Blog

Permanent link for GVSU Swim Club Home Meet on March 21, 2022

The GVSU swim club made the two-hour drive to Sturgis, MI for the Laker Invitational. It was the GVSU swim club's first and only home meet of the 2021-2022 season. The theme was Hawaiian and our swimmers pulled through on that theme. Leis, bucket hats, and flower shirts were worn by our swimmers as we prepared for a great meet. The Lakers crushed it and won the meet with a whopping 1,253 points against Western Michigan’s swim club and Central’s swim club. The women’s 200 medley relay of Erin Marshall, Skylar Gottschalk, Anna Cornell, and Rosie Champion started strong with a first-place finish. Allison Shenefield had an amazing swim with a first-place finish in her 100 freestyle (59.36) that landed her a National time. Shenefield also swam a National’s cut in her 100 IM (1:09.05) with yet again another first-place finish. Veronica Lidy also made two nationals cuts in her 400 IM (5:36.90) and 200 IM (2:31.39). Ethan Thomas had a personal best in his 100 butterfly (1:01.15). Freshman, Katie LaFave, had some good swims at her first-ever laker invitational. She said, “ A fun memory I had at the meet was the Hawaiian theme. I remember that I was already wearing a pink lei but Lilly camp was like Katie put on this purple one too so we can match. Then we took a quick video with our leis on.” For Katie swimming isn’t all about times it’s also about the memories and friendships you make. The swimmers enjoyed themselves and also enjoyed getting to go down the slide at the end of the meet.

Categories: Swim
Posted on Permanent link for GVSU Swim Club Home Meet on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for SMALLBORE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP on March 21, 2022

JACKSON, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club recently participated in the 2022 Michigan Rifle & Pistol Association’s Indoor Metric Smallbore State Championship. The match consisted of 60 shots fired in prone, standing, and kneeling positions.

The Lakers totaled two of the 10 entries in the match, which was held at Jackson County Sportsman’s Club. Leading the Lakers was Cassie Coulston-Gerigk (Wayne, Michigan). She finished third overall with a score of 549 (out of 600). She had a score of 192 in prone, 177 in standing, and 180 in kneeling. Alexander Straith (West Bloomfield, Michigan) was close behind in fifth place with a score of 546.

The mission of the GVSU Rifle & Pistol Club is to provide all students with the opportunity to participate in shooting sports, with an emphasis in three-position smallbore rifle, international air rifle, and air pistol. Regardless of skill or ability, all members can have a safe and enjoyable time interacting with fellow students and engaging in marksmanship. All equipment is provided, including guns, ammunition, and targets. The club meets Tuesdays from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Thursdays 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM during the school year at the Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club (1331 Nagel Ave SW, Wyoming). Practice attendance is not mandatory to be a member of the club; however, regular practice attendance is expected.

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted on Permanent link for SMALLBORE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for COULSTON-GERIGK WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP on March 21, 2022

JACKSON, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club recently participated in the 2022 Michigan Rifle & Pistol Association’s Air Rifle Precision Standing State Championship. The match consisted of 60 shots fired exclusively in the standing position.

The Lakers accounted for two of the 11 entries in the match, which was held at Jackson County Sportsman’s Club. Leading the Lakers was Cassie Coulston-Gerigk (Wayne, Michigan). She finished first overall with a score of 573 (out of 600). She had a high target of 97. The match win earned her the title of State Champion. It was her first career championship. Alexander Straith (West Bloomfield, Michigan) was close behind in fourth place with a score of 562. He also had a high target of 97.

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted on Permanent link for COULSTON-GERIGK WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for THREE POSITION AIR RIFLE JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022

WYOMING, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club recently participated in the 2022 NRA Precision Air Rifle 3 Position Junior Sectional. The match consisted of 60 shots fired over the course of three positions: prone, standing, and kneeling. Sectional tournaments are registered indoor matches conducted at numerous locations throughout the country. Competitors may select the most convenient location. After firing, scores are sent to NRA where they are nationally ranked, and any national records are recorded. When all tournaments have been fired and entered in the NRA database, a national results bulletin is compiled online, listing every score for that year’s sectional matches (https://competitions.nra.org/results-and-records/national-matches-results/nra-national-indoor-rifle-pistol-championship-results/).

