A season of practicing as the sun rises could come to an end
this weekend at the Pac-10 Championships in Lake Natoma, Calif.
Depending on overall performances of every team in the country,
the UCLA women’s rowing team could continue to nationals or
they could just show up for one final practice Tuesday and call it
a year.
“Anything can happen,” junior co-captain Erin Rice
said.
The outcome is hard to predict for a conference with so many
nationally ranked teams. The Bruins will compete against a handful
of top crews, including Cal and USC. UCLA barely lost to Washington
State at the San Diego Crew Classic earlier this season, and the
Bruins expect another close race with the Cougars.
“We are in a really fast conference,” Rice said.
“Really fast.”
In preparation for the conference championships and to increase
their odds of continuing to the NCAA Championships, the Bruins have
been fine-tuning during practice. They have worked on maintaining
speed and staying strong in the second 1000 meters.
“One of our weaknesses is the middle 1000 because we see
our splits start to go up around the middle,” Rice said.
As another motivational tool, coach Amy Fuller Kearney always
reminds the team about competitive greatness. She sets the tone by
demanding that UCLA own its races. On Sunday, Fuller Kearney
expects her boats to be the ones pulling ahead at the halfway mark.
She will hold her coxswains accountable for anticipating when other
schools attempt to take the lead. At that moment, she wants her
boats to get quicker and make the move forward.
“We’re hoping for a team bid and that’s a very
good possibility if we do well this weekend,” Rice said. The
Bruins are seeded fifth out of 13 teams, ahead of a typically
strong Stanford, which has considerably more scholarship
rowers.
Results of the teams that qualify for nationals will be released
next Tuesday. A total of 12 schools will receive team bids, and an
additional four schools will get a bid for their varsity eight
boat.
Last year, the Bruins’ varsity boat competed at the NCAA
Championships thanks to an at-large bid; this year UCLA aims to
build upon that success by sending the entire team. Fuller Kearney
said she is very optimistic about the possibility.
Before racing Sunday, the varsity team will meet to discuss
strategy. With one graduating senior, Liz Pallas-Jacobs, and many
incoming freshmen, the rowers will ignore the fact it could be
their last race together as a team. Instead, as they huddle in
front of friends and family, the girls will focus on different
parts of the race. They will get their heads in the right place and
focus on pulling ahead to earn a spot at nationals.