It is hard to believe that we are already into our Spring break training! Spring season always flies by so fast and this year is no exception. We are still a healthy sized team with the Varsity squad sitting at two 8’s and a 4 with four very dedicated and competitive coxswains. The Novice squad is holding strong at three 8’s also with 4 enthusiastic coxswains. This Monday starts the San Diego State University spring break. For most students, spring break means sleeping in, laying on the beach and well, general debauchery. For SDSU crew; it means a week of two intense practices/day, ending with a dramatic end: The San Diego Crew Classic Regatta.
At the beginning of this year, I told the team that we would be training through most of our races. The way I have planned our training program, we will be our fastest at SDCC, WIRA and for those who are going, ACRA (our national championship). I know that it has been frustrating for the team that they have not felt 100% for our last few races but they understand that the work they did during those weeks will directly affect our speed come these “peak week” races. We also can feel fully prepared for this upcoming race.
San Diego Crew Classic is a special regatta in that we get to compete against other teams that we will potentially only see again at our national championship. We have a strong community in our southern California rowing peers however, it is a wonderful opportunity to race against teams from all over the country so that we can have a better evaluation of our speed nationally. We even have a practice scheduled this week with friendly rivals Washington State University.
Crew Classic also represents the time in our season when we have our Banquet and see many familiar alumni and supporter faces. We hope that we can see as many of you not only at the race but also at our banquet on Friday night. This year we are excited that the banquet is being held at the Catamaran Resort, a pillar in the Mission bay community. I would like to extend an invitation for anyone visiting or hoping to reconnect with the team to come to a practice this week. Just give me a heads up and we can find a time for you to come and meet the new squad and see what we are up to these days. We have a deep rooted history and we want everyone who has worn the tank, or loved someone who has worn the tank, to feel welcome with the current squad and visa versa. As we all know, this is a trying sport and we need to support and respect all of those who have had a strong enough will to go the distance for this program. The current squad is certainly putting in the effort to wear the tank with pride.
Cheers,
Coach Julia Gamache
I can be reached at rownovice@gmail.com
The Varsity 8, Varsity 4, and Novice 8 gather for a team photo at the Parker Cup
LMU, Irvine, and the Aztecs pose for a group photo at this years Parker Cup