Back on the water, pulling together for a strong finish

After a disappointing finish last season in the Pac-10 conference, the UCLA women’s rowing team added Beijing Olympic gold medalist Mark Hunter to its coaching staff this summer. The team begins the 2008-2009 season with great potential with returning co-captains Vanessa Teff, an All-American, and Candace Ferguson, along with a strong recruiting class.

At the Head of the Marina on Saturday, UCLA took the top two spots in the women’s 4, won the Novice 8 and placed second in the women’s 8, before heading to the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival on Sunday, where the team also placed well across events.

“We’re very happy,” assistant coach Bill Zack said. “What it means is that we have the potential to be very, very good this year. However, we won these events last year, so we just know that we’re on track and still have a lot of work ahead.”

Ferguson, who had been limited in practice due injury, was able to race in the women’s 8 boat on Saturday and Sunday.

“We raced in mixed lineups,” Ferguson said. “Between both boats, there was a lot of power and strength, and that’s a good sign for the season. This is a good building point. It was a good day for me because I was able to race and do pretty well.”

An unusual accident occurred on Sunday, however, when one of the team’s four boats was derailed by a powerboat on the 2.4-mile course in Newport.

“Unfortunately, this pleasure boat had been cruising through the racing strip,” Zack said. “And our boat had to finish the race half-filled with water.”

Nontheless, it was a strong start to the season and speaks to the potential of the 2008-2009 team that has the coaching staff excited.

“This is the most enthusiastic team I’ve seen so far in the rowing program,” Zack said. “NCAA qualification is the goal. We know the speeds we need to be competitive in the Pac-10, and we are working on getting there for the spring.”

The rowing season is particularly long, and although competitions begin in the fall, the Pac-10 and NCAA championships are not held until the spring. With mandatory 6:30 a.m. practice sessions and workouts later in the day, the season can be grueling.

“We put in team-building trips and mix it up with motivational speakers,” coach Amy Fuller Kearney said. “But you have to put in the hours. Rowers, if they’re going to be good, need to be highly motivated. Rowing is a Division I sport; it requires you to be a gifted, dedicated athlete.”

Last year, the Bruins had the talent to compete, but failed to qualify for the NCAA national championships with a seventh-place finish in its own conference.

“Last year, we had a ton of talent and rested on our laurels a little bit,” Fuller Kearney said. “We approached things from a negative standpoint. This year, we’re trying to create our experience and realize that opportunities don’t happen to you, you make them happen. We have a more positive attitude and we’re striving during workouts to be great.”

The team returns six seniors who have been four-year rowers and bring strong leadership to the squad. The coaching staff often looks to the captains, Teff and Ferguson, for leadership both inside the boat during races and outside the boat during practice and workouts to teach technique, values, and approach to the sport.

“I expect it to be better than last year,” Ferguson said. “We have a lot of depth with the freshmen class, and the returners have come back in the fall with some good adjustments. In the next couple of months, we’ve got to just keep building on what we have. Last year we didn’t peak at the right time, so we’ve implemented more training and changed how we do things and it’s helped us get better as a team.”

Two standout freshmen who figure to be key contributors this year include Anastasia Alexander, who was a junior world champion this summer, and Anna Musky-Goldwynn, who came from a premier junior program.

“Those two have come in with a solid level,” coach Fuller Kearney said. “They can come in right away and contribute on an NCAA boat. But I see a lot of our freshmen making improvements, and I can see them taking a big step and helping us compete.”

Both freshmen rowed on the collegiate women’s 8 boats that competed this weekend.

“All of the freshmen are good in their own way,” Ferguson said. “Those two, though, are so great on and off the water. Anastasia is totally a fighter, and so is Anna, and those two are going to contribute a lot this year.”

A third freshman, Ariel Handler was a coxswain for one of the boats this weekend.

Finally, the coaching staff believes that the addition of Hunter will give them the push they need to win the competitive Pac-10 and compete at NCAA championships this year.

“It’s always good to have a fresh look,” Zack said, “It’s good to have his perspective. He has great technique and obviously he pushes himself very hard.”

Fuller Kearney said Hunter, who has worked with the walk-ons, is approachable and well-respected by the rowers.

“He’s a breath of fresh air, and the girls respect his abilities,” Fuller Kearney said. “They want to impress him, so it’s fun to have him on the coaching staff. They like having somebody that they can admire but also ask for help.”

The Bruins hope that they will be able to compete in the Pac-10, and even get to the national championship.

“I want this year to feel as though everyone can be proud of it and not wish they could’ve done something better,” Ferguson said.

“Whether it’s to win our school’s first national rowing championship, win the Pac-10, or go to NCAA championships as a team.”

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