Tuesday, May 1, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Rower recounts race
Dry bagels, alma mater and numb legs all have place in rowing
Sophomore Sarah Sikes and senior Ali Brox practice on the Kansas River earlier this season. Brox was part of the bronze medal-winning Kansas rowing team at the Midwest Rowing Championships two weeks ago in Madison, Wis. Photo by Selena Jabara/KANSAN.
By Ali Brox
sports@kansan.com
Special to the Kansan
"Far above the golden valley..."
The sound of our teammates singing the alma mater fills the chilly morning air. The boat rests on our eight shoulders as we head to the dock.
The wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m. I checked to make sure my teammates next door were up, too, and then put on my Kansas unisuit. The bus was leaving the hotel at 5:15 a.m., and we would be launching from the dock by 5:40 a.m. Our race was schedulled for 6:20 a.m. and, if all went well, we would have done more by 6:30 a.m. than most people do in a whole day.
"...Glorious to view..."
I grabbed a bagel from my coach's truck and headed to the bus. I don't feel like eating, but I know I'll need something in my stomach if I'm going to race well. I've found that a dry bagel is just about the only thing my nerves can handle before a race. "Climbing up."
As soon as we get to the course we go on a short run and let the trainers stretch us. Most of our warm-up will be done on the water. Coach talks to us briefly about race strategy and focus, and then it's time to carry the boat to the water.
Our team has a tradition of singing the alma mater and reciting the Rock Chalk chant before every race. We form a circle and sing before the first race of the day. Usually other teams pause to watch, and some even take pictures. Our race is so early today that the rest of the team sings to us as we walk to the dock.
The boat isn't the only pressure resting on our shoulders — we are the first varsity eight, and we're launching for the Grand Finals of the Midwest Championship in Madison, Wis.
We can still hear our teammates singing as we shove off the dock, but the focus quickly shifts to the nine women sitting in the boat. We know what we have to do and compared to the hundreds of thousands of strokes we've done in practice, the 230 or so we'll take in the race should seem like nothing. It's just that those 230 strokes will require more focus and hurt more than anything we've done in practice — it's race day.
"...Stands our noble Alma
Mater..."
We begin our pre-race warm-up. We've done it so many times, it has become routine. The repetition of drills that prepare us to race is comforting because we know that at least one part of race day will be consistent every weekend. The boat feels good. We are swinging together and have good boat speed.
The Kansas women's rowing team sprinted 2,000 meters in 6:19 during the Midwest Rowing Championships in Madison, Wis. two weeks ago. Contributed photo.
The flag is up. Attention. Go. The boat shoots off the line. Jen Page, our coxwain, has the start:
I focus on Stephanie Mahal's back — she sits in front of me—and try to stay relaxed. We pull up to the start line up. There are six boats in our race and we are in lane 2.
"Legs arms, legs arms, legs arms,
swing swing."
The eight of us swing into 20 high strokes at the rate of 40 strokes a minute.
"Shift in two."
"...Towering toward the blue..."
We shift to our race pace which is about 33 strokes a minute.
We row past the boat in Lane 1 before we are finished with our high strokes. That boat would not challenge us for the rest of the race. Notre Dame is in Lane 3. They have a few seats on us but are not gaining a lead. We are hanging with them. Wisconsin is in the next lane.
We have four seats, or half a boat length, on them. Jen calls out our position compared to the other boats and reminds us to keep our oars in the water as long as possible. We are more than 500 meters into the 2,000-meter race and have been rowing for about a minute and a half. The adrenaline rush is finished. The pain sets in.
"...Lift the chorus ever onward..." We are still in good position at the 1,000-meter mark when row after row.
ing for a little more than three minutes. Jen counts out 20 strokes and focuses on keeping our strokes long through the water. We make a move on Notre Dame and cut its lead by gaining a few seats back. Wisconsin is hanging with us, too. We stay strong through the third 500 meters, but Wisconsin takes up its sprint early. The Badgers have pulled slightly ahead of us.
Jen calls our first sprint at the 1500-meter mark.
"...Crimson and the blue..."
"Quicker through the water."
We accelerate the oars and swing to the bow. We are now roaring 36 strokes a minute. Jen calls up our second sprint. We stroke the stroke rating up to a 38. At this point I know we have no more than 15 strokes left in the entire race. I count them in my mind as I focus on the back of Stephanie's head. This is balls out, and there's nothing I can do but follow Stephanie and ignore the pain. I try to focus on pushing with my legs, although I can no longer feel them.
The beep sounds as our bow crosses the finish line. Jen tells us to paddle down, which means we can ease up on the pressure.
"Wav'nuf."
“…Hail to thee, our Alma Mater.”
I drop my or, and my head falls to my lap. I'm still trying to catch my breath and still can’t feel my legs. We just sprinted 2,000 meters and finished third with a time of 6:19 behind Notre Dame and Wisconsin. A third-place finish means a medal and the hardware is waiting for us on land.
Our bodies still haven't recovered by the time we row back to the dock. The equivalent of our race is an all-
this is by far our best race of the season. We held consistent splits for most of the race and were faster in the last 500 meters. Coach Rob is fairly pleased, but thinks we can be faster. The thousands of strokes
outsprint for five laps on a 400-meter track. The last lap must be faster than the previous four.
we'll take the next few weeks in practice should help us find more speed. "Heil to old KU."
...Hall to load KU.
Editor's note: Brax is a senior on the Kansas rowing team, as well as a journalism student at the University of Kansas.
— Edited by Doug Pacey
Wright says ring won't distract her from team
Continued from page 1B
On the field, she is easily enjoying her best year in college. After two years of battling to become the Jayhawks' full-time stopshot, Wright has finally been able to relax with a secure spot in the line-up.
