respectful of the time required to excel.

One of the challenges all coaches face is convincing their charges that classroom achievement is far more important than athletic achievement. Fortunately, our rowing program has a long history of academic excellence and it remains true today. Two years ago, the men’s varsity eight boasted a G.P.A. slightly above 3.5. Last year’s varsity squad and this year’s, too, have a way to go to reach that enviable level but the battle has been joined.

The women’s squad fared somewhat better than the men’s in the last two years. Their traditional rivals among the University’s athletic programs for best team G.P.A. have been the tennis, gymnastics, cross country and swimming programs. And since women’s rowing has significantly more athletes - 65 to 70 in all - it requires a major team effort to perform as well as the others. Still, women’s crew earned a team G.P.A. of over 3.2 last year and expects to do better this year.

Here’s the really good news. Michael Callahan reports that 82 percent of the athletes who entered the University of Washington from 1996 through 1999 graduated within six years. University officials say that that is the best rate among public institutions on the West Coast and 11th best in the nation among public institutions. The University’s graduation rate is tied for 25th among all 119 Division 1 schools.

Today’s athletes should take special pride in the fact that their program is resident in one of the finest and most academically distinguished public universities in the country. In one poll the University came in first; in others, it placed in the top ten, but we all know that rating is an inexact science. No matter where it ranks, it is fair to say that the nation’s finest collegiate rowing program is resident in one of the nation’s finest public institution of higher education. That’s no accident.

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VBC Banquet Reservation Form

Select this form, print it, and mail it with your check to:

                                    Husky Crew Awards Banquet

                                    University of Washington, Graves Building

                                    Box 354080

                                    Seattle, WA  98195

 Please reserve my spot at the 2007 VBC Banquet to be held at the Conibear Shellhouse on Friday, March 23, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Name: ________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City: ________________ State ___Zip ______ Email Address _________________

Please reserve ______ seats at $40 each $_______________________________

Make me a Sponsor for ____ seats at $65 each $_________________________

Make me a Patron for ____ seats at $100 each $_________________________

I can’t make it this year but I want to support the Huskies. Here is my donation.

            Sponsor at $25 $_____________________

            Patron at $60   $_____________________

I want to sit with the people I’ve listed on the back of this form.

I understand my name and those of my tablemates must be on a list at the door for entrance to the banquet. I have written the names and email addresses of each attendee on the back of this form.

Enclosed is my check for $_________ made payable to Washington Rowing Stewards

 

You can also get this form in MS Word or PDF format by clicking here or on the icon.

 

 

 

 

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