ONLINE EXTRA: Rowing team competes in Pacific Coast and Pac-10 championships

By Jessica Bach
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]

There’s an unknown advantage hidden in boxing gloves and
Powerpuff Girl keychains. Well at least according to the UCLA
women’s rowing team.

For the athletes, these keepsakes illustrate personal attributes
they bring to their boats, momentos to motivate the team for this
weekend’s Pacific Coast and Pac-10 Championships.

For one rower, the glove demonstrates the punch she adds to the
varsity boat. For another, a coxswain, the PowerPuff Girls
represent a hidden strength behind their cute, cuddly appearance,
symbolic of her own presence to the team.

This team building exercise is just one of the aspects the
rowers have been working on the past three weeks. Along with
intense training and a retreat, the team has prepared for this
weekend, where they will see the culmination of their growth over
the season.

“This is the (the rowers’) first time as a big
program, with a school like UCLA backing them,” head coach
Amy Fuller said of their first year as a varsity sport. “And
now they have to go out and be proud of that.”

The meet will feature tough competition, with six of the varsity
boats ranked in the national top 20. Established programs like No.
9 USC and No. 16 Oregon State will be in UCLA’s heat, with
other top programs like Washington, California, and Stanford also
competing in the tournament.

These top schools present more of a challenge than the varsity
boats are ready for. Loyola Marymount has been a more attainable
rival for them and the Bruins are looking to avenge their loss to
LMU at the Miller Cup last month.

“Our season goal has been basically to beat LMU,”
varsity rower Katrina Craig said. “We would most likely see
them in the Petite Final, but, we’ve been chasing them all
year, getting closer to them each time.”

“The JV and Varsity will have a daunting task,”
Fuller said. “There are a lot of good programs out there, but
this makes it in a way, easier for our team. They have no pressure
and everything to gain.”

The Novice boat has had more success in its division this year,
and is looking to qualify for the Grande Final.

“We really want to go out there and surprise some
people,” Novice rower Dawn Regan said. “Our boat is
very competitive and we know we have the capability to do
that.”

This meet will be a true measure of the team’s growth.

“We have a great future and we want to set a
precedent,” Regan said. “We may not be there yet, but
it is right here, right now, that we will show where we will be in
the future.”