TicketsSept. 7, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---The University of Cincinnati rowing team, under the direction of second-year head coach Pam Mork, will begin its preseason training this weekend, as the Bearcats report to campus in preparation for the fall season.
The squad, which returns 27 letterwinners from a year ago, will hold its first meeting of the new season on Sunday, Sept. 10, before moving into its first two-a-day sessions a day later. Mork's Bearcats will practice twice daily from Sept. 11-19 with the intent to work on both individual skills and team cohesiveness.
"I am extremely excited to get these women back on campus and practicing," Mork says. "It's been a long summer and I'm eager to see them get back on the water and see what their fitness levels are. Each year we have a unique and special mix of people who make up our team and these first days back are big for building that team bond. We have last year's novices, new recruits and transfers joining together with the returning varsity rowers. This annual melting pot makes for a marvelous dynamic and these first few days are key to making that work with energy, commitment and enthusiasm."
For the 2006-07 season, Mork will count on a 10-member senior class for leadership and to set the tone for the squad. The class consists of Abby Beach, Crystal Coolbaugh, Emily Fox, Andrea Hedlund, Sarah Lautenslager, Jodie Lush, Angela Martin, Deirdre McCartney, Elizabeth Tremblay and Ashley Wolff.
The preseason will be chalk full of activities for the Bearcats, beginning with a rowing showcase event in Hamilton on Saturday. The UC rowers will also hold a fund-raiser for breast cancer later this month. Some of the conditioning activities planned for the team include rowing both on the water and on an erg, attending nutrition workshops, running the steps of Nippert Stadium, lifting weights and participating in yoga.
"It'll be alot of hard work, but it will be fun because of the type of people that make up this squad," Mork says of the preseason. "There is so much potential on this year's team and I'm excited to see it all begin."
The Bearcats' preseason training will all be in preparation for the team's regular season opener, the Head of the Elk on Oct. 29. UC will compete against Indiana on Oct. 15 in exhibition action.