ROWING SUMS UP YEAR AFTER SPRING SEASON CANCELLATION

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- All club sports were canceled for the remainder of the 2020 Spring semester due to COVID-19 after Bryant University’s Spring break in March. We asked members of our club sports to sum up some of the best, worst, and cherished times together. Read below to learn more about Women’s Rowing and how they summed up their year. 

• What was the best competition/race you participated in and why? 

It would have to be the Head of the Charles this past Fall. It’s always an honor to be a part of the world's largest regatta and be in the same physical space as gifted athletes from various countries. We don’t always get a bid but we were lucky to get one this year. 

• What was the worst competition/race you participated in and why? 

The Wormtown Chase Regatta because it was a windy day which never makes things smooth for a race. We didn’t perform very well and morale overall felt low for the team. There were also 4 hours between races which always makes it difficult to get excited and stay warmed up for the race. It was the first time we participated in this particular race, so it was different adjusting to a brand new race course. Additionally, we lost our head coach at the beginning of of the 2020 year. This meant that the plans we had for Spring went out the window (training plan, Spring training trip, races). We had to completely realign what we needed to do for the season.

• What was a good general memory or highlight from this year? 

We had many PR’s this year mostly on the ergs during winter training. A lot of girls pushed themselves and there was a lot of growth from last year to this year. 

• What was a successful/fun non-competitive event you were a part of? 

We had a few cookie nights that were really successful. It's always awesome to get the support of the whole school when they order cookies from us.  

• What was a fun bonding experience your team did? 

Many girls would go to SPB bingo together which was something fun to do outside of rowing. We would also do team dinners before race day, so usually a Friday night we would have loads of pasts, meatballs, and bread which was really fun because we got to sit around and eat together! Cookie nights are another bonding experience—because usually, it’s rainy which makes it fun to look back on. 

• What will your team miss the most about this year? 

The seniors on the team are definitely sad that they miss out on their final race of spring season as it is their most competitive one. In general (I think I can speak on behalf of the team) we’ll miss the physical part of practices each day and lifting. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and obviously working out early in the morning makes you feel good the rest of the day. Since spring season is our most competitive, we’ll miss going to races and actually doing them. As painful as they are, you again get that sense of accomplishment and it’s fun when you’re with the team. I wanted to give a shout out to Rachel Balcom who stepped up to the challenge as taking over the role of head coach for the team. It wasn't by any means easy, but she did it with confidence and calmness which is what the team needed after losing the head coach from the Fall.

• What the team looks forward to next year?