The season has just begun for the Wisconsin women's rowing team, but if Saturday's domination of Indiana is any indication, the Badgers are starting 2007 on the right stroke.
UW's first and second varsity teams both went 3-0 against the Hoosiers on their trip to Lake Lemmon, Indiana's home course in Bloomington. In fact, the first varsity team won its three races by an average of five seconds each, a sizeable margin in contests that usually last around five minutes.
Next up for the Badgers is a three-team meet in Indianapolis featuring Notre Dame and, once again, Indiana. But those races won't take place for another two weeks, allowing the teams of eight rowers plenty of time for practice.
According to head coach Bebe Bryans, the team will train heavily in the early spring as it gears up for the post-season races of April and May.
""As long as we are here, the weather is nice and we have open water, we might as well get in as much work as possible,"" she said.
That means over 70,000 meters rowed just last weekend, a tall order for a group putting its boats in the water for the first time in months. With Lake Mendota frozen over for most of the winter, the Badgers had spent most of their time inside the Porter Boathouse preparing for Saturday's races.
But with the arrival of 70-degree weather and the resumption of competitive meets, red and white rowboats are soon to be a common sight in Madison waters.
Luckily for the Badgers, the team will not even have to leave the city for the Midwest and Big Ten rowing championships, both of which are set to take place in Lake Wingra. Still, time is of the essence, and the Wisconsin women need to be in tip-top shape by late next month when NCAA tournament competition begins.
Although not officially titled May Madness, the three team's potential three-week commitment in Tennesseee for the regional and national championships is sure to be demanding.
The Badgers, whose ""Eight Team"" is currently ranked fifth in the region by the NCAA (no major television network offers women's rowing rankings) is sure to run into perennial powers such as Ohio State and Michigan at the Big Ten Championships.
Notre Dame should be a good tune-up though. The Fighting—and rowing—Irish are ranked sixth in the Midwest and, like any competitive sports team, are surely hungry for more respect.
The team next hits the water April 7 in Indianapolis.
