Permanent link for Rowing Club Takes on Georgia Over Spring Break - Day 3 - 3/7/23 on March 14, 2023

Day three (Tuesday, March 7th) 

Josie Heintz 

Tuesday morning was busy for the GVSU Rowing team. We had breakfast around 7:30 and left the hotel at 8:20 for practice! 

When we got to the course this morning the varsity women worked on catches in 8s. One boat was in the Schintz and the other was testing a new Vespoli! It was very smooth and very exciting to row in. Especially as a cox because the steering was great! We did some steady-state rowing and backing drills to get back in the swing of things. We took a 30-minute break and then went out for part two! We did more steady state and pause drills. The weather was so beautiful until the wind gusts picked up. Even so, it was still a great practice. 

Afterward, we were set free to explore Georgia on our own. I decided to go on a hike at Amicalola Falls state park. The hike was only two miles but the 200+ stairs had us hurting! It was so much fun, and the views were beautiful. We saw great mountains and Georgia’s biggest waterfall! 

After the hike, we went back to the hotel and had a great dinner. Thank you, Lisa Harding, for helping us with dinner! Then, for those who weren't too beat from the hike, we spent some time at the mall looking for Georgia merchandise. Sadly, none could be found. Tuesday was a super long day and I ended it by hanging out with my roommates Fiona, Emilia, and Andrea! This is one of the best spring breaks I’ve had on the team and I'm so glad to spend my last one with such a fantastic team. 

Andrew Cavrell 

Today was a pretty interesting day simply because our schedule was flipped on its head. Instead of having two practices over the course of the day we took the opportunity to run two practices in the morning and leave the afternoon for several options of activities. Immediately following practice there was an incredibly scenic hike to visit “Georgia’s largest waterfall”. It was a nice hike that was not super challenging. But it did have some incredible scenery. 

Besides that, dinner was a wonderful assortment of breakfast items crafted by the wonderful Mrs. Harding. We were able to eat a family recipe (a family staple according to Coach Troy) of Baked French Toast as well as bagels and spiral cut ham. It was all a very nice meal that left everybody wanting more. 

Following dinner, the novice men were treated to a trip to the Local TopGolf establishment by Coach Trevor, which all of them were super stoked for. All in all it was a very pleasant day with wonderful weather and plenty of sun for all of us to share. 

Fiona Patrick 

Today was day 3 of practice and it was a whopping 80 degrees. In the morning the novices quickly rigged the Ring and Zelenka. We did drills with the four switching between stern, bow, and all fours. We worked on having even handle heights and trying not to rush. It was really rough in the beginning, but by the end of morning practice, we were starting to get our stuff together. 

After getting a few snacks in our stomachs we took out the 8+ instead of taking out pairs because it was super windy. We rowed the Alex and started off by doing pausing drills and practiced setting the boat with all eight. We ended practice by having to try to re-dock the boat about seven different times until finally coach Troy and McKenzie pulled us in. Coach Troy’s input for the day was, “It’s really windy out here.” 

After practice, most of the team headed to the East Ridge Spring Trail for a hike that was a never-ending stair master. Once we got to the top of the trail and caught our breaths, we dipped our toes in the creek and looked out at the waterfall. Then I went to the mall of Georgia with my hotel roomies and a couple of other rowers in search of merch and sadly found nothing. 

Ryan Morren 

Today I got up and got some breakfast at 7:00 so we could leave at 8:20. At practice we worked on improving our catches. We did a drill at half-slide for high rates to help us get our catches faster. Our drills were mostly done with 4’s and 6’s, but towards the end we went down the 2k course by all 8 at an 18-stroke rate, with race pace for 10 strokes every 500m. The sunlight was quite intense today so many of our guys got sunburned. After our three hours of practice, the novice men and a few of the varsity men rode together to get some lunch at Zaxby's along the way to our hike. We hiked up the mountain and walked in the creek for a few hours, enjoying the outdoors and taking pictures. Then we went back to the hotel where Mrs. Harding had some very tasty French toast paired with bagels, ham, and fruit, waiting for us. After lunch, Coach Trevor took us novice men to TopGolf and we played a game trying to hit targets for points. I proceeded to score a whopping 13 points in an hour because I have never golfed in my life. Even though I couldn’t beat Coach Trevor’s 70+ points, I did hit my golf balls faster (125mph) than him. We had some good laughs on the way back, and now we get to crash at the hotel and prepare for tomorrow!

Categories: Rowing
Posted on Permanent link for Rowing Club Takes on Georgia Over Spring Break - Day 3 - 3/7/23 on March 14, 2023.