NEWSLETTER CONTINUED

SUCCESS! 2K FOR $200K FUNDRAISER CONTINUED

July 2, 2021

The fundraiser was broken into four  500’s, just like a typical 2k race. In the fall, the students took the lead for the first 500, and got it off to a great start raising over $21k. In the second 500, the BRC lead the effort and was able to add another $62k. The third 500 included the Auction, where over $88k was added, and the final stretch, which included Dam Proud Day, raised over $56k. 

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Thanks to all of you who participated, here are some of the benefits we can see already:

-New bike ergs being added to the rowing erg fleet (a great cardio alternative to mix in that’s easier on the back).

-Plans for a new men’s racing shell to be added next year.

-Both teams were able to carry a larger racing roster than would otherwise have been possible, giving more students the rowing team experience that we all value (and it can help push the top boats to be faster).

WOMEN'S TEAM, YEAR IN REVIEW CONTINUED

July 2, 2021

By Kate Maxim

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It was difficult to resolve the heartache of a lost spring season especially since we all felt there was tremendous momentum brewing and the biggest question our team wrestled with was: how do we take care of each other through this and at the very least protect the positive gains we had made within the team culture? As the head coach, I felt responsible for the overall mental, emotional, and physical well-being of 41 athletes at a whole new level of intensity. What I learned was that we needed everyone on the team to share that responsibility and we worked on strengthening our communication infrastructure to support that effort so that we had access to one another no matter our physical location at any given time. The connection, support, and motivation to move forward together that was built from within the team is the greatest gift from this experience. Without the guarantee of pretty much anything, we focused our conversations and goal setting on developing leadership within each individual and established an expectation that each person was accountable for the influence she was having on the team no matter what the circumstances were that day. 

It was stunning to watch each person truly shed the misconception that a team only has a few leaders and adopt the view that leadership is influence and every person has influence whether she wanted that or not. Accordingly, each person was asked to look within and call her best self to action and draw each decision in line with her individual and collective team values. That is how we not only survived—but began to thrive over the past 14 months. Simple daily communication and a willingness to pounce on any opportunity to be together in person and train together—be it 12 feet apart on the erg, or practicing remote yoga via zoom during quarantines, or increasing our reliance on running, or sharing 11 singles and 4 pairs with the men’s team all fall long. 

Once we got the ok to move into team boats in January, the morale instantly shot up and there was such a feeling of gratitude and full presence at practice emanating from every seat. The work they did in small boats translated beautifully to the team boats and they were so responsive to coaching. 

One advantage of remote learning and strict Covid protocols meant that their physical recovery outside of practice was probably the best it has ever been and as a result, their progress was exponential on the water and on the ergs. And yet, we still had no clarity on a spring racing season until mid-February. So, we focused on competitive training strictly for the sake of what competitive training teaches each person and how it builds a team. We did it for the experience itself without any tangible racing goals to serve as motivators. Because of that, intrinsic motivation and pure love of rowing and of the team came through stronger than I’ve ever witnessed before. 

Now, were we as fit as we could have been? Absolutely not. BUT there were several updates to the Top 20 2k and 6k record board and the freshmen, in particular, gained a ton of speed (as most freshmen have a tendency to do in their first year). We did start to build a more consistent body of work in our training and the emotional resilience, trust, and dedication to one another offset some of our missing speed. 

Once we gave the team the news that we're going to race—they were elated…and they just threw themselves into every practice with reckless enthusiasm and relentless competitiveness. We didn’t get to seat race as much as would have liked given the time crunch and because of the increased risk of being shut down as a team if we had just one positive Covid test result. But the side-by-side work was so fun! Racing each other was cathartic and they pushed each other out of love for one another. 

It was awesome to see them take that energy to the racecourse race for the very first time in over 12 months against WSU at Dexter Lake. The results indicated that we were still within competitive range and that was simply added incentive and confirmation that we had done good, hard, respectable work through incomprehensible circumstances. 

Next, we lined up against some Big Ten schools in Ohio and were thrilled to see that we were also competitive OUT of conference. More importantly, it was a blast to travel again together as a team. We’ve missed so much of that non-practice-related time together as a team. While we were not able to do full team meals and instead take our meals to respective rooms, we still reveled in the connection that stems from conversations on bus rides, plane rides, trailer loadings, and boat meetings. With every day, the fabric of the team just kept knitting tighter and tighter. 

