Hello Cougar Alumni, Family and Fans:

What a fabulous weekend for WSU rowing, with the 20 year varsity rowing anniversary celebration and the return of the Crawford Perpetual Trophy and Winchell Cup to the Palouse. For those of you who were not able to participate in the festivities, here is what you missed. On Friday night the Tom and Barbara Wilson Rowing Center (rowing tank) was completely full of alumnae, who arrived from around the world to reunite and socialize. Alumna from around the country, including Alaska, Hawaii and actually as far as Germany made the trip to Pullman and had a good time. Picture boards from each generation of Cougar rowers lined the perimeter of the Rowing Center, jogging memories and prompting a good amount of laughter.

Saturday's events started with the 2010 Cougar rowers taking on Oregon State at the Snake River. Strong wind and white caps delayed for the regatta for more than 30 minutes, but once the weather settled down to about an 11 mile per hour headwind, the races were on and they were fantastic. WSU dominated the varsity races, winning by large margins of ten, 16 and 25 seconds. Jess and I ran the Sports Information/Marketing table, announcing race times and results and passing out posters and roster flip cards. Senior coxswain Corina Chilibeck, who beat her younger sister Bonnie in the varsity eight race, was then tossed off the dock into the water by her teammates in celebration. Current and former rowers alike enjoyed the races, but the party was just getting started.

After the regatta, everybody cleaned up and headed to Ensminger Pavillion for the 20 year commemoration banquet. The food was great, including the Cougar cake at the center of each table, and the door prizes were a spectacle. If you base fun solely on the amount of noise generated, one of the tables consisting of rowers from the early 1990s era possibly had too much fun as they boisterously roared each time one of them won a door prize. Ashley and I sat at a back table with mostly current rowers, including Irena because I knew she would keep us entertained. We won a door prize as well, a WSU spike bag, which is perfect because my bag from high school recently broke.

Tammy Crawford (first WSU rowing head coach, 1990-2002) and Ken Struckmeyer (20 year men's club coach, 1972-1992) gave heartfelt speeches that pumped emotion into the celebration. They talked of the early days of the club and varsity programs, and especially emphasized how far WSU rowing has come in the past 20 years, in terms of equipment, facilities and quality of student-athletes.

It was a fun and beneficial weekend for Cougar rowing. Tears were shed, memories were rehashed, and in the words of several who stepped behind the microphone Saturday night, the Cougars "kicked butt."

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Good Afternoon Cougars!

I'm subbing in for Spencer today, but we're going to continue with our weekly Q&As. Today we get to become more familiar with Cougar rower Corina Chilibeck, from Victoria, British Columbia. The varsity eight coxswain, Chilibeck looks to help WSU back to the NCAA Championships in 2010. The senior is a four-year member of the varsity squad and has been an important part of the Cougars' recent success. To view Chilibeck's complete bio page click HERE.

Jessica Schmick: When did you start rowing and why? Corina Chilibeck: I started in eighth grade and everyone in my family had been rowing by that point. I used to live on a lake where our men's national team practices in Canada, so my sister started and then my brother started, so I naturally started.

JS: What influenced your decision to come to WSU? CC: The coaches and the atmosphere within the athletes. I didn't want to go to a school that was simply the eight biggest girls are in the first eight kind of thing. They seat race and they give everyone a chance and a lot of it is about the atmosphere instead of just rivalry between athletes. We have the attitude of `if you're in the second varsity eight, you are still just as important as being in the first varsity eight, because it's counted as a team.' Instead of `oh shoot I'm in the second varsity eight, I want to beat someone in the first varsity eight.' It's not rivalry between rowers, it's more of a team effort. There's no bitterness between the girls here like there is at other schools.

JS: Who was your favorite athlete when you were a kid? CC: When I was in high school, I'd definitely have to say Brian Price. He was our Olympic national team coxswain and he had leukemia when he was younger. He not only survived it, but he managed to be an Olympian and win a gold medal. It was really inspiring.

JS: Your sister Bonnie is a coxswain at Oregon State, is there any sibling rivalry there? CC: It's friendly competition. I'm two years older than her, so when I was a junior, she was a junior B, so we never got the chance to compete or have to try out for the same boat. It was more friendly, `oh, I' got this boat when I was this age.' But this weekend, it's actually a big competition...she's in the varsity eight and I'm in the varsity eight. We've never competed against each other. It's exciting. My mom's coming to watch. I told her she has to root for me since it's in Pullman.

