While most of the other Hamilton spring season athletic teams competed over spring break during one-week trips to Florida, the men’s and women’s rowing teams headed to Clemson, S.C. for two weeks of spring training.
It was the first time the program travelled to Clemson; last spring the team held training and attended the John Hunter Regatta in Gainesville, G.A. This time, they did not compete in any races, instead spending the two weeks practicing and preparing for their season.
The teams have undergone quite a few other changes in the short time since their fall season ended. Jim Lister was named head coach in Feb. 2019 after five years as the Syracuse University assistant women’s rowing coach. The women’s team has also added six new rowers for their spring season and the men’s team has added four.
From February until the end of March, the city of Clemson hosted a total of 29 college and high school rowing teams, including Hamilton’s, which trained on Clemson University’s six-lane race course and used their facilities. Hamilton’s teams ate at the university’s dining hall and even attended a Clemson basketball game.
The Continentals’ training consisted of two practices a day on the water, which, while demanding, were a welcome change for most of the rowers.
“It was really great to get outside after erging inside all winter,” said Kat Buckley ’21 of the women’s team. “We put in a lot of good work and I’m excited to see the results of all that effort.” Buckley also noted that the South Carolina sunshine and warm water were a welcome change from central New York snow.
The indoor training that takes place in between the two seasons is typically used to build a better foundation of strength and speed for the spring regattas and includes periodic timed evaluations. Training on Clemson’s courses allowed the teams to work on their rowing form, become acclimated to being in the boat, and imitate the conditions of an actual race more closely. Jane Fanning ’22, a member of the women’s team, noted, “It was difficult at first to learn how to row in a boat with more experienced rowers, but everyone was so helpful and supportive.”
The practices each day usually started with a dynamic warm-up followed by technical drills. Then, the teams usually went through sections of high-intensity race pieces. Grant Kiefaber ’19, the men’s co-captain, said, “We had a really successful spring training trip. Our new coach, Jim Lister, is already helping to make our rowers faster, so we are even more excited for our coming races this season.”
The fall season, during which the men’s and women’s teams competed in three and four regattas respectively, was successful for each team. Both teams have five regattas in April before the New York
State Collegiate Championship and the NESCAC Championship in May. Last spring, both teams finished in 5th place in the NESCAC.
The men’s and women’s teams have their first races of the spring season this weekend. They both race on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, on Lake Quinsigamond in Shrewsbury, M.A. Their first home races in Rome, N.Y. will take place the following weekend on Saturday, April 13.
