Oct. 25, 2002

Throughout the season, members of the UNC rowing team will provide TarHeelBlue.com readers with an inside look at the Carolina program and the experience of being a varsity athlete at North Carolina. This installment, the eighth of the 2002-03 school year, is by Abi Raja, a sophomore from Charlotte.

Hello Carolina Rowing Fans!

This week has been action packed! Our first practice back from Fall Break was a morning conditioning Mile Run test. This is the second one we've taken. Most people took time off from their first test. It was great to see everyone improving. After that we did a 35-40 minute run.

Monday afternoon at practice we had the pleasure of moving the dock. Since the rain of last few weeks our lake has risen considerably and we do not need as much jetfloat (black floaties that connected the wood dock on the water to another wood dock on land) as we did before. So with the help of the novices and eventually the novice men as well, we moved the wooden dock on land, removed a section of jetfloat, repositioned the angle of the dock in the water to account for the new water, and moved the dock on land again. It was a long process during which we had to be watchful so that the dock on the water did not float away, when it wasn't tied to anything. After the dock was settled in its new home, we took out three fours and did some seat racing pieces for our race on October 26, the Blue & White Scrimmage. We seat raced four times, with each pair (stern pair, middle pair, bow pair and end pair).

In weights on Tuesday we finished the last day of a four-week program. As always, weights are an important part of our training, allowing us to get more out of our training on the water. Tuesday afternoon we learned our lineups for the Blue & White Scrimmage and took out one eight, one four, a pair and a single. Unfortunately, Mary Miller flipped her single and got soaked. This is the reason we make everyone flip test before allowed out in small boats - that is, everyone who goes out in a small boat has proven that they can get back into the boat after having fallen out. It can be quite dangerous to be unable to get back in the boat, especially when the weather (and water) is getting colder.

On Wednesday morning we had a pleasant change in our morning conditioning: we played soccer. Many of our athletes played soccer in high school and everyone enjoyed the competition. At one point we had four balls going at one time! Wednesday afternoon we were on land and did four by 4K (4000 meters three times) on the slides. The slides mimic the motion of the boat, making the rowers concentrate on more than just pulling hard. Ratio (the time of the drive vs. the time of the recovery) is crucial when doing pieces on the slides.

On Thursday morning we started a new program in the weight room. Everyone is working hard to get strong before we have to go off the water. Thursday afternoon we took out three fours and did race pieces from the top of the lake, down to the bridge, around an orange buoy and back up the straightaway. We had some intense competition and it was a great way to move towards our weekend of racing. Friday, weights were toned down to account for the upcoming race.

This entire week has been spent gearing up for the Blue & White Scrimmage. It should be a fun-filled day with lots of great races and a crash course in rowing terminology for our parents and friends who get confused when we say "rigger", "cox box", "erg", and other familiar terms. We will even take them out in the boats, so they can get a feel for what we do every day. We are all very excited about it.

More to come later from your favorite UNC crew,

Abi Raja