JS: What is the most difficult part of being a coxswain and what is the most enjoyable? CC: The most difficult part is being blamed for a lot of things. There's a saying, `a coxswain can never win a race, but they can always lose them.' That is always really difficult. The amazing part though is having the ability to make the girls go faster. I don't just sit there and chant `row, row, row,' I like to think I have a big impact on the speed of the girls and even just motivating them to push themselves farther than they think they can go.

JS: Who is your funniest teammate? CC: There's a couple. The funniest that's not funny on purpose I'd say is Irena. She opens her mouth and sometimes the things that come out are really funny and she doesn't realize the way she said it, then she says `what, what, what is so funny?' The accent always makes it that much better.

JS: What is your favorite home cooked meal? CC: Pierogies. It's a Ukrainian dish. It's flour dough with cheesy mashed potatoes in the inside kind of like a dumpling. Our grandparents always made them for us and I'm actually making them with my family this weekend.

JS: What is your favorite workout at practice? CC: Sprint pieces. We like to go fast.

JS: What do you like most about practicing in the rowing tank? CC: Being able to see things from different views. In the eight I only see things from one perspective, but in the tank I can walk around, see them from the side, see them from the bow and get another view as to what's going on technically and being able to translate that to the boat.

JS: What is the most difficult part about juggling rowing and a demanding major like bioengineering? CC: The most difficult part was finding the time where I could just sit down and work on school because the class schedules didn't always allow for a three-hour chunk. But, at this point, I'd say it's being able to take the amount of classes that I want to take because each class has so much homework and the labs require a lot of time, that I can't take the full credits and put in as much time and effort to each class that I need.

Keep your boat afloat,
Jessica Schmick

April 23, 2010

Good Morning Cougars!

Today we get to become more familiar with Cougar rower Lisa Roman, from Langley, British Columbia. A member of the varsity eight squad, Roman looks to help WSU back to the NCAA Championships in 2010. The sophomore transferred to WSU in the fall from the University of the Fraser Valley, and has made a sudden impact during her first season with the Cougs. To view Roman's complete bio page click HERE.

Spencer Drolette: When did you start rowing and why?
Lisa Roman: I started rowing about two-and-a-half years ago, I started in college. I didn't row in high school that's why I never got recruited. I was a figure skater for 13 years and was coming to the end of my career and so I decided to start something new.

SD: How did you end up at WSU?
LR: I kind of was interested in coming here because I knew people that came here, so I filled out the questionnaire and kept in contact, then when I had enough credits to transfer I decided to come here.

SD: What influenced your decision to come to WSU?
LR: I had come out here to visit lots throughout the two years I had done college at home. Just coming out here and seeing the people and the atmosphere I really enjoyed it and I really wanted to come here.

SD: What are differences you notice between your hometown and Pullman?
LR: In a sense yeah because I live in a big city so it's not a small town, and the college was really small, it was a lower-level university.

SD: Did you have a favorite figure skater growing up?
LR: I had several. One that stood out was Elvis Stojko, when I was a kid growing up that was a main male figure for me. For females, Joanne Rochette has always been inspiration. She has the same type of body as me really tall and lean. It was always hard for me to be a jumper because I was so tall

SD: Are there other members of your family that participate in athletics?
LR: Well my mom was my coach for figure skating, so I was kind of drawn into the figure skating world because she was a coach. I have two older brothers and they play soccer and baseball for fun.

SD: Who is your funniest teammate?
LR: I would have to say Irena (Neffeova), probably because she still doesn't know all English, but we get along really well and I'm going to miss her next year for sure.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hello Sunny Pullman,

The rowing team is in Gold River, Calif. today preparing for the Lake Natoma Invitational (LNI). In their first year at the regatta, the 13th-ranked Cougars will encounter highly ranked Pacific-10 Conference foes, No. 2 California and No. 3 Stanford, as well as Big-Ten and SEC competition with the likes of No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 17 Tennessee. Coach LaRiviere said this week that with the exception of the Pac-10 Championships (which will likely feature seven nationally-ranked teams), the LNI is the "biggest weekend of the season" because of the quality of the competition. Let's break down why that matters so much.

