“Sudds Talk”

January 22, 2015

Winter training can hold a very negative connotation within the sport of rowing. In the north, it is equated with nonstop erging while looking out over your frozen lake for four to five months. In Clemson, winter training means something a little bit different. We obviously do not deal with icy water or being stuck inside for months on end because it is January and yesterday was 65 degrees (have to love South Carolina!). Instead, winter for us means continuing progress made from the fall season and putting ourselves in the best position to dominate in the spring. We do this by focusing whole-heartedly on the team. As any rower knows, erging can be very individual and solitary, which seems odd in one of the most team oriented sport in the world. To combat the loneliness, The Clemson Rowing Family makes many workouts of winter training team oriented. One of my favorites this week was where rowers, coxswains, and even Head Coach Frazier Wong split into teams and had to sprint up the hill by our boathouse while carrying an oar. Who could complain while standing on top of the hill with our beautiful Lake Hartwell on one side of us and Death Valley and the rest of the athletic district in the background on the other? Although we cannot wait for racing to begin, we are enjoying the team bonding that winter training is bringing.

Until next week!

Sudds