Hoosiers 'out for blood' in Cincinnati

Improving the Varsity 8's technique is not a priority so early in the season, but a change of attitude is. Starting Saturday -- against Eastern Michigan University, the University of Dayton and host University of Cincinnati -- the Hoosiers intend to be merciless. \nIU coach Steve Peterson said the Varsity 8 "had a letdown" in last week's contest with George Washington University. At a point when his top boat should have put the Colonials away, it allowed GWU to creep back and turn the race into a dead heat. IU prevailed by barely two seconds. \nPeterson aims to make sure the crew drops rivals in the future. \n"It's been every stroke, every practice," he said. "We're trying to put everything out there to go fast and never let down. We have one pressure, and that's full pressure. Nothing else."\nThe Varsity 8 is making history in Peterson's second year at the helm. IU received votes for the first time in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing Poll released Wednesday. \nPeterson wants to be ranked, but polls will not change the way the Hoosiers prepare to meet long-range goals, which are shaped by persistent hard work and constant improvement. It is a view shared by his rowers, who take IU's landmark progress in stride and as impetus. \n"It's part of the plan," said junior Ashley Airis. "Being 7-0 helps to keep the momentum going."\nStill, Peterson is feeding his rowers wing nuts for breakfast at the boathouse. He wants them ruthless from now on.\n"We're working on attacking other boats," he said. "Not just to beat them -- but crush them."\nIU's second Varsity 8, with a 4-3 record, also has emphasized staying focused and maintaining unity heading into Saturday's event. Sophomore Elaine Deppe said the crew "lost it" when GWU rowed through them to victory on rough water. She knows what happens when a crew breaks its concentration and loses its rhythm. \n"You start to become an individual instead of a team rowing together," Deppe said. "Also, you want to pull harder, which throws your technique off, and then it all just goes to crap." \nThe race will be a return to familiar water for sophomores Dana Powell and Betsy Hibbard, transfers from Cincinnati now rowing in IU's Varsity 8. \nHibbard watched IU's progress from afar last year and was eager to be on a team that shared her aspirations. \n"I wanted to get to the NCAAs, and Steve talked me into it (transferring)," said Hibbard.Powell did not even consider IU when looking at colleges, but a decision her freshman year at Cincinnati to major in journalism brought Bloomington into a new light. She also "wanted to be a part of the new direction" for IU rowing. \n"I love my boat right now," Powell said.\nWith their killer instinct, however, Powell and Hibbard might be undesirable guests as they line up against their former teammates on Lake Harsha.\n"We're out for blood now," Hibbard said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Bill Meehan at wmeehan@indiana.edu.