University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL DIARIES - ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ
April 07, 2005 | Rowing
April 7, 2005
The Tennessee Lady Volunteer rowing team went on a road-trip to the left coast last weekend to participate in the San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay in San Diego, Calif. The Lady Vols would send their top two Varsity Eight shells to San Diego, as the top V8+ would race for the Jessop-Whittier Cup and the Second Varsity 8+ would compete for the Jackie Ann Stit Hungness Memorial Trophy. Eighteen student-athletes from Tennessee would fly across the country with their suitcases packed for last weekend's competitions. One of the student-athletes, junior rower Elizabeth Schwartz, brought her notebook along and jotted down some memories of her first trip to San Diego.
Dear Lady Vol Diary,
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Leaving for San Diego, Calif., tomorrow was all that was on my mind when I got up this morning. Thoughts of what racing would be like for my first trip to the regatta was definitely something that carried me through the pieces we did in pairs for practice this morning. It was a beautiful Tennessee day and the high rate, short pieces that all crews did this morning will bring us where we need to be in four days at the start line.
Also, today the national polls came out with our first in-season ranking. Personally the 10th ranking was something that fired me up for what is to come in the next couple of weeks. Being a part of the Varsity 8+ shell and a team that is so driven to move forward this season has given me hopes of something more that only our collective hard work will bring in the future.
Finally, we finished the day a little later than normal so that my boat could all practice together without classes getting in the way. (Boathouse Manager) Karla Sass left for California on Monday, with all of our racing equipment, so we took an older Eight off the rack to row on the water. With some shifts in lineups, our boat took some high technical oriented strokes that would carry us out of Knoxville, and straight to San Diego.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
When we met at Stokley in the late morning to leave for the airport, we were greeted with some great company. Several novices, coaches and fellow varsity supporters had come to wish us off. "The Rock" had been painted with a message that truly hit home with me before we left: "Lady Vol Rowers, Holdin' the Rope," with the picture of a rope connecting Knoxville to San Diego on a map. I remember doing the same thing for the Varsity two years ago as a novice when the season's theme was "Emerging." Thinking of this program two years ago from my position and seeing it now gives that word a whole new purpose as we work to continue its progression into the nation's high competition spotlight.
Hours of flights and a small layover put us right on schedule in San Diego. There was NO HUMIDITY and a gorgeous sunset welcomed us as we left the airport.
Friday, April 1, 2005
A nice wind kept us company at the site this morning, as we rowed over the course. As the coxswains got a feel for the water and atmosphere, our Big Orange army traveled down lanes one and two several times to get some short pieces with race plan strokes as our focuses.
After a light lunch and some down time, we went back to the site. One last row over the course with a great in-boat focus was the objective for our practice and that was exactly what we did. We were ready for racing and tomorrow would bring something every rower loved to be apart of.
Saturday, April 2, 2005 (First Day of Racing)
After an early breakfast and a little down time, we were off to the course. Today's conditions were totally different from the day before. Getting hands on, walking the boat down into the water and coach pushing us away to race brought us into our tunnel. Before we even knew it, the warm up and the race were over and done with. Third place with a nose over Texas was the result of our first heat, and the top-three finishes advanced to the final. A nose got us to the Grand Final on Sunday, and that was something our boat thought long and hard about.
After stretching we had the opportunity to watch the Second Varsity Eight race down the course. With a third-place finish as well, they were not as lucky as us to advance to the Grand Final the next day. The 2V8+ would participate in the Petite Final, with a lane two assignment on Sunday. Unsatisfied was the only word that crossed all of our minds. Both crews left the course with a lot that could be worked on for new speed going into Sunday, our last chance.
Sunday, April 3, 2005 (Final Day of Racing)
A later start this morning due to different race times gave my boat about an hour of extra sleep, an extra hour that the daylight savings time and three-hour time change would later let our bodies appreciate. Watching the 2V in its race gave me and my boat a new level of fire that only our team could generate within us.
Today's race would be even more challenging than the day previous, and before we went out on the water we all decided that no excuses would come from any one stroke of the race once we had crossed the line.
Again the race was over in a flash, and we crossed the line sixth. No excuse of conditions, other teams or pressure can explain that race. We, as a boat, put everything we had on the race course and today we did not finish where we wanted to. After a couple of minutes of cool-down rowing away from shore, my boat stopped and turned to row in back to our waiting team. A silence fell over us that I will never forget before anyone moved after Butter's (Coxswain Ashley Butturini) "way enough" call. I could feel something within our boat that I had never felt before as a Tennessee rower, and at that point in time everything in the world stopped. We were sixth.
Monday, April 4, 2005
By 6 a.m., we were all in the lobby eating breakfast together before our flights back to Tennessee. Standing in long lines, hours on uneventful flights, and a knowledge of the weekend being behind us, made the day last forever. My best friend welcomed me at the shuttle making me feel right at home. The evening was very short, because I knew in the morning we would start working again toward something that we had not achieved yet. I knew I was happy because I was home, but also I knew that this weekend would truly define what our team was all about and the direction the end of the season would take us to. Only we know what we can do.