The Lakers totaled two of the eight entries in the local sectional match, which was held at Grand Rapids Rifle and Pistol Club. Leading the Lakers was Kathryn Karas (Carleton, Michigan) who finished in fourth place. She shot a personal best 570 (out of 600). Her strength was the sling positions, posting a 197 (out of 200) in prone and 195 in kneeling. Connor Wardrop (Grand Rapids, Michigan) was seventh with a score of 505. His top target was a 90 in prone.

Karas teamed up with three others to represent Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club. The team posted an aggregate score of 2310 (out of 2400).

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted by Seth Williams on Permanent link for THREE POSITION AIR RIFLE JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for STANDING AIR RIFLE JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022

WYOMING, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club recently participated in the 2022 NRA Precision Standing Air Rifle Junior Sectional. The match consisted of 40 shots fired in standing position. Sectional tournaments are registered indoor matches conducted at numerous locations throughout the country. Competitors may select the most convenient location. After firing, scores are sent to NRA where they are nationally ranked, and any national records are recorded. When all tournaments have been fired and entered in the NRA database, a national results bulletin is compiled online, listing every score for that year’s sectional matches (https://competitions.nra.org/results-and-records/national-matches-results/nra-national-indoor-rifle-pistol-championship-results/).

The Lakers totaled two of the eight entries in the local sectional match, which was held at Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club. Leading the Lakers was Katheryn Karas (Carleton, Michigan). She finished third overall with a score of 381 (out of 400). She had a high target of 97 (out of 100). Connor Wardrop (Grand Rapids, Michigan) shot a 294, for eighth place.

In the team match, Karas teamed up with three others to represent their home range, Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club. The team finished first with a score of 1545 (out of 1600).

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted on Permanent link for STANDING AIR RIFLE JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for 4-POSITION JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022

WYOMING, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club recently participated in the 2022 NRA Precision Indoor Smallbore 4-Position Junior Sectional. The match consisted of 40 shots fired over the course of four positions: prone, standing, sitting, and kneeling. Sectional tournaments are registered indoor matches conducted at numerous locations throughout the country. Competitors may select the most convenient location. After firing, scores are sent to NRA where they are nationally ranked, and any national records are recorded. When all tournaments have been fired and entered in the NRA database, a national results bulletin is compiled online, listing every score for that year’s sectional matches (https://competitions.nra.org/results-and-records/national-matches-results/nra-national-indoor-rifle-pistol-championship-results/).

The Lakers accounted for two of the five entries in the local sectional match, which was held at Grand Rapids Rifle and Pistol Club. Leading the Lakers was Kathryn Karas (Carleton, Michigan) who finished in fourth place. She shot a 583 (out of 400). Her top target was a 98 in prone. Connor Wardrop (Grand Rapids, Michigan) was fifth with a score of 347. His top target was a 95 in prone.

Karas teamed up with three others to represent Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club. The team posted an aggregate score of 1554 (out of 1600).

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted on Permanent link for 4-POSITION JUNIOR SECTIONAL RECAP on March 21, 2022.

Permanent link for RIFLE & PISTOL PARTICIPATES IN ORION MONTHLY MATCHES on March 14, 2022

WYOMING, MI – The Grand Valley State University Rifle Club participated in three Orion Scoring System Monthly Virtual Matches in February. Orion's Monthly Virtual Matches are a fun way for users to compare scores with other teams and shooters from across the country. The air pistol match consisted of 40 shots at 10 meters, the air rifle competition consisted of 60 shots also at 10 meters, and the smallbore competition consisted of 60 shots fired in prone, standing, and kneeling position at 50 feet.

Three Lakers participated in the air pistol event. Leading the way was John Martin (Holly, Michigan). Martin posted a top stage of 86 (out of 100) on his way to a 326 (out of 400). His score was good for fifth place overall. Tristan Bruizeman (West Olive, Michigan) shot a 315 for eighth place. Kathryn Karas shot 270 for 13^th. As a team, the trio was third overall with a combined score of 911 (out of 1200).

Air Pistol Results: https://www.orionresults.com/team/MatchPage.aspx?MatchID=1.1.2022013115033295.1

Leading the way in the air rifle event was Alexander Straith (West Bloomfield, Michigan). He posted a score of 582.7 (out of 654), good for sixth place overall. He was joined by Kathryn Karas (Carleton, Michigan), and John Martin (Holly, Michigan) in posting a team score of 1698.9 (out of 1962), good for first place overall. Karas shot a 561.6 for eighth place. Martin was ninth with a 554.6.

