Enthusiastic turnout has Mac crew steadily rowing along
By: Daniel Kerwin, Managing Editor
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Sports
Now at the end of their first season, the new recruits seem to have caught on.
"We've progressed from knowing nothing to doing pretty well," Jackie Hoong '12 said.
"It's a cool feeling to all be coming together at the same time," Tema Johnson '11 added.
Not only did the novice team come together, they were also a competitive force in their races. For example, in the North Star Challenge the novice women's eight placed 2nd out of 5 boats in their race. Macalester also had second place finishes for the women's varsity four and the varsity mixed eight.
Looking back to the beginning of the season, it wasn't clear that the team would even have coaches, let alone an army of novice rowers. In the end Associate Athletic Director Vanessa Seljeskog and former head coach Jerritt Johnston were able to utilize contacts at the Minneapolis Rowing Club and recruit a head coach, Janet LaMere, and two novice coaches, Sue Michals and Ann Schley.
"It's not unusual for alums to come back and coach the novices, we've had that in the past, but it's not as professional as what we have this year," Berganovic said.
Besides taking part in two races in the Twin Cities along the Mississippi this season, the team also raced in Des Moines, Iowa, and in Rockford, Ill., the biggest race in the Midwest during the fall. In the spring there is talk of going on a spring break trip and also trying to go to the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia.
Of course operative word in these plans is 'spring.' Rowing doesn't work too well on a river covered in ice.
"We've progressed from knowing nothing to doing pretty well," Jackie Hoong '12 said.
"It's a cool feeling to all be coming together at the same time," Tema Johnson '11 added.
Not only did the novice team come together, they were also a competitive force in their races. For example, in the North Star Challenge the novice women's eight placed 2nd out of 5 boats in their race. Macalester also had second place finishes for the women's varsity four and the varsity mixed eight.
Looking back to the beginning of the season, it wasn't clear that the team would even have coaches, let alone an army of novice rowers. In the end Associate Athletic Director Vanessa Seljeskog and former head coach Jerritt Johnston were able to utilize contacts at the Minneapolis Rowing Club and recruit a head coach, Janet LaMere, and two novice coaches, Sue Michals and Ann Schley.
"It's not unusual for alums to come back and coach the novices, we've had that in the past, but it's not as professional as what we have this year," Berganovic said.
Besides taking part in two races in the Twin Cities along the Mississippi this season, the team also raced in Des Moines, Iowa, and in Rockford, Ill., the biggest race in the Midwest during the fall. In the spring there is talk of going on a spring break trip and also trying to go to the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia.
Of course operative word in these plans is 'spring.' Rowing doesn't work too well on a river covered in ice.
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