Rowing Opens Spring Season at the Oak Ridge Invitational
3/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama rowing team opens its spring competition season this Saturday at the Oak Ridge Invitational on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Crimson Tide is taking five boats to the invitational, including the first and second varsity 8+, the first and second varsity 4+ and the novice 8+.
Alabama will face stout competition in its opener, taking on Notre Dame, Tennessee, Kansas, Louisville, Dayton and Buffalo during the weekend in three different sessions.
"We want to find out exactly how we compare to some of these teams that have traditionally been looked at or gone to the NCAA Championships," UA head coach Larry Davis said. "It gives us an opportunity right from the get-go to see where we are and be able to make some decisions and adjust from there."
Alabama will start things off with Notre Dame and Buffalo Saturday at noon before facing Tennessee and Dayton starting at 6 p.m. On Sunday, the Tide will take on Louisville and Kansas starting at noon.
"Going into this weekend, I think we just need to focus on ourselves and going out and rowing our race," Davis said. "We don't need to be intimidated by other teams. We just need to make sure that we go out and row our fastest, whatever that is. If we do that, then win, lose or draw, we're doing what we need to do."
The Tide closed out the fall season with a solid showing at the Head of the Hooch in November, posting five top-10 finishes including a third place finish by its novice 8+. Since that time, Alabama has gone through off-season conditioning, winter training camps as well as the last six weeks of practice. The Tide's numbers have been somewhat limited through the winter and early spring by some illness and injuries, but Davis said the Tide has worked to overcome that and is rowing well going into spring competition.
"I think that we're actually rowing technically better at this point in time of the year than we were last year," Davis said. "We may not be quite as strong, and we're certainly a lot younger than we were last year, but I think rowing-wise, in terms of technique and execution, we seem to be doing a better job."
Davis is looking toward this weekend to answer some early season questions.
"This is where I guess the question mark with youth comes in is," Davis said. "Are we going to go out and do what we have been doing in a race situation?"