Air Rifle Results: https://www.orionresults.com/team/MatchPage.aspx?MatchID=1.1.2022013115022684.1

In smallbore, Karas led the Lakers with a score of 552 (out of 600). The score was good for third place. Straith finished fourth, with a score of 551. Cassie Coulston-Gerigk (Wayne, Michigan) rounded out the team score with a 538, finishing sixth. Together, they finished in first place as a team with 1641 (out of 1800).

Smallbore Results: https://www.orionresults.com/team/MatchPage.aspx?MatchID=1.1.2022013115060721.1

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted by Seth Williams on Permanent link for RIFLE & PISTOL PARTICIPATES IN ORION MONTHLY MATCHES on March 14, 2022.

Permanent link for RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB SHOOTS IN INTERCOLLEGIATE SECTIONALS on March 14, 2022

WYOMING, MICHIGAN – The GVSU Rifle & Pistol Club competed in a NRA Intercollegiate Indoor Metric Position Smallbore Rifle Sectional, Precision Air Rifle Standing Sectional, and Air Pistol Sectional on January 29^th at the Grand Rapids Rifle and Pistol Club. Each match consisted of 60 shots. The smallbore match is fired in the prone, standing, and kneeling positions. The air rifle match is fired from the standing position. Finally, the air pistol match is fired one-handed in the standing position. Each discipline also has a four-person team event also.

In the smallbore event, Alexander Straith (West Bloomfield, Michigan) led all shooters. He shot a 544 (out of 600). He was the top shooter in the kneeling position, earned 184 points (out of 200). Katheryn Karas (Carleton, Michigan) finished in second place with a 541. She was the top prone shooter with 193 points. Cassie Coulston-Gerigk (Wayne, Michigan) posted a 538 for third place. Her score of 174 in standing was best among all entries. Tristan Bruizeman (West Olive, Michigan) finished in fifth place with a respectful 501. Together, the foursome posted a team score of 2124-36x.

Smallbore Results: https://www.orionresults.com/team/MatchPage.aspx?MatchID=1.3173.2022012908111184.0

Air rifle saw three familiar names at the top of the leader board, just in a different order. Coulston-Gerigk shot a 563 for first place. Straith was second with a 556. Both had a top target of 97 (out of 100) best among all competitors. Karas shot a 535 for third. John Martin (Holly, Michigan) shot a 479 for fifth. The four combined to shoot a 2133 team score.

Air Rifle Results: https://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/5D0D867D-F5A4-298A-380CA7C7130CCB65/individual_-_team.pdf

The air pistol team, which is in its inaugural season, finished with a score of 1724. The team was led by Martin, who shot a 474, and Bruizeman, who contributed a score of 462. Coulston-Gerigk and Karas were the other firing members.

Air Pistol Results: https://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/5D0D867D-F5A4-298A-380CA7C7130CCB65/individual_-_team(2).pdf

Historically, the sectionals serve as a qualifier for the NRA Intercollegiate Club Championships; however, the third consecutive season the matches have been cancelled.

Please consider supporting the GVSU Rifle Club through a tax-deductible charitable contribution: https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-online2.htm?fundId=80818

Categories: Rifle
Posted on Permanent link for RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB SHOOTS IN INTERCOLLEGIATE SECTIONALS on March 14, 2022.

Permanent link for GVSU Rowing Club � Spring Break Blogs 2022 - Day 8 � Saturday, March 12th on March 14, 2022

Miles Hagmeyer – Varsity Man

We wouldn’t be able to call it a Grand Valley Rowing experience if it didn’t go out with a bang. After a week of high intensity seat racing and high training volume, the team was about to see its first spring 2k race in almost two years. The day began sunny and windy, but the weather has never stopped us before. I launched as the stroke seat of the men’s 1v8, prepared to take on Clemson on their fully buoyed 2k course. The wind continued ramping up as we ran the pre-race warmup, and while getting alignment, we knew conditions would be far from ideal.

