By Catherine Laroche
The rowing team ended its 2005 fall season with a bang, winning the Open 8+ race and earning seven top-four finishes at the Head of the Elk Regatta on Sunday, Oct. 30. “We were really well-prepared physically and mentally,” said Head Rowing Coach Richard Ruggieri. “We knew what we had to do.”
Considered one of the most prestigious rowing competitions in the nation, the Head of the Elk Regatta pitted Louisville against national powerhouse teams such as Notre Dame, Indiana and Cincinnati.
“I couldn’t be more pleased by not only the team, but the entire program. Everyone on the team showed their best effort,” Ruggieri said.
The Cards were the fastest of a field of 18 other crews in the Open 8+ with a time of 14 minutes, 11.515 seconds on the 2.5-mile course on the Upper St. Joseph River. The team was more than 17 seconds faster than second-place Notre Dame.
“This win shows that they have the speed to compete with the best schools,” Ruggieri said. “It shows that all the hard work paid off. It’s a positive feeling moving into winter training.”
The Cards’ accomplishments this fall include a win in the 4+ at the Head of the Charles, along with the five races the Cards won at the Head of the Licking Regatta.
“Out of 115 teams, we beat 107 teams,” Ruggieri said. “So, I’d say we had a pretty good fall season overall. It can’t get better than that.”
The Cards break for the winter before their spring schedule resumes, but they certainly won’t be idle. They will travel to Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 13-20 for intense training. “They have one day off, then straight into winter training,” Ruggieri said. “We will be testing for weak areas, then identify those weaknesses and get sharper. They will work hard in the weight room, on bikes, rowing machines and hills.” Ruggieri said the team will row 30 miles a day, totaling over six hours of training a day.
“We have a stacked season ahead,” Ruggieri said. “We compete against a top-25 team every weekend throughout the whole spring. We have a very challenging schedule.”
Senior rower Jenna Sample said the team is also looking forward to the postseason tournaments and events. “Our goal is to win the Big East and make it to the NCAA,” she said.
However, they have to compete against teams that have the same postseason goals. Minnesota, Tennessee, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, California and Tulsa are some of the top competition for the Cards this spring.
Although the team has a tough schedule ahead, their chemistry should help the Cards finish the year successfully.
“Our goal to do well helps bring us together,” said junior Beth Daunhauer. “We push each other to do better.”
“We have a very close, strong bond,” Sample said. “A bunch of us live together, and we’re always doing stuff together.”
The team hopes to continue its success with the help of that close bond throughout the spring season. The Cardinals open the season March 12 against Minnesota in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