Once we hit mid-season with our race in Las Vegas, we were primed to take on the rest of the conference along with Alabama and again we put down some solid results against the Pac 12 schools, got ahead of USD, and really close (photo finish in the 2V8 and V4, 4 seconds behind in the V8) on Alabama who then ranked 8th in the country and went on to finish 13th at NCAAs. 

We were thrilled to pull off a Dexter Lake Invite somewhat last minute and welcomed the chance to line up against Sac State, UW, USC, and Gonzaga on our home course. Racing five boats across was invigorating for the team. But one of the more defining moments happened just after loading the trailer for the race the day before. Members of the junior class drew the team in and said it was time to set some serious competitive outcome goals—they asked the team to rally around the goal to earn a bid to NCAAs. They understood this goal would require consistent performances and wins over the bottom 3 Pac 12 teams and closing the margins on the top 3 for the remaining three racing opportunities of the regular season. 

This was the first time this messaging has come from within the team since I’ve been here as a head coach. It was moving to see them finally take the reins and decide for themselves what needed to happen and lead the charge in execution. The V8 and the junior class drove those internal conversations and my job became simply to support them by giving them the training plan, giving them technical feedback, helping them build a race strategy, and help them process their decisions. They did all the motivating and guided the team in how to respond to every opportunity given to them. Yes, they realized it was a little late in the season to set those kinds of goals—but this shift for the program in the grand scheme our development needed to happen and I’m glad the juniors did not wait until their senior year to take the reins. 

The rest of the season included a great performance at Dexter Lake Invite, our second dual with WSU, and finishing 4th as a team at Pac 12s (the best team performance since 2009). The V8 finishing 4th at Pac 12s was a reflection of what the entire team achieved together. That V8 was pushed and supported and relied upon in a new way and those individuals rose to the occasion to make history in honor of their teammates.

Sadly, the performance wasn’t enough to get a bid as we finished 5th in the NCAA events just one point behind WSU who went on to finish 15th at NCAAs. Though not getting selected for NCAAs was painful, the team immediately pivoted and drafted their plans and goals for the next year which included an unwavering commitment to summer training and a voluntary return mid-August to train together as a team for a few weeks before we as coaches are permitted to officially coach them. 

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Here’s some more insight directly from the team:

From Junior 3 seat of the V8 Sierra Bishop: “With the amount of uncertainty this year held, we all had to come together to get through the challenges. I saw our team transform as we went into racing season. Every week it was awesome to watch people from each class and each boat get more confident in their competitiveness. A turning point for me was competing at the Dexter Lake Invite. Knowing USC has been a big competitor over the years, I was nervous to race them, but we threw down. I set my expectations high that we would cross the finish line ahead of them and work the margin on UW.  As nervous as I was to be disappointed, I was able to be ecstatic when we did it and let out a huge ‘Yeah Beavs!’ after finishing that race. Beyond all the racing experience, I’m grateful for the supportive environment we’ve built together on this team. I’m stoked to be competing at the U23 World Championships next month with the US U23 team, and I know I couldn’t do it without feeling the love and support of my teammates and best friends.”

From Freshman 7 seat of the 3V8 Zoe Bishop: ‘Having Covid effect my first collegiate rowing season taught me a lot about myself and allowed me to learn more about my teammates. This team was handed many obstacles and I am proud to say that I have teammates that have that handled them all with an optimistic and growth mindset. We took the time to use each obstacle as a learning moment. All of freshman year was a learning experience for me, as I think it is for everyone. It was very intriguing to learn from my upperclassman in terms of team goals. Their guidance has helped me and the rest of the freshman class rally around something to work towards. A personal highlight for me was the 3V8’s race at PAC 12’s. That was probably the most connected I’ve felt with not only my boat, but the team as a whole. It felt like all of the pieces of this big puzzle of a season had finally come together and all of the work we had been doing in the short time we had been together, finally showed for something. It was such a proud moment for all of us and we felt like we had made an impact. This chaotic season has taught me to enjoy the process, because it goes by so fast. The girls next to you will be with you forever. They do the work, and have goals of coming back and doing it even better. I’m so glad that I get three more years with these amazing athletes and incredible friends.”