Crew season gets underway

After enduring a strenuous off-season, the women's rowing team gets its chance to make an early statement in the squad's first race of the season in West Lafayette this Sunday. IU faces off against traditional rowing powers Purdue and Notre Dame.\nThe team spent a majority of its winter on the ergo meter, which is a machine designed to simulate rowing. They worked on steady state training, a form of sustained aerobic workouts, through 30-40 minute sets of activities. Also, the team worked on strength training, especially in the legs, building their endurance and increasing their intensity. \nFor spring break, the team traveled to Tims Ford State Park in Winchester, Tenn. There, they had three practices a day for four days. They also had a chance to get some racing experience in when they competed against the University of New Hampshire. Coach Mark Wilson said he felt that the off-season training went well.\n"Spring training went very well," Wilson said. "We focused a lot on being intense. We did a lot of speed work and used the erg a lot. We want to come into the season with the approach that we can do things."\nSophomore Annie Lawson said she agrees that spring training was a positive experience.\n"Spring break went really well," Lawson said in a statement. "Everyone was excited to get back in a boat for the first time and it really helped us come together as a team and as a boat. We all grew both closer and stronger over the week and are fired up to race this weekend."\nNotre Dame and Purdue will already have had racing experience coming into these races. Notre Dame has participated in three regattas and Purdue opens its season on Saturday against Marietta. The Hoosiers expect to see fierce competition in their first race of the season.\n"Purdue and Notre Dame are both good crews," senior Becky England said. "Things with us are starting to click, we're feeling good, and we're anxious to race."\nWilson said he expects stiff competition in the team's opener.\n"The first race of the season always makes you nervous," he said. "Purdue is the best club in the country and Notre Dame was a national championship qualifier last year."\nAfter a strong finish in the fall season, and a good off-season, England said the team feels that they are well prepared for the race this weekend, and for the rest of the season.\n"This weekend will be a good chance to see where we are," she said.\nWilson said he feels his team is ready to start the season.\n"The team is the most prepared it's ever been," Wilson said. "We need to race our race and we want to send the message that IU is here"