Michigan State Crew Opens Fall Racing Season
9/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Sept. 14, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Matt Weise, Michigan State women's crew heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., for its first contest of the fall season on Sunday, Sept. 19. U-M will host the Spartans, as well as Eastern Michigan, for this weekend's competition.
The Spartan season-opener will entail five five-minute pieces, set at 26 strokes-per-minute, a more controlled situation than the majority of races. There will be A-Flight and B-Flight heats, with MSU entering two even A-Flight eights and one B-Flight boat.
"We have been working on pulling hard and really racing, right from the get go," Weise said of his team. "We want to be able to respond to challenges in certain race situations, rather than just sticking with the race plan, we want to be more fluid with it. We have been working on executing plans, rather than just making them."
Most fall racing entails distances pieces, also known as head races, which are about 3 miles long. Although the spring season is recognized as the primary time for collegiate rowing competition, Weise notes that fall racing is essential to spring success. And preparing the crew team to race effectively and successfully is one of Weise's main goals this season.
"We are going to work on really challenging the team to race hard," Weise said. "Last season, they worked hard and they were fit enough to do it, but they weren't ready to race. They were ready to train, but there is a distinct difference there. So, hopefully, we are going to get them more prepared to race."
The Spartans face tough competition in rival U-M, as the Wolverines finished third in the nation last spring. Michigan State returns to the water after a successful season in which the team finished 12th at the NCAA Championship.
Eastern Michigan completed its 2004 spring season at the Lexus Regional Sprints, where it finished 20th out of 23 competitors.
After Sunday's races, MSU hosts The Head of the Grand Regatta on Oct. 17, which marks the Spartans' major home regatta of the fall season.