When the Gophers rowing team saw Wisconsin three weeks ago, the Badgers were the much faster team.
But Minnesota has finally had consecutive days âÄî even weeks âÄî of practicing on open water, and the Gophers are hoping to narrow that gap when the two face off Sunday.
âÄúThey were so much faster than us three weeks ago, but theyâÄôve gotten more water time and weâÄôve gotten more water time,âÄù head coach Wendy Davis said. âÄúWe want to go out there and be as fast as we can possibly be on Sunday and not allow nerves or choking or any of that stuff.
âÄúWe want to say, âÄòThis is the best weâÄôve got,âÄô and put it on the line.âÄù
Wisconsin and Minnesota competed against Michigan and Michigan State, but not each other, in the Big Ten Double Duals on April 9. In the morning session of the meet, WisconsinâÄôs first varsity eight was 12 seconds faster than MinnesotaâÄôs. The BadgersâÄô second varsity eight finished the course 16 seconds faster than the Gophers.
The final race of the regular season starts Sunday at 8 a.m. in Madison, Wis., just two weeks before the Big Ten championships.
Having practice time on the water allowed Davis and the Minnesota staff to tweak the lineup during practice and deduce which is the fastest. Even though Davis hasnâÄôt decided on this weekendâÄôs lineup, she said she could see the all-around improvement, noting that some boats have cut as much as four seconds per 500 meters.
âÄúItâÄôs not like the other teams are standing still, but thatâÄôs a big jump in three weeks,âÄù Davis said.
The Gophers are also closer to full strength heading into the dual. Sophomore Becky Kinchen will row in the second varsity eight after missing the last month with an illness. Nearly 10 members of the top two boats have fallen ill at times this spring, Davis said, but she thinks âÄúthe little bugâÄôs run its course.âÄù
Davis suggests adding alumni to booster club
The Gophers held a 10-year anniversary party at the boathouse last Saturday, during which Davis said she promoted the idea of changing the makeup of the teamâÄôs booster club.
Parents used to run the booster club, but the inevitable turnover led to problems. Davis hopes to have some alumni to step in and run the club.
âÄúWe would like the alums to get a vibrant booster club going,âÄù she said. âÄúNow that we have 10 years of alums I think itâÄôs the perfect time to get something like that going.âÄù
About 50 former rowers attended SaturdayâÄôs event, many of whom were on the 2000-01 team when the Gophers switched from a club to a varsity sport. Highlights of the first 10 years for Davis include beating Iowa and Wisconsin in 2002 and forcing an NCAA noise ordinance in 2004 for having such loud fans.
