A wise varsity women’s coach once said, “If you’re gonna talk the trash, you gotta back it up.” With these words in mind, the LU rowing team backed their trash throughout the 2005 season. The season started early with a regatta hosted by St. Norbert in early April, where the weather was cold but the Viking rowers were hot. The novice men shined in second place and the novice women placed third. The varsity women secured Lawrence’s lead by placing first, second, and third: a true domination combination over all competitors. Placing second overall, the Vikings are confident that their competitors will learn how to count before the next season, thus further increasing their chances of victory.
Due to bad weather, the team didn’t compete again until traveling to Marquette on April 30. There the varsity and novice men and women held their water, placing second. Unfortunately for Marquette, the lightweight women proved to be worth more than their weight and pulled off a win.
The season culminated with a trip to Philadelphia for the Dad Vail National Championship Regatta on May 13 and 14. Facing teams like Purdue, Army, and Northwestern, the Viking Rowers made every stroke count. The novice men (Way, Kraemer, Halverson, Cullen, Shimek) set the bar, finishing in 7:34, placing 34/51. The novice women (Sit, Kaszpurenko, Dunbar-Hester, Hahn, Koons) broke the finish line at 9:39. The varsity women (Lutz, O’Mara, Cornelius, Johnson, Klein, Ufkin, Lawrence, Sobek, Gaudinski) finished the season strong at 7:43. The lightweight women (Way, Freeman, Clark, Nockleby, Hollister) continued their dominating ways with a time of 8:33, placing 8/24. However, fate was not with the rowing team, as due to confusion with the university and a drawer, the varsity men were unable to compete.
Graduating from the Viking Crew are varsity women Elizabeth Freeman and Mollie O’Mara and novice Coach Ian Love. The time and dedication these rowers have committed to the team will always be remembered. In addition, the team would like to once again extend gratitude for the strong support it receives from the Lawrence community, especially to those who assisted with the boathouse vandalism.
The 2005 season was challenging for the rowing team. Battling bad weather, an ever-changing coaching staff, administration problems, and vandalism, the team still maintained focus on the water and proved themselves as strong competition. While consistently rowing strongly and finishing favorably, the team has yet to break finals at Vails, thus it looks to next season to make Lawrence History. The returning coaches and rowers eagerly anticipate the next year with the determination and intensity described only by “Lawrence WHAT?!
Crew finishes season strong