"She really pressed and tried to prove herself for two years," said Kansas coach Tracy Bunge. "This year she's been a much more relaxed, confident player. She goes out and whatever happens, happens."
She has set personal-bests in every offensive category and is second on the team in hits, batting average, stolen bases and RBI.
Secure with herself, Wright has thrived.
Her play was recognized when she was named Big 12 Player of the Week for April 10 through 14 after hitting .625 with three doubles, a triple and six RBI in five games.
Wright has raised her career batting average 36 points to .279 this season.
The most rewarding part of the season for Wright has been the play and unity of the team.
The "Hawks (30-23 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12 Conference) have overcome low preseason expectations and are in third place in the conference.
Wright said the team had formed a closer bond than any team she had played on before.
"We all care about each other and what's going on in each other's lives," said Wright, whose teammates took turns hugging her after her surprise engagement Saturday.
"I think it's evident in the quiet confidence we're able to bring with us," she said. "That's something I just don't see in most of the other teams we play. I don't think the other Big 12 teams have the same air that we do."
Wright's frequent miscues at shortstop have been the only damper on her season. Her 19 errors are the second most in the Big 12.
"I know my fielding percentage is just a number and not something I should worry too much about," Wright said. "But I really need to start making the routine plays."
"Courtney Wright is a good player now," Bunge said. "When she gets to the point where she's making 98 percent of the plays she should there's no reason she won't be getting votes for First Team All-Conference."
But in addition to softball, Wright now has wedding plans to think about.
Bunge said Wright had the potential to be one of the top all-around shortstops in the Big 12.
will make me look back on softball with a bigger smile than I already would have had. But a real exclamation point would be to win the Big 12 tournament. That would make everything perfect."
"What Mike did Saturday will make me look back on
Courtney Wright shortstop on the softball team
The couple said they would likely wait at least a year to get married so Wright could finish school.
Wright takes her education seriously, as demonstrated by her First Team Academic All-Big 12 honor last year. She is majoring in prephysical therapy and plans to attend medical school after graduation.
Even with everything going on in her life, Wright said her primary focus would remain with her team.
"What Mike did Saturday will make me look back on softball with a bigger smile than I already would have had," she said. "But a real exclamation point would be to win the Big 12 tournament. That would make everything perfect."
Edited by Leita Schuthes
Mike Castoro of Arizona proposes to Courtney Wright, junior shortstop, Saturday near home plate at Jayhawk Field. The softball team lost 2-1 to Oklahoma, but Wright said the proposal heed her pain. Photo by Jeff Jacobsen/Sports Info
KU SWIMMING
Women's swim team gains fresh faces,talent
By Aaron Fulk sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
Coach Cathy Burgess announced five new recruits for the Kansas women's swimming team yesterday.
"I am thrilled about the athletic and academic talent of this recruiting class." Burgess said.
All five recruits have recorded 3.5 or above GPAs and two are Wichita natives.
Andrea Becker, Wichita East senior, will add to Kansas' distance freestyle group. Becker is a three-time All-Wichita selection and placed fourth in the 500 free at the Kansas state meet last season. Becker was also a member of Wichita East's academically-presigious International Baccalaureate program.
Katherine Knighton is a senior out of Wichita Southeast High School. She was a two-time city champion in the 100 butterfly. She also specializes in the freestyle
"I am thrilled about the athletic and academic talent of this recruiting class.."
Cathy Burgess
Cathy Burgess Swimming coach
and backstroke. Knighton earned a cumulative 3.94 GPA throughout her high school years.
Traveling a little farther from home is Amy Gruber, a senior at Bigelow High School in Bigelow, Ark. Gruber won the Arkansas high school state championship in the 100 free and the 100 back. Gruber also made an impressive showing in the classroom, finishing in the top three of her class.
The fourth recruit is Jacquelyn Krueger, Sussex, Wisc., native. Krueger attended Hartland Arrowhead High School. She was the Wisconsin state high school champion in the 200 free this season and will also be a factor for the 'Hawks in the freestyle and the breaststroke. Krueger continues a family tradition as she follows in her sister Cindy Krueger's footsteps who swam for Kansas from 1992-1996.
Salzman chose Kansas after carefully considering the competition. She also joins friend and Kansas freshman Kristin Johnson on the team.
Shanell Salzman is the fifth recruit. Salzman will compete as a sophomore for the Jayhawks. A Winfield native, Salzman competed this season for Drury College in Springfield, Mo. She finished in the top 15 in four events at the NCAA Division II championships this spring. She placed fourth in the 200 fly and fifth in the 100 fly. She also had strong showings in both the 200 and 100 back.
Salzman, a pre-med and psychology major, decided to transfer after evaluating Kansas' academic programs as well.
"The competition is very different between a top Division II school and a Division I school," Salzman said. "I'm going to be training with people that are a lot faster and competing against people that are a lot faster."
"KU as a school is a lot bigger." Salzman said. "The atmosphere is just a lot different."
Burgess said she hoped Salzman and the four incoming freshmen would add bulk to a team that lost just two seniors — Carolyn Grevers and Jenny Fuller.
"This class brings our team to a higher level because we have added both strength and depth to all areas of our team." Burgess said. "We already have a talented nucleus returning and they'll be joined by this group that includes a number of high school state champions and finalists."
The quintet will join three recruits who signed during the fall. The rest of the recruiting class includes Miranda Isaac (Hutchinson), Libby Erickson (Overland Park) and Alyson Colver (Holyoke, Colorado).
—Edited by Jennifer Valadez
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