Featured Rower | Paul Smith

Name/Nickname: Paul "Smalls" Smith

Year: Senior
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Major: Civil Engineering
Officer Position: Novice Men's Coach, formerly 2.5 years of Chief Rigger (aka Maintenance officer)

Favorite Erg Piece:

Honestly, the 2k. Sure, it's brutal, but it's consistent. Same thing every time, same race strategy, and it's something that is a great gauge of how much you are improving as a rower.

Favorite Cox'n call: 

"This is your race course. they do not DESERVE to be on your race course! And you will SHOW them that!" - Abby Yates, Midwest Rowing Championships, 2009

"The question is not how far. The question is, do you posses the constitution, the depth of faith, to take it as far as is needed?"- Emily Veys, Midwest Rowing Championships, 2009

Favorite Rowing Memory: 

ACRA, summer of 2011. Took a women's pair and a men's 8 down to the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championships in Gainsville, Georgia. Practiced 6 days a week @5am for an entire semester, then took spring break and 2 weeks of summer to put in 3-a-day practices to get ready for the biggest competition that Nebraska Crew had sent a boat to in recent years. We then stuffed 12 people, all of our luggage, and our 10 oars into a 12 passenger van and went on a 20-some hour car ride down to Georgia. Greatest boat I had ever been in, and it still has yet to be beat. 

Horsetooth Ache, Head of the Des Moines

On September 22nd, Nebraska Crew traveled to Fort Collins, CO for the Horsetooth Ache. This was a 20,000 meter course on the Horsetooth Reservoir and was certainly a challenge for novice and varsity alike. We were able to field a novice women's eight, a novice men's eight, a varsity women's four and a varsity men's pair. We got to compete against other Colorado rowing clubs, including the club from Colorado State University, who graciously hosted us at the campgrounds just off the reservoir.

On September 23rd, the team participated in a few morning sprint races in mixed Nebraska-CSU boats.     It was a great way to end a fun weekend of rowing.


On September 29th, Nebraska Crew headed to their next regatta in Des Moines, IA. Highlights include second place finishes by the Novice Women's 8 and the Novice Women's 4. Great job, ladies!

We'd also like to give a shout out to the Omaha Rowing Association. It was great seeing you guys in Des Moines!

Novice Women's 4 finishing second place at the Head of the Des Moines

Our next regatta will be Quad Cities in Moline, IL on October 13th followed by Head of the Rock on October 14th in Rockford, IL.

We'd like to thank all our alumni and family who continue to support us throughout our season. We wouldn't be able to compete without you.

Fall 2012

Nebraska Crew has been working hard these past couple weeks getting ready for the new season. We have been recruiting new novice, finalizing our regatta schedule and getting our first practices in of the season.

Prospective novice will be joining us this weekend as we head to Milbank, SD for our fall training trip. We look forward to our first practices on the water and getting to know new members.

Our regatta schedule this fall is as follows:

Horsetooth Ache
Fort Collins, CO
September 22, 2012

Head of the Des Moines
Des Moines, IA
September 29, 2012

Quad Cities Regatta
Moline, IL
October 13, 2012

Head of the Rock 
Rockford, IL
October 14, 2012

Frostbite Regatta
Wichita, KS
November 4, 2012

Ergathon, our fall fundraiser, will be held on September 14-15, 2012, leading up to the Husker game against Arkansas State. We'll be out at the Union Plaza from Friday morning until kickoff. More details to come.

We're really excited for our upcoming season and want to thank everyone ahead of time for their support!

US Women's Eight Takes Gold for second straight Olympics

Congratulations to the US Women's Eight for defending their Olympic gold medal! The US dominated the race and finished a half-length ahead of Canada, who took silver. The Netherlands finished third.

2012 London Olympics

Photo credit to nbcolympics.com

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London opened yesterday and will continue until August 12, 2012. Rowing has had a rