Wednesday, October 29, 1997
Crew dreams of smooth water
FEATURE: Team handles rough training schedule for NCAA
competition
By Alvin Cadman
Daily Bruin Contributor
Former National Rowing Coach Jim Dietz once said, "Rowing is a
sport for dreamers. As long as you put in the work, you can own the
dream. When the work stops, the dream disappears." Obviously, he
does not truly understand the lack of dreams that come to the UCLA
men’s crew team.
The training schedule is as rough as the choppy waters that
these men must paddle through daily. Members generally wake up
around 4:30 a.m. four days a week and make up much of their
deprived sleep in their free time during the day. They meet the
rest of the team at 5:10 a.m. near the top of Bruin Walk before
proceeding to the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center in Marina Del Rey.
Upon arrival 20 minutes later, men’s varsity head coach Doug Miller
quickly divides the rowers into groups of eight and sends them
"OTW," or "on the water."
Handling their boat with care, each crew team member helps to
lift the boat on their shoulders to the launching dock. Careful
steps are taken to ensure safety and maximum boat performance
through mandatory boat checks from bow to stern and port to
starboard. As soon as everything is in order, the rowers push off
and await their encounter with the waters that lie ahead.
"(Rowing) is a miracle in of itself," said varsity captain Dave
Lin. "You have to be thinking together and be perfectly connected
all throughout to even possibly do well in crew. It gives us a
sense of appreciation to have a good crew that can work together
and be fast on the water as well."
The responsibilities of the boat’s constituents range from the
power rowers, often referred to as "the engine room," to the
consistent rowers in the back of the boat with the coxswain. This
individual is largely responsible for steering the boat and making
key split-second decisions about strategy during the race.
The official season will not begin until next spring , but the
crew team is readying themselves for the upcoming racing season.
During this span of time, the teams will compete against other
schools in three-mile races by time-trial format to tune up for the
official season.
As a member of the West Coast Intercollegiate Rowing Association
(WIRA), the Bruins, along with all the Pac-10 conference teams
excluding Arizona schools due to geographical conflicts, comprise
the Pac-8 conference. When the official conference season begins
next spring, the teams will be competing in two-kilometer races in
head-to-head competition.
Men’s crew has switched back and forth from the status of being
a club and being an intercollegiate sport. Coaches throughout the
country prefer that the sport of rowing remain a club sport at most
universities. One of the primary reasons for this is due to strict
NCAA regulations. The NCAA mandates that teams can practice only
three weeks with their coach out of season. The need for this
player-coach interaction in crew is essential to create a good
cardiovascular base for each individual rower, as well as to
provide instructional supervision to create a top-level crew
program, like that of UCLA.
"I’ve developed some opinions about how to row and what is
important in rowing. Coaching at the collegiate level gives me the
opportunity to test out those theories on people," Miller said. "I
believe that both power and technique go hand in hand. Without one
of these, you cannot be successful."
Novice rowers are especially attentive and influenced by the
leadership of coaches and other rowers. With little to no previous
rowing background or knowledge, the future of men’s crew here at
UCLA lies in the ability to learn from the coaching staff, as well
as good team chemistry.
"I had heard crew is a lot of work. I had never heard of crew
before, so I decided to try it," novice rower Andrew Yonce said. "I
enjoy being out on the water in the morning when it is peaceful and
watching the sunrise. It is a great start for the day."
These men endure strenuous practices, including four to eight
miles of running per day, some of which include running the stairs
at Drake Stadium. In addition, they alter their class schedules to
be out on the water in the morning as often as they can. With the
commitment and dedication that each member possesses, the men’s
crew team has confidence as they rapidly approach competition at
the San Diego Fall Classic.
The second largest rowing competition on the West Coast features
arch-rivals Loyola Marymount and USC, as well as UC Berkeley, UC
San Diego, Harvard, Yale and No. 1-ranked Washington
University.
Only after achieving their rowing goals and dreams, and
hopefully a Pacific Coast Rowing Championship, will UCLA men’s crew
find a sense of tranquility in a long slumber.
Both the men’s and women’s crew teams encourage those who are
interested in joining to contact men’s varsity team captain Dave
Lin at (310) 267-8346. For more information about crew or any other
club sport at UCLA, contact the Wooden Center at (310)
825-3701.