We sat at even, and when the flag dropped, we pried the boat up to speed cleanly. It wasn’t until we reached the first 500 meter mark that both crews realized this was going to be more of a battle against the elements than against each other. Waves began to whitecap, and we fought to maintain composure as water crashed over our riggers. With 500m left to the finish, we entered a less protected portion of the course and were hit by the full force of a 30 mile-per-hour crosswind. The men persevered, and we crossed the finish line soaking wet and with water almost filling the hull.

The row back to the dock consisted mostly of bailing water out of the shell, but spirits were still high. The feeling of warm water and lactic acid couldn’t have been sweeter, knowing that your teammates were experiencing the same for you. All in all, it was a lesson not to fight the losing battle against an angry mother nature that we probably still wouldn’t learn. When the trailer was loaded and wet clothes were replaced with their dry counterparts, we departed on the van ride home, knowing this would be another unforgettable piece of the coveted spring racing season of Grand Valley Rowing.

Maria Rueda-Rodriguez – Varsity Woman

The last day in Clemson also meant race day for us. My day started at 6 am when my alarm woke me up. I got ready for the day and headed to the lobby for breakfast. For breakfast, I had a bagel with butter and apple juice. After breakfast, I loaded my stuff into our van, and we headed to Clemson for our scrimmage against them.

We arrived at Clemson where the weather was not the best for racing, unfortunately. The plan was to race a 2k and some shorter 500m sprint pieces. We entered one varsity men’s eight, two varsity women’s eights, one novice women’s eight, and a novice men’s eight as well. I was in one of the women’s varsity boats. Due to strong winds and water currents, the racing was rough. We didn’t get to do the short race pieces, and right after our 2k races we had to go back to the dock. After getting back to land, we de-rigged all the boats and loaded the trailer so we could head back home.

Once we were done loading the trailer, we all got in our vans and stopped for lunch in downtown Clemson. I had pizza for lunch with other teammates, and then it was time to hit the road. I was not excited to have to sit and drive for twelve hours, but we got home safely and had some fun times along the way!

Jacob Galloway – Novice Man

The last day of the trip started by packing the vans with our luggage and a quick breakfast before one last row at Clemson. We had a quick 2k scrimmage against Clemson on some very choppy water. The weather was not in our favor today. Temperatures in the 40s and wind gusts around 45 mph made for a difficult row. I was in a mixed 8+ with some of my teammates and some of Clemson’s crew. We raced against Clemson novice men on one side and Grand Valley novice men on the other. The first 1500 meters of the race was decent with some current rocking the boat, but the last 500m was unlike anything I’ve rowed in previously. Water was overflowing the boats as we raced along the course fighting the wind and the current. Thankfully, we finished, but with soaked clothes and shivers. It was quite an experience!

After a treacherous docking because of the wind, we made it back to land and seemingly dumped gallons of water out of the boats. Then, it was all hands on deck to de-rig the boats and pack up the trailer. Once again, the weather was not on our side - lots of wind and numb hands from the cold. Afterwards, each van went off to one last lunch in busy downtown Clemson. My van went to Moe’s Southwest Grill (similar to Chipotle), and I had a delicious burrito bowl.

Finally, it was time to fill the vans with gas and head north back to Grand Rapids. Driving through the Carolina and Tennessee mountains was beautiful, especially with some added snow. The vans stopped for stretching, gas, and snacks every three hours. I bought way too much sugar, but it’s spring break, so I can’t be hard on myself. The ride itself was filled with short naps and playing Monopoly. Dinner was a grilled chicken club sandwich and waffle fries from Chick-fil-A around Lexington, Kentucky. There were no lines, as opposed to the Michigan locations.

Soon, we resumed and the road became flat and dark as we drove through Indiana and west Michigan back to Grand Valley. Finally, we arrived at 4:00 am Sunday morning! Now, time for some sleep and resuming practice on the Grand River. Great work this week!