In NCAA Rowing, championship selection is based first on the outcome of the team's final race of the season, which for WSU is the Pac-10 Championships. The second selection consideration is head-to-head record. The Cougs will race against Cal and Stanford again at the conference championships, but only see Wisconsin and Tennessee once this season prior to NCAA selections. There are three separate races over the weekend with three boats in each race, so each team that WSU defeats head-to-head counts as a victory over that team and will go a long way to helping the Cougs earn a berth to the NCAA Championships.

Be sure to follow all the action from Lake Natoma this weekend. Click HERE for up-to-the-minute results.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Cougar Faithful,

I recently sat down with head coach Jane LaRiviere to discuss her team and the race Saturday in Seattle against the Huskies. Here are a few of the things she said.

"It's very easy to focus. Whenever we face Washington we know we are going to need a great race to compete."

"They are always one of the premier programs in the country. They have strength and depth and tradition. It's never an easy race."

"Most everybody on the team has raced there at one time. It's a cool course and it's not much more difficult to race on the road."

"We have to execute. We have some good kids and are optimistic, but we cannot win without our best race. The season heats up now; the skill is in making the adjustments after each race and improving each time we hit the water."

"I love the Pac-10 because we don't have any problem seeing elite programs in the regular season. We know what we need to do, and I like it that way."

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hello Cougs,

In today's edition of Tales from the Snake we get to become more familiar with Cougar rower Christina Kinck, from Oslo, Norway. One of 15 juniors looking to lead WSU back to the NCAA Championships in 2010, has rowed with the varsity eight and second varsity eight over the past three seasons. To view Kinck's complete bio page click HERE.

Spencer Drolette: When and why did you start rowing?
Christina Kinck: I started rowing in the spring of 2004. My club organized a challenge where students from different high schools could get four people together to make a boat, practice for three weeks, and then race other fours. My four won in the girl's event, and I kept rowing as the only one from my boat.

SD: Who was your favorite athlete when you were a kid?
CK: Since I started rowing I have been very impressed with Norwegian rower Olaf Tufte's success. Very few people have two back to back gold medals in the single in the Olympics.

SD: Are any other members of your family athletes? What sports do they compete in?
CK: My dad competed in downhill skiing in college, and my mom played soccer. All my three siblings have rowed at some point, but none of them stuck with it. When we were younger, my little sister and I fenced. My little brother is currently into BMX biking.

SD: What is the biggest difference between living in your home country and living in the United States?
CK: People here are generally really friendly and drive everywhere.

SD: What is your favorite American Food? What is your favorite food from your home country?
CK: Pulled pork, and everything served on Thanksgiving. Salmon or meatballs that my mom cooks.

SD: Why did you choose WSU?
CK: It's a smaller university with a great atmosphere, and really different from what I'm used to from home.

SD: What is your favorite workout at practice?
CK: I like the shorter pieces, like 250meter pieces.

SD: What do you like most about practicing in the rowing tank?
CK: It's a lot calmer, there are no other factors influencing your rowing, like weather and other rowers. The coaches can explain things better and even show you how to improve on specific things. It's also easier to hear the coaches when they're not 20ft away on a launch.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hello Chilly Pullman!

Wow, San Diego is beautiful today with temperatures around 66 degrees, and the best is yet to come as the temperature is supposed to sit around 75 degrees for the races tomorrow and Sunday. Honestly I am not in sunny California for the 37th annual San Diego Crew Classic (SDCC) this weekend, but the fortunate members of the Cougar varsity eight, second varsity eight and novice eight crews are soaking it in down there. Today is reserved for the teams to practice and become acclimated to the 2000-meter course at Mission Bay. While the team was making its final preparations today for the races tomorrow morning, I went back to the archives to relive the past nine years of WSU competing at the SDCC and it has definitely made me feel like I am experiencing the warmth in San Diego as well. Here is what I learned about the Cougs at the Classic.

• Since 2001, the Cougar varsity eight has earned a top-five finish at the SDCC five times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)...in four of those five years WSU earned a berth to the NCAA Championships (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008).
• The two best varsity eight NCAA finishes in Cougar Rowing history (fourth in 2006, ninth in 2008) were precipitated by third place finishes at the San Diego Crew Classic...2006 and 2008 also mark the only seasons in which the varsity eight has ever ranked in the top-10 in the CRCA/U.S. Rowing Division I Poll at any point in a season (third in 2006, fourth in 2008).

Since 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008 mark the only four years in which the Cougars have competed in the NCAA Championships as a team, the SDCC appears to be an excellent predictor as to the level of success the team will achieve through the remainder of the season. Also a top-three or better varsity eight finish this weekend could lead to high rankings in the national poll this season.

