Women's rowing faces more obstacles than just its opponents.
Orange Takes It One Race At a Time
4/5/2005 12:25:10 PM | Women's Rowing
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After the first two races of the rowing season, the Orange is upbeat and ready for the next challenge. SU’s varsity eight opened the spring season with a victory against Boston University, which propelled the Orange from No. 20 to No. 18 in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing poll.
Although the varsity eight came in seconds behind the second-ranked Yale Bulldogs last weekend, the crew continues to improve and believes the race was a success.
“Our goal for last weekend was to win,” SU senior captain Anna Goodale said. “We raced a great race and came within four seconds of Yale. Although it was not a win, I feel it was a success. I think that we came away from the race with confidence, but we realize that we have more work to do and are not satisfied.”
The No. 2-ranked crew was not the only obstacle for the SU women’s rowing team last weekend; the race was changed from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon. Syracuse was traveling on the New York State Thruway when the team learned that weather presented another challenge. The Orange began to mentally prepare, on the bus, for a race that was moved up 18 hours because of the weather forecast. Rather than arriving in Connecticut and getting a restful night’s sleep, Syracuse would step off the bus and into their respective boats.
Sophomore Casey Irving, a member of the varsity eight boat, was not going to let a schedule change distract her.
“It forced all of us to be more adaptable to changing conditions,” Irving said. “If we allowed ourselves to get hung up on the uncontrollable details, we would be distracted from the real task at hand. The schedule change may have been a surprise, but I think everyone handled it well.”
Syracuse’s next race will pit the Orange against the University of Pennsylvania and Northeastern University for the Orange Challenge Cup. The Orange has claimed the Cup the last two years and three of the last four. The race is scheduled for Saturday morning, April 9, in Boston, but the forecast is not promising and a change may be in store for the second straight week.
Sophomore Ruth Frantz, a member of the second varsity eight, feels the Orange will not let a schedule change become an excuse this week either.
“You can’t let a schedule change affect your mindset,” Frantz said. “Once you get on the bus to go to a race, you should be in race mode.”
The Orange has high hopes each season and sets its goals accordingly. Goodale has confidence in her team and the first two races have only increased her confidence.
“The essential goal of the program is to go as far as possible and to win NCAA’s,” Goodale said. “Great achievement takes great commitment. I think it comes down to making the NCAA’s a priority. I feel our talent, strength, focus and attitude combined with our heart has an exciting amount of potential.
“This team has the potential of doing it, but it is important to remember that it takes reaching small goals and going one step at a time.”
The goal this week is to bring the Orange Challenge Cup back to Syracuse for the third consecutive year. This race comes first, then the next and the next; one step at a time.
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