Friday, September 25, 2009
A dazzling boathouse fully equipped with a workout room, flat screen TVs and an artillery of boats and oars overlooks the olive-tinted Kansas river. It stands tall, an anomaly to the surroundings by Burcham Park in north Lawrence — a seemingly forgotten wasteland of rickety train tracks, gnarled grass, muck infested waters and a parking lot.
Kansan file photo
Rowers work together at the 2009 Big 12 Rowing Championship. New rowers often have no previous knowledge of the sport and must start from the beginning at the University level.
This used to be all that the Kansas rowing team had. Now, they turn the page with the boathouse as the empowering symbol to their transition. The next step: building a team.
Most of the girls on the team had never done this before. Some players said growing up they were expected to play soccer or softball. It’s just not as easy to find a body of water, a boat and an oar as it is to find a bunch of girls with cleats, shin guards and a soccer ball. So year after year, coach Rob Catloth must teach a fresh batch of athletes a sport they’ve never known.
“It’s like learning a foreign language,” Catloth said. “You’ve got to learn the nautical terminology.”
Then comes the work on the boat.
Coach Catloth Says...
“Water’s not something you wanna fight, you’ll lose!”
—Catloth preaches that the easier it is to row, the faster you’ll go. When one rower said that she likes making herself work, Catloth advised otherwise.
“Don’t drop the hands down!”
—In order to maximize the use of the oar, it is essential to keep your hands elevated at a certain position. That way, the blade of the oar strikes the perfect amount of water to make your boat speed ahead.
“Shoulders straight and level!”
—It is easy to let the power of the water take you over. By keeping your shoulders straight, you are enabling your body to rely on all the right muscles and keep your oar at perfect angle.
“Don’t let your back collapse!”
—While rowing uses all of the major muscles in your body, none are more important than back muscles. By keeping your back upright and strong, you are getting the most out of your muscles and making your boat as fast as it can be.
While rowing may look like a grueling test to the biceps, Catloth insists that the key to maximizing your physical potential lies in the back muscles.
“We’re trying to improve technique every day,” Catloth said. “Let it be awkward until it’s natural.”
Sophomore Kathryn Schoonover, who is rowing for her second year, said the coaches are well aware of the lack of experience throughout the team.
“They really understand that most girls have never seen this before,” Schoonover said.
With a group of such little experience, the majority of practices are held on the water. Associate head coach Jennifer Myers is in charge of the novice group and she tails the two boats of eight girls during practice with her own motorboat, critiquing their every move through a megaphone.
“Everyone’s started in the same position,” Myers said. “You’ve got to work yourself up.”
Everyone starts from nowhere and works their way to triumph together. Unity is an integral theme to a sport that relies on synchronization. Together, the girls lift the boat and take it to the water. Together, they sit in the boat, learning the sport with every sweep, taking with them every bit of advice they can garner. Together the girls then take the boat out of the water and clean it. And after it all, together they get a cool drink and laugh about it.
“Being together almost five a hours a day will get you close fast,” Schoonover said. “If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t be here.”
Sitting around, cracking jokes and stretching before practice, the team collectively noticed three naked people sitting on a small island in the middle of the river. One girl shouted, “I want to go over there!” The rest of the girls pointed and giggled — just a standard day at rowing practice.
It is this ability to have fun as a group that will translate to success on the water. Catlorr said when everyone enjoys being a team, that is when you begin to row as a team and reach unprecedented heights.
“You definitely have a stronger team when they’re focused on one goal, working towards that goal,” Catloth said.
Then, the metamorphosis has been made.
“By the end of March, they’ve got to be ready to compete as Division I athletes,” Catloth said.
— — Edited by Abbey Strusz
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