The bottom line is that we Cougs back home in Pullman need to really cheer as we stream the races live (http://crewclassic.org/video/) from our computers this weekend, because if the WSU crews catch fire under the San Diego sun, history indicates that they will stay hot all season and into the NCAA Championships in May.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hey Cougs,

Today we get to become more familiar with Cougar rower Irena Neffeova, from Prague, Czech Republic. One of nine seniors looking to lead WSU back to the NCAA Championships in 2010, Neffeova earned CRCA Division I All-America Award honors in 2008 and has contributed to the varsity eight since arriving on the Palouse as a sophomore (2007-08). To view Neffeova's complete bio page click HERE.

Spencer Drolette: When and why did you start rowing?
Irena Neffeova: I started rowing in fall of 1997. I was 12 years old. The main reason why it was rowing was because my dad has an Olympic medal and he has been involved with rowing through his whole life.

SD: Who was your favorite athlete when you were a kid?
IN: There wasn't anyone specific. My dream was to be as good as my dad, to be able to race at the Olympics and to have medals from World Championships.

SD: Are any other members of your family athletes? What sports do they compete in?
IN: As I said above, my dad is a life-long athlete who has an Olympic medal and a couple medals from World Rowing Championships. I have a twin brother who is also a rower. He competed two times at Olympics and since 2002 is a member of Czech Rowing Team.

SD: What is the biggest difference between living in your home country and living in the United States?
IN: It is definitely the culture. People are different, and most important they look at things differently. At home people are more open in general. One thing I can think of is how much harder it is at home to succeed.

SD: What is your favorite American Food? What is your favorite food from your home country?
IN: My favorite American food is probably Thanksgiving dinner. At home, I like fruit dumplings with apricots or strawberries.

SD: Why did you choose WSU?
IN: The main reason why I came to WSU was the offer of a full athletic scholarship. It was easier for me to choose WSU after that.

SD: What is your favorite workout at practice?
IN: I like 8 minute pieces in rate between 22 and 28. It basically means middle-long pieces in middle high-low rates.

SD: What do you like most about practicing in the rowing tank?
IN: I have experience of rowing in the tank before. My home club in Prague has one. So it is not as new for me as for other people. I prefer to practice on the water, but when I'm in the tank coach can come to me and can correct my technical problems, which is hard on the water since she cannot reach us.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hello Cougar Faithful!

Welcome to the spring 2010 season of Cougar Rowing. Tales from the Snake is the official blog, filled with insights from coach LaRiviere, highlights from rower's lives on and off the water, my own personal observations and things I learn about the sport of rowing to pass along, and much more. I will post at least once each week through the completion of the spring season. Although not typically the case, this week's blog is literally a tale from the Snake.

Yesterday down at the Snake River, practice was all about seat racing. This is where the coaches change boat lineups into different combinations to see who is rowing the fastest, and who should be in which boat leading up to the first official race of the season, the San Diego Crew Classic, March 27-28. I spent the afternoon on shore with assistant coach Tara Medina, who helped me learn that lineups are largely impacted by these seat races, and are also influenced by impressions coaches receive about chemistry among the rowers in each boat. In the championship season, rowing teams are scored as a team, so the trick is to figure out how to get the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four all racing as fast as possible. We had a lot of fun cheering, as all the student-athletes were putting their best effort forward on the water.

The Cougars will kick off the spring with Class Day Races on March 20, at Wawawai Landing. The rowers will split into classes and race one another, getting a taste of racing leading up to the San Diego Crew Classic. In talking with several of the rowers in the van on the way back to campus, it is clear that the team can hardly wait to race against the competition in a couple weeks, putting all the winter training into action and seeing how they measure up. As discussed in the most recent release on the WSU Rowing home page, this team has tremendous upside. Stay tuned.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Good Morning Cougs,

As the final head race of the season draws near, the sun is setting on the women's rowing fall season. Literally! The sky contains mostly the absence of light by 5 p.m. each day, and that is the sign that it is time for regattas to soon rest for the winter just like the daylight does. For the Cougs that equates to winter training, working to become stronger and faster for in anticipation of the spring season which starts in March.

