The Wisconsin women's crew team will be in action this weekend, leaving a frigid Madison for San Diego, Calif. Although the climate may be more pleasant along southern California's Pacific coast, the team cannot spend time basking in the weather; instead it must put together an impressive showing at the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday and Sunday.
The team's last meet was in Texas at the Longhorn Invitational over spring break. After coming off a strong meet, the women are looking forward to competing again soon and are hoping to build off the confidence gained in Texas.
""Racing in Texas was a great thing for us to establish a good, solid motivation for the rest of the season,"" senior co-captain Theresa Shields said.
After a disappointing finish at last year's nationals, the team is feeling better about where they are this early in the season compared to previous years. They have not forgotten the way they finished last year, which has served as motivation for them to improve this year. So far, that improvement and confidence have been evident to head coach Bebe Bryans.
""The team has a lot of confidence and racing savvy for this early in the season … They really have pushed hard and have made themselves accountable for the goals that they set at the beginning of the year,"" Bryans said.
A large part of this year's early-season improvement can be attributed to the team's seniors, including co-captains Shields and Claire Geiger.
""They both put their money where their mouth is. They're not afraid to tell it like it is on land and then really bring it and meet those high levels of expectation,"" Bryans said.
Shields also spoke about how the team has united this year and the role she has played in bringing the team together.
""I want to make sure that all of our team is on board, and I think there is honest leadership in our boat,"" Shields said. ""People respect the co-captains … We set an example for the goals we want to meet.""
The Badgers are glad they have another chance to get on the water and compete again early in the spring season. Shields said being able to get back on the water and to compete again earlier than usual will be helpful in being able to stay on course as they progress through the season.
Bryans is also looking forward to being able to have another chance to compete and improve early in the season.
""Because we get so little water time compared to everybody else, we're expected to start slow and get faster throughout the season, and so our mission on this [meet] is to come out swinging.""
The team is expecting fast competition and expects to see some of the same teams again later in the season, including at the NCAAs. The meet will be a good opportunity for the women to see where they stand against the competition.
""We want to be in the mix and make sure that we're establishing our name … It will be a good assessment; there are a lot of really competitive teams out there,"" Shields said.
As far as goals for the rest of the season, Shields said, ""We want to put out our fastest run and try to maximize our talent and the hard work we put in.""
It is safe to say that the women will work to live up to this standard this weekend in San Diego.
