Coming off a win at the Clemson Invitational, the UCLA rowing team is fired up as it prepares to face USC in San Pedro this weekend.
“The varsity eight was a real strength,” said associate head coach Justin Price. “They did a great job in some tough conditions and won all of the races against some pretty good opponents.”
With the great performance at the Clemson Invitational, the Bruins are still striving toward perfection as they near the Pac-12 championships. The team is working on the selection of the second varsity while preparing some lineup changes and a more consistent race performance.
After seeing USC at the San Diego Crew Classic for the first time, UCLA has been putting a lot of work into improving its overall performances and preparing for a win the second time it faces USC.
“We are really excited to show the speed we have gained over the past month,” said junior coxswain Chloe Kojima. “Every stroke we take at practice or in races is all about beating ‘SC and we are excited to put our work to task. We are preparing to be the fastest we can be during all of our races. Every piece is practice for our championship season.”
Having the crosstown rivalry fills the team with excitement, Price said, but the Bruins are focused on the light at the end of the tunnel as they try to be more prepared and qualified for the NCAA championships.
“I don’t think we are preparing any differently. To be honest the timing of it is interesting because it is two weeks before the Pac-12 championships so we really are going in there trying to take another step forward and trying to get a little bit more boat speed and trying to have a great performance from all crews,” said coach Amy Fuller Kearney. “You kind of have to put the biggest focus on the biggest events and those championship events definitely change. Our big NCAA selection is on the line and this is just a friendly crosstown rivalry.”
Focusing on the future of the team, the Bruins are centered on being the best regardless of their opponent, Kojima said. For the past few years the Bruins have faced exhibition as well as competitive races against the Trojans. However, with some friendly competition waiting for them this weekend, the Bruins have seen more excitement in practice preparing for the meet, according to Kojima.
“It’s always exciting. It’s always fun and we are always fired up to race our crosstown rivals. So that definitely adds an excitement and bragging rights and all that for sure,” Price said. “That rivalry is definitely going to bring out something special out of them in terms of their motivation and their excitement, but at the same time we always prepare whether it is training or racing to row off this race and to focus on ourselves and to perform at our very best.”