Q & A With Paula Thoms
9/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Sept. 27, 2006
Michigan State senior rower Paula Thoms has consistently been a member of the varsity eight , helping her boat to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 2006, and a Big Ten Championship in 2005, each marking the highest-ever finish for MSU. In addition Thoms has participated in community outreach opportunities through Student Athlete Support Services. In her final year at Michigan State, Thoms will work with her classmates to motivate an inexperienced roster.
How is the team able to encourage each other through the fall and winter?
"We have pretty good team bonding. Before practice we talk to each other and try to make it a fun atmosphere. It's not just like a chore to come to practice everyday, people get excited for it. We're continuously setting goals together, and holding each other to standards. We try and make it so we're achieving things step by step, and not just monotonous working out every day. I think that we build relationships with each other that make it a lot friendlier and more fun, knowing that we're all getting through it together."
How is the team adjusting to the loss of twelve seniors last year?
"It's hard to tell right now. There are some very strong personalities on the team that I think are very different than the people from last year. I don't think it's necessarily going to be a fill-in; I think it's going to be something new, which is exciting. I look forward to seeing what our team dynamic is going to be like."
How do you help the freshman adjust to school and rowing?
"I've talked to a few of the freshmen outside of rowing. I've been out for coffee with them. I want them to know that I'm their friend outside of rowing, and if they need me they can come to me. With school stuff I just ask them about it and see how things are going and make sure they aren't stressed out. Because we have such a good academic support system at SASS, I don't really ask them much about school. I'm mostly just trying to communicate with them."
Being from Canada, do you try and help the Canadian freshman more?
"Mostly I've been talking to the Canadians, actually. I don't know, I guess I take a special interest in them. There are some girls from my hometown that I go out of my way to talk to and make sure things are going well for them."
Would you say it's harder to come to MSU from Canada?
"I didn't really have a hard time doing it, but I think coming to a Big Ten school and having to transition can be tough. Michigan isn't really that far from Ontario, so it isn't much different from what I can tell."
What goals has the team set for this year?
"We actually haven't talked about championship-season goals yet, mostly just technical goals and short-term goals. More process-oriented, every-day sort of goals, not for the Big Ten Championship."
Are there people who you feel have been especially supportive during your time at MSU?
"I do, and most of them are gone. But when people you find supportive leave, you tend to find other people to fill that spot, and that's definitely going to happen on this team. There are people that I'm going to get closer to and I'm going to look to them for support."
What outreach opportunities have you participated in during your four years?
"I've attended a lot of the meetings at SASS, and I've gone to the sports night at the MAC. I've also done charity work for the SPYN Awards. I was on the committee that organized it, and I really liked doing that. I'm a business major and I thought that being in the meeting atmosphere was good for me. I also think giving back to the community is very important. Hopefully the new freshmen on the team will see that too and take part in different things."
Players Mentioned