Alyssa Cassie – Novice Woman

I woke up and started my day around 6:15am. This morning was earlier than usual because we had to load the vans as this was the day that we headed home. However, before heading home, we had one final practice in Clemson which consisted of a 2k race against their team. We were all pretty pumped for this race until our boats hit the water. Our initial warmup was pretty smooth and less worrisome, but when we finally reached the racecourse, a wide open area with less land to block the wind, reality hit. Our pre-race warm up became very rocky as we attempted to pull through the waves and as we worked through our bursts, an unsettling feeling set in. As we sat and waited for our race, our coxswain had to consistently readjust our boat as the wind carried us. Our turn to race finally arrived, so we got ourselves situated at the starting line. We began the race pretty strong with only a few minor complications, but as the race went on, we gradually began to feel the small wrath of the waves. Our race was stopped early because of the waves, and we ultimately ended up in last place. After the race, we continued to fight our way through the waves, working as a team to head back to the docks. After getting splashed from all angles and hopping out of the boat already more wet than preferred, we lifted the boat filled with water only to become drenched and freezing in the strong gusts of wind. Immediately post-strapping down the boat, our coach released us to change into dry clothes, and then we were to help derig and load the trailer. After all was said and done, we grabbed some lunch and headed back to campus.

During the early hours of our 13 hour trip home, my van decided to start the trip with a game. Each person was to say a sentence that added onto the last person’s in an attempt to create a story. The first few sentences had so many surprising elements that one of the members decided to start writing it all down. The story contained myriad plot twists and out-of-left-field details that we couldn’t help but laugh at throughout that time. Once we finished the story and our writer read it back to us, we deemed it worthy of being shared with the rest of the team. We made stops every few hours to switch drivers. During one of the last couple of stops, we motivated each other, with no other option, to hold on for the last home stretch. After what felt like forever, we finally arrived back on campus to find snow and freezing weather, and so we each hurried home after collecting all of our belongings from a long and successful trip.

Categories: Rowing
Posted on Permanent link for GVSU Rowing Club � Spring Break Blogs 2022 - Day 8 � Saturday, March 12th on March 14, 2022.

Permanent link for GVSU Rowing Club � Spring Break Blogs 2022 Day 7 � Friday, March 11th on March 14, 2022

Simon Scheer – Varsity Man – See Comic Attached

Maddie Gilbert – Varsity Woman

Today marks our last full day in Clemson! We started off the morning as normal with a quick brekkie in the hotel, and then we headed out to the water. For this morning’s practice, my boat did a couple stationary drills and then some cat 6 work by 6s and 8s. You could tell that we were all a little tired from a full week of training, but we worked together and were able to take some good strokes nevertheless.

After practice, some of my teammates and I went to this local restaurant called Sully’s Steamers. They served warm bagel sandwiches and they were delicious! Once we rested at the hotel for a little while, some teammates and I made an excursion to the local goodwill. We were on the hunt for some graphic t-shirts to cut into muscle tees and were very successful!

Later, we had our last evening practice for the trip and worked on our start sequence and took our iconic annual team picture! Then, we headed to the dining hall and had our last dinner of the trip. I changed it up a bit and sat with the novice men and ended up having some quality conversations with them! Once we arrived back at the hotel, I hung out with some friends, called my family to check in, and got my stuff all packed up. Soon, I’ll go to bed and be all rested up for a fun little scrimmage in the morning. All in all, it was a fun last full day in South Carolina! :)

Brendon Snedeker – Novice Man

You may hear many different preferences, but, personally, any day on the water is automatically better than if we weren’t. Today started off quite sluggish in the novice 8. I was in 6 seat for all of the morning practice which was one long steady state row. We started with a long and slow stroke rate of 18 spm for close to 10,000 meters before we decided to turn around. At our turn around, there was a small waterfall tucked away in a little cove. We sat there for about 10 minutes talking about technical stuff. After our talk, we picked it back up on our way back to the dock. Rowing by all 8, we rowed for about 4000 meters before switching in a new bow pair. After the switch, Coach Kyle had us try out some starts to prepare for Saturday’s race against Clemson. Then we returned to a light steady state to get us back to the dock to end the morning practice.

After the morning practice, many of the vans went into the campus area for lunch and some shopping. I, however, was quite tired and in need of rest, so I got in the van that would return back to the hotel. Once I got back to my room, I took a short nap to catch up on some sleep. After my nap, I went back down to the hotel lobby where I met up with Carlos and Simon. We decided to take a short walk down the road to a common fast food restaurant in the area called Bojangles which, like most restaurants around here, sells lots of chicken. After ordering, we all decided that we needed to try some of their legendary iced tea which turned out to be pretty good, but like most sweet tea was a little bit of tea and a lot of sugar. After we finished eating, we returned to the hotel where we started a game of Uno and played until it was time to leave for the afternoon practice.

The afternoon practice today consisted of a much better vibe and some race prep for tomorrow. Line ups were the same as the lineup from the morning practice, post-switch. We started with some swing picks by boat halves into full strokes which was followed by full boat rowing. After a little bit, we stopped and had our talk about technique and the different things each rower needed to work on. After a short talk, it was time to dial it in and work on our starting sequence. We proceeded to work on our starts and the following few strokes. After a few of those, we did a start followed by 2ish minutes of race pace rowing. After that we spun around to start our return to the docks. We did another one of the starts with 2 minutes at race pace followed by some steady state and some rev ups scattered here and there. Once we were nearing the docks, it was time to take our team spring break photo. We struggled a bit to get each separate boat close enough to get us all in one picture, but once together, we all stood in our seats to strike a pose for the picture. Once that was finished, we pushed apart and headed for the docks. Once on land, we strapped down our boats and had our team talk. We hit a break down and departed for dinner, minds set foremost on food with the race day vibes building as we come closer and closer to our first races of the spring season.

Brina Crown – Novice Woman

Today marks our last full day in Clemson. I started my morning out awaking to the sound of Buckwild playing as me and my roommates’ 6:30 am alarm. Having a fun alarm got me up and moving faster than normal, and I found myself at breakfast a little earlier than normal which was nice. At breakfast, I had scrambled eggs and a muffin with orange juice. This was just enough to get me through practice. I wanted to be nice and hungry for later because my van had plans for lunch.

The novice women and I started our 8 am practice like any other one with a quick warm up to stretch out our bodies before hopping on the water. The weather was decent enough this morning once we got out and moving. It was kind of chilly, but at least it wasn’t raining which I was happy about. It wasn’t bad, especially because we were rowing most of practice and were able to keep warm. The drills we worked included cut the cake drills and pausing at 1/2 slide, ¾ slide, and at bodies over. Pausing at each of these parts of slide was very helpful, and I feel like it helped us novice women to better understand when in our slide to start to feather our blades and raise our hands into the finish as we got to full compression. Doing these drills while rowing also helped me to better apply these skills to continuous rowing, so I really liked drilling this way.

After practice was over, my van loaded up and headed out to lunch in downtown Clemson. I got the yummiest bagel at Sully’s and also got an açai bowl at Cocobowlz. Sitting around outside with everyone eating and talking was fun, and it was a nice little moment in my day. Some vans also bought more Clemson apparel, and it was fun to see what cute shirts they’d bought. Once we all finished eating and talking, my van loaded up and went back to the hotel to rest up before our evening practice.

Our last official practice of the trip started at 3:30pm. The main focus of the practice was to get some reps in for starts because we have a scrimmage against Clemson tomorrow morning. To practice the starts, we rowed only moving our knees and elbows for the first four strokes doing half slide, half slide, 3/4 slide, and then full slide. Once completing those strokes, we did various amounts of full power strokes. After that, we had a little bit of time to try a drill coach Adam had mentioned a few times in the fall. It was a standing drill where we buried our blades at the catch and then pressed our bodies up to stand. The purpose of it was to feel suspension, and I definitely felt it. One by one we went down the boat to try to stand, and I was actually pretty alright at it! Finally, at the end of practice, we made our way over to take a team photo. It was lots of fun and really cool to see all of our boats link up and create a mega-boat of sorts. It was the most fun practice of the week in my opinion, and it was great having a practice where we got so much done but also had lots of fun doing it.

When the pictures were done with, we all packed up our stuff and were off to dinner. For dinner I had chicken, rice and french fries. I also had a small bowl of chocolate ice cream. Dinner went pretty fast, and before I knew it, we were getting in the vans to go back to the hotel. Once we get to the hotel, we’ll be doing a game of Kahoot about team trivia which I’m looking forward to. Afterwards, my roommates and I also plan to make a music video with video star. I’m sure it’ll turn out very dorky, but it’ll be so much fun and I’m excited for it!

Categories: Rowing
Posted on Permanent link for GVSU Rowing Club � Spring Break Blogs 2022 Day 7 � Friday, March 11th on March 14, 2022.

Page last modified March 21, 2022

Report a problem with this page