As I watched the Head of the Snake last Friday, it occurred to me that the critical issue in rowing is speed. And if every team spends a significant and relatively similar amount of time and effort on becoming bigger and stronger athletes, what is it that makes one boat finish nearly a minute in front of another, like the Cougar varsity eight finished against Gonzaga? It is technical, but this week I asked coach LaRiviere to explain how speed works and this is what she said:

"The simplest way of looking at it is if you are in a row boat and stand up in that row boat and run toward the bow, the boat goes out from underneath you. But when you stop, the boat jerks forward. If we're trying to go in a direction and you jerk the boat forward it takes a long time.

"On the slides (part of the boat that allows rowers to move forward and backward while sitting), if a person on a real boat rushes forward and then catches you can see the boat jerking. If a boat is really going well the bow just kind of moves without jerking. That can be 50 seconds of difference. More continuous motion, less changes in velocity and maintaining the speed you create. It's not just about power and strength, but you also have to know how to not slow the boat down."

Understanding that gives me more respect for the difficulty of rowing, and opens my eyes to the type of discipline it requires individually and as a team to race with a lot of speed. I'm excited to see how much speed the Cougs can bring to the water at the Head of the Lake on Sunday.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Good morning Cougs,

Race day in Pullman has arrived. Parents will come from all around the region, while fans from Pullman will make the 30 minute drive down to Wawawai Landing on the Snake River to cheer on the Cougars, who will face Gonzaga starting at 2:30 p.m. today.

My only experience with a race at the Snake came last April on a very rainy day, which proved to be quite an adventure while trying to record stats and get information posted for the spectators. So I thought it might be helpful to all of us if I post a current weather forecast for today's race. This information comes from the National Weather Service and is a forecast for the exact spot on the river where the race will be taking place. It was obtained from the website at 11:05 a.m. P.T.

This Afternoon: Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a west wind between 20 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

So it looks like it should be a beautiful afternoon for the spectators, and possibly a very windy day for the rowers. Only about three hours until the first flight! See you there.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

The 2009 fall season will get underway tomorrow in Spokane. More than five months since the last race of this past spring season, the Cougars will bring a new maturity (10 seniors), new faces, and a new look to the water tomorrow on the Spokane River. It's time for a little "Uni Watch," Cougar style.

Women's rowing joins several other WSU teams by changing up their uniforms. These new looks are courtesy of a new contract with Nike. Prior to this season Cougar rowers wore a crimson uniform with gray spanning the sides, and there was nothing wrong with that, but the new Nike's are sharp with the crimson and gray top and the black bottoms with a crimson stripe on the sides.

What better reason is necessary to venture down to the boathouse next Friday, Oct. 30, and catch the Cougars sporting their new digs at the Head of the Snake? First however make sure to look for the recap of the Head of the Spokane to be posted tomorrow afternoon.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Hey Cougs,

We are about a week away from the first race of the fall rowing season. The Cougars will square off with Gonzaga in the Head of the Spokane on Saturday, Oct.24. The weather has been favorable lately so it should be a good start to the season.

Looking forward to the new season I recently caught up with Head Coach Jane LaRiviere to talk about the state of the women's rowing team and get her thoughts on the outlook for the season. Here are two excerpts from that interview with coach LaRiviere:

"The team is in good spirits right now, and the team is working well. The team dynamics, the work ethic and the commitment appear to be there right now."

"The measuring stick is always the NCAAs. Most members of the team have tasted it and want to get back there. They know that's the culmination, the peak of why we do what we do. You want to get to where your own Olympics are. That's the crescendo."

The 2009-10 women's rowing team is one to get excited about; a deep squad with a total of nine seniors competing for spots on the varsity boats, a number the program hasn't seen in several years.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Welcome to another year of Cougar Rowing. Tales from the Snake is the official blog, filled with insights from coach LaRiviere, highlights from rower's lives on and off the water, my own personal observations and things I learn about the sport of rowing to pass along, and much more. I will post every week through the completion of the fall season. Although not typically the case, this week's blog is literally a tale from the Snake.

Hello Cougar Faithful,

What a gorgeous day on the Snake River yesterday. Jess and I traveled the windy road to Wawawai Landing for picture day 2009, and it was a blast! No cell phone reception, no distractions; just the reflection of the sun beaming into the panorama of the river basin, and a good measure of wind in our faces.

We were in a boat with head coach Jane LaRiviere, taking in her coaching techniques and boat maneuverability skills. Retired WSU sports information director Rod Commons joined in our boat to take the photos. Jess had to hold his legs down so he wouldn't fall out of the boat. We also experienced a minor attack of 50 cent piece size spiders, but Rod's boot eliminated the problem.

We snapped shots all four eights together, got all the seniors individually and raced circles around one boat to take pictures for the media guide and marketing poster.

As LaRiviere left her crew to drop us off at the launch, we picked up speed and all sat in silence taking in the grandeur of the Snake River. Jane broke the silence: "I have the best job on the Palouse," she said. I realized that my job isn't so bad either.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Tuesday, May 5

Hello Cougs!

It's finals week here at WSU which means several things; graduation takes place this weekend, the rowing team will take this weekend off from competition and Spencer is no longer on campus as he's begun his summer internship. So, I, Jessica Schmick, will be taking over the blog for the remainder of the season, but Spencer will be back next season.

Like Spencer did last week, I'm going to step back this week and let you hear all about this weekend's regatta at Oregon State from senior Amy Brevick.

This weekend we took an 8 hour bus trip and drove down to beautiful central Oregon to race the Beavers. In years past our teams have always had very close races, we were all looking forward to see who would come out on top this time. Going into the weekend our team had finally been getting some decent water time where we were getting a little bit faster every day. Jane said she got chills watching us for the first time all season, that's a good thing here and hopefully there will be more of that in the following weeks. I think if you ask each of the boats about their race they will have some good things to say even though the results weren't in their favor. I was in the 2V this weekend and we came away with the only win. It felt so good to win! I haven't won a race this year besides Gonzaga early on so being reminded of how sweet a victory is was just what I needed. Hopefully the 2V can share the love and some of that good feeling will rub off on our teammates. We have two weeks left now before Pac-10s and I know we will get faster. Hopefully we keep having good water to practice on and we need to continue to push each other every day in practice. I know we have fast boats across the board we just have a few more things to figure out and we need to pick up little bits of speed wherever we can.

Thanks and happy Monday!
-Amy Brevick

Tuesday, April 21

Hello Coug Fans,

I'm going to step back again this week and let you hear all about last weekend's races in Columbus, Ohio straight from redshirt senior Karin Brevick:

Well It was a weekend of ups and downs for the women's rowing team. Ohio was beautiful, with trees in bloom and warm sunny weather in the 70's, so we were excited to be outside and doing what we do. Coming off of the weekend with Washington, we felt confident and excited to see what the Big Ten had to offer. I would say as a whole, that you would get mixed reviews from my teammates and I. The JV girls had an excellent weekend winning all three of the races and having a wonderful time doing so. They did awesome and represented the Cougar name proudly. The V8 women on the other hand, as my father would say, had a little bit of "Character Building". We did not come away with a win, and were extremely impressed with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State to say the least. We went in with passion and determination and came out a little frustrated. Being a 5th year senior, I have had my share of ups and downs, and this weekend was definitely the latter. That being said, it was also very productive. I know that if you talked with any girl who went on the trip, they came away with something learned. I am very excited to get back down to the Snake and work hard figuring out what makes our boats go faster. One thing I know for sure, Cougar Women want to win, and we are going to do everything in our will power to make it so.

Next up, Oregon State.

Go Cougs!!
Karin

Thursday, April 16

APRIL 11 - UW vs. WSU PHOTO GALLERY

Good Spring Afternoon,

Another beautiful sunny day here in Pullman means another day of on-the-water training for the women's rowing team.

Today's blog features the transcript of an interview this week with head coach Jane LaRiviere. She addresses the state of the team at the mid-season point, as well as its direction heading into this weekend's races against Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.

There have been comments made about tapping into the team's potential last week against Washington. What are you planning to do the next three weeks to help the team reach their potential by the Pac-10's?
"We have to continue to work on our fitness, but mostly we just need to have some consistency in training. We need to get out on the water and we need to row our boats to experience all different scenarios and conditions in the group that is going to race together. We are still making some switches and testing out different lineups. I think by just getting on the water the training will take care of itself. We have a really mature team. I think they've been keeping good perspective and working hard each day when they have the opportunity. You've just got to do your best and let the chips fall where they may."

Talk about the process of getting the right people in the right boats heading into Pac-10's.
"I think we made some steps forward. I think I'm still going to have questions the week before Pac-10's probably. We've been a little bit inconsistent in practice. They have some really phenomenal practices and then they are kind of average at times. You're just looking for the right chemistry and the right desire to all come together, but I think we are making progress. Yesterday all three boats we had out there were moving really well. So I think it all really boils down to just having enough water time, and we are into the second week of the weather being consistent which is nice."

