As the weather warms up, Drake Rowing is finally getting out onto the water. This is just in time for the official start of the rowing season. On March 22, Drake Rowing will go against Oklahoma in an away race. Their second duel, a race against only one other team, of the season is against Creighton and will take in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 29.
For training, the team has been doing a lot of workouts on an erg rowing machine at Drake’s indoor facilities. Senior Alana Rater said that Iowa’s winter weather poses a challenge and puts them behind the southern teams that get to be on the water all year round. She said the team has to work extra hard during the off-season and reacclimate to getting back on the water in the spring. But, for a rower, there is nothing better than rowing in open water, Rater said.
“I’m outside. I’m on a boat on a river. Spirits are higher for sure,” Rater said about outdoor practices. “Everyone is so excited to be back out there, but it’s almost like there’s a learning curve every time you get back out there after not being there for a while. You have to readjust to it.”
Whether on the water or off, the pre-season training is no less intense — especially this year, said Rater, which has been more physically demanding than in years past. Drake rowing has two-hour-long daily practices, and weightlifting is on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We were a little disappointed with how last year went,” Rater said. “We didn’t place as well as we wanted to in conference, so we thought it was time to make a change. We really wanted to work for it and I think that effort is showing in the team this year.”
The team hopes to place in the top five in the conference in May. Last year, the team placed sixth out of 11 in the MAAC Championship, and the Drake varsity four finished seventh. The team will compete again at conference in Camden, New Jersey, on May 18, where they hope to advance in placement.
Sophomore rower Zoey Borkowski said team members are confident that prep work will allow them to reach this goal. Rowing season is a sprint that is quickly approaching, Borkowski said, so the team has to train to ensure the rowers have the endurance and intensity threshold. During the off-season, they utilize cross-training to build technical strength. The team also increases their endurance both aerobically and anaerobically through their workout.
“We are still a team of early risers with our 6 a.m. start times,” Borkowski said. “As a team, we are prioritizing our physical and mental health. But in addition to our well-being, our goals for this season are to show up race after race, knowing we are stronger now than we were last year at this same time. Our growth is our motivator.”
Another big race the team focuses on is the Sacred Heart Open in Connecticut on April 26 and April 27. Drake Rowing will face many of the same teams they will race against at conference for the first time at this event. Captain Maggie Poltrock said the team’s strategy is to work hard and learn from each race.
“Our teams’ main goals for this season are to focus on growing together and getting faster overall, as well as focusing on smaller wins every day,” Poltrock told the TD in an email. “We like to use the term “Win the day” and celebrate small accomplishments within our team like getting faster on a workout or just getting through a tough workout.”
Rater and Borkowski said the team also focuses on the athlete’s mental health and camaraderie this season. Borkowski says these lessons in mental toughness are crucial because, as athletes, she believes they often ignore the mental aspect of their sports.
“Now, ending a tough week, I am able to look back and see that my growth is not defined just in my performance but also in my mental strength and capacity,” Borkowski said.
Rater said that her teammates are the ones who make all the hard work worth it. Even though it’s early, she said she loves seeing all her teammates every morning.
Poltrock said she strives to be a supportive captain and help create a positive team environment. She aims to motivate her teammates and remind them of their goals during the conference.
“Our sport is difficult and sometimes we need a bit of someone to lean on,” Poltrock said. “I want to provide that to anyone who needs it.”
The team’s bonds are Drake Rowing’s biggest strength, Borkowski said. The team’s annual spring break trip is one of its biggest team-building exercises.
The team will travel to Louisiana this year, where Borkowski said they will “eat, sleep and breathe rowing for a week.” This is Borkowski’s second year going on the trip, and she said she is so excited to go again and bond with her teammates on the bayou.
“Rowing is not an individual sport,” Borkowski said. “It is crucial to our success to remember that, on race day, I am not racing alone or for myself; I am racing for the 8 or 4 other women in my boat. To reference an old team motto, We Not Me.”
