Rowing Continues Fall Schedule on the Grand River
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Oct. 25, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2009 Michigan State rowing program will host its only fall races of the season this Sunday on the Grand River at 10 a.m. The Spartans will square off with Michigan for the third time this fall in a series of controlled races. Each crew will compete in five novice races that are capped at 26 strokes per minute. The distance of the races will also be trimmed from the customary 2,000 meters to 1,200. Each race will last roughly five minutes.
"This is the first race for our novice class," said head coach Matt Weise. "The format gives the athletes multiple opportunities to practice their race strategies."
The format is designed to simulate a real-race experience and give the team a chance to react to the boat in real-race situations.
The Spartans, the defending Big Ten Champions, have had a strong showing during the fall, winning every race in which they competed. Although no official results were kept, MSU swept five races from Michigan on Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich earlier this month. The team followed that with another sweep of Ohio State and Michigan two weeks later in Columbus, Ohio.
MSU will end its fall slate on Nov. 2 as it will take part in the Big Ten Challenge at Blue Island, Ill.