Has the team gained momentum from last weekend's race against Washington?
"I definitely think it was a bit of a confidence boost. Not so much because we finished close to Washington, but because we personally, in our own boat, had a good race regardless of who else was there. A little bit at Gonzaga and a little bit in San Diego we didn't have that internal focus and we didn't have as strong of a performance from ourselves as we were looking for. Until you get to Pac-10's the wins and losses don't matter, but obviously you want to get some wins because that's how you build confidence. But because we have a mature group that I think has good perspective, they are able to see the progress we are making and I think everybody is optimistic that if we continue on the right path then we are going to be competing well. Then at the end of the day if you compete well, you are either fast enough or you are not; but you still did your best. And early in the season we really weren't getting our best on the water and I could explain that because we had weather issues. But it's no excuse now. We are in the middle of the season, everybody in the country has their own challenges they have to overcome, and I think we are on the right path now to making that a non-factor.

"We are excited to test ourselves against a different conference; really it's just a great challenge."

Thanks to Coach LaRiviere. Check the blog out again next Monday, as redshirt senior Karin Brevick will give us her update from this weekend's races in Ohio.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Saturday, April 11

Hello Cougar faithful,

Only the faithful could endure the outpouring of rain falling on the UW vs. WSU dual regatta this morning. Just looking at the order of finishes, an outsider might think the Cougars didn't have their best outing. But Tales From the Snake is all about insider information. Here is junior Erica Lewis to give us her take on today's race:

Today's race was really important for our team and in my opinion it went as well as we could have hoped. Going into the race today I think we all felt that it could have gone one of two ways. Either it was going to be a disaster and UW was going to blow us out of the water or we were going to come together and have a great race. Even though we didn't win today I can honestly say that we have not rowed that well yet this year. I think we really dug deep today and finally realized a bit of our potential. This is really exciting since the varsity eight line up has only been together for one day and had one practice before the race today. I think that we will only get faster as we become more comfortable in our line ups and I am really excited to see how we can improve from now until pac 10's. it will be great to go out to the east next week and see what the other conference schools have to offer!

Thanks Erica. Be sure to check back this week for updates leading up to the big race against highly ranked Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Friday, April 3

Good Afternoon!

Today I have a quick entry for you as a guest-blogger. Spencer is spending time with his mom this weekend who's on campus for `Mom's Weekend,' so I'm helping out. Last week Ray Hacke interviewed Danya Levesque for an article in her hometown newspaper, the Auburn Journal. The article appeared in Wednesday's paper and can be read online. To read the article about the junior, click HERE.

Be sure to check back this weekend for a rower's perspective on this weekend's San Diego Crew Classic here at Tales from the Snake.

Keep your boat afloat,
Jessica Schmick

Thursday March 25

Hello Coug fans,

CLASS DAY GALLERY

In the blog two weeks ago I thought I would be talking about snow for the last time. I was wrong. This afternoon's hail, however, is no surprise to the women's rowing team. Despite Pullman weather, the student-athletes have been building strength all winter in preparation for this Saturday's race against Gonzaga, their first official competition of the season.

In fact, I was in the room when a reporter asked head coach Jane LaRiviere about the feeling of the team going into Saturday's race. Beaming, Jane replied that she and the team can hardly wait to put their training to the test and find out where they stand, as individuals and as a team. She compared the experience of the first race of the season to firemen at a fire station. Firemen spend much of their time cleaning, preparing and polishing their equipment and preparing themselves physically. But all this means nothing until the equipment and the firemen are sent through the fire, then it is possible to see how they hold up under the pressure.

Rowing Lingo
"Let the boat run"
There is a reason rowers stroke in a rhythm or cadence. If you notice each athlete does not just row as fast as they can in an attempt to gain more speed. This is because they let the boat run. Each stroke propels the boat forward during the stroke and after, so a rower keeps the oar up out of the water to not cut into the momentum of the boat running forward on its own.

Be sure to follow the CLASS DAY GALLERY link to see some of the action from last weekend on the Snake, when the team and alumni gathered to race each other and have fun.

Also look for results this Saturday from Spokane, where WSU will take on Gonzaga, at www.wsucougars.com.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Thursday March 12

Hello Coug fans,

I can't think of anything I would rather do today than watch the snow melt and talk about rowing. I've been to a few practices at the rowing tank in the past couple weeks making observations and gaining insight to the nuances of the sport.

For starters, the installers recently added reflective glass to the perimeter of the tank. It's really cool because it allows the athletes to watch their own stroke and make adjustments to be more consistent.

Last week on Tuesday the novice team spent about 90 minutes practicing in the tank before moving on to a 45 minute ergometer or cardio work out. Corrie McGrath, the novice coach, focused on getting her rowers to use their core through each stroke to save pain and injury to their backs. After the novice team exited the tank area - I sat in the left eight seat, strapped in my feet and stroked a few. Corrie coached my technique a little, but seemed impressed with the natural ease I demonstrated. It only took a few full strokes before beads of sweat broke out and I decided rowing is hard work. Not to compare it to any other college sport, but rowing is grueling and it definitely has my respect, attention and support.

Rowing Lingo
"Missing Water" - start to stroke forward before blade of oar is fully under water
A rower who "misses water" loses power by not fully taking advantage of all the possible water they could stroke through.

While we are all enjoying the luxuries of spring break, the rowing team will be racing for seats (positions in the boat) and preparing for Class Day races on March 21, to be followed by their first official spring race at Gonzaga March 28. Have an awesome break.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

Thursday March 5

Happy blustery day,

GALLERY

I'm excited to post this link to the most recent rowing photo gallery. I went to practice in the fall and brought along Rod Commons to catch pictures of the action. Some of it is real practice and others are posed for this year's media guide and rowing schedule poster, which earned a Bronze Award in the Visual Design Category at the CASE competition. So follow this LINK and enjoy!! I'll be back next week with a practice report from the Snake.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette

February 26, 2009

The snowy patches are fading fast...it's time for Cougar rowing to hit the river. Tales from the Snake will keep you posted on the latest buzz with the WSU women's rowing team all spring long.

My goal is to let you into the world of rowing through athlete interviews and photo galleries, as well as providing insight on rowing terminology, what is going on at practice (either from the newly completed rowing tank in Bohler Gym or from Wawawai Landing at the Snake River), and postseason implications.

The Cougars are coming off an eighth place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships, and have a promising blend of senior leadership and talented youth to compete for a trip back to the national platform again in 2009.

My name is Spencer Drolette. I'm a junior here at WSU in the communication program. I am the women's rowing sports information contact, so I handle the public relations efforts for the rowing team. My job is awesome - learning about the sport of rowing and getting to know the athletes. I'm excited about starting this blog and getting you closer to the team.

We are going to start off with a Question and Answer with Katie Dick.

Katie Dick, from Victoria, B.C., is one of 10 Cougar rowers in this year's freshman recruiting class. Throughout the spring 2009 season I will sit down with several freshmen, allowing the rest of us to get to know the future of the Washington State University rowing program.

Spencer Drolette: When did you start rowing?
Katie Dick: My Freshman year of high school. I didn't really want to but my mom encouraged me.

SD: Who was your favorite athlete when you were young?
KD: Nobody. I wasn't athletic at all growing up. Nobody would have ever believed I would become a college athlete.

SD: Were/are any other members of your family athletes?
KD: My parents use the erg machine in the basement. They have grown to love rowing. My brother plays soccer and basketball in high school.

SD: Why did you choose WSU?
KD: I like the team. The visit to me was most important. When you go on a visit you get a feel for reality. The team felt like really good people, who are accountable to each other. WSU gives me a chance competitive in a good program but still matter. The coach (Jane LaRiviere) knows who you are. Jane emphasizes that you are here for four years and cares most about what you do in the later years. She lets you become the athlete she wanted when she recruited you.

SD: What is the biggest difference between living in B.C. and living in Washington?
KD: Not one thing, but incremental differences in everything. Athletics are not as mainstream in Canada. Here everyone is involved. Everyone is a Cougar and you can feel the whole student population supporting you.

SD: What is your favorite workout?
KD: Two boats doing piecework side by side. I like the healthy competition; it makes for the most exciting practices.

SD: What do you like about practicing in the rowing tank?
KD: I like that the coach can physically move your body where it is supposed to be. They are actually showing you what your stroke should look like.

SD: What do you see as your greatest achievement so far in your life?
KD: The process of becoming self-confident. I was shy as a kid and intimidated by so many things. Now I'm okay to be who I am. It has enabled me to be a college athlete.

Keep your boat afloat,

Spencer Drolette