At 4:00a.m. the majority of campus life is sleeping or just turning in after pulling an all nighter. On American Lake however, dedicated athletes are beginning their day with a practice at sunrise.
The Puget Sound crew team wakes before dawn each day and drives 30 minutes to be on the water by 5 o’clock each morning. It takes utter dedication to turn in early each night in order to have an effective practice each morning of the week.
“Why Crew? It’s better to ask why not? Sure, early mornings, no late-nights, but the camaraderie and the sense of family are irreplaceable. Seeing the sunrise on American Lake and having a panoramic view of Mt. Rainier is also a perk. Every day I start off my morning doing something only about 30 other athletes did that day, and that’s special. We show up every day to work harder than we did the previous day. What can I say? We like to go fast,” junior Lindsay Hammond (Los Angeles, Calif.) said.
Over the past weekend, the Loggers were able to demonstrate their determination and commitment to the sport when they hosted the annual Daffodil Cup on their home American Lake.
According to Logger Athletics, the teams posted remarkable times. The varsity women, V8, held strong with a second place finish.
The men’s team, although they did not pull as strong of times, improved as the day progressed. Men’s V8 finished fifth while the MV4 finished fourth out of a seven-boat race.
The women’s team came in behind Western Washington, a Division II university. It is the team’s goal to make a dramatic change and push for first in the Conference Championships this spring.
“We are hopeful for another NCAA Nationals Bid again this year, and to win the Conference Championship title. Winning the Conference title would mean finally beating DII school and national Champ, Western Washington. We’ve been so close for many years in a row. We’re ready for a change,” sophomore Mariah Young (Los Angeles, Calif.) said.
As a hope for change in victories is occurring amongst the team, it is also experiencing change in the dynamics.
A recent change in the coaching staff has pushed both novice and varsity teams to their limits; however, it has been for the better.
“Sarah Moody, an alumna and former varsity rower here, is coaching the Novice women’s team. Kristin Goodrich is a world-class rower (Google this woman, she’s phenomenal) and has really whipped the guys into shape. The fall work we put in has put us in better fitness shape than most of us have been in,” Hammond said.
If the Daffodil Cup Regatta results are any indication as to the potential of the Loggers’ crew teams, then their season will continue to be quite impressive.
“With a smaller team our individual goals are very closely aligned. It creates a super competitive, yet super supportive, environment and while power not might be on our side this year, we are all working towards finding our optimum line-up giving us our best shot at being the fastest crew in the Pacific North West,” Hammond said.
The Loggers will travel to Vancouver, Wash. to take part in the NCRC Invitation on Apr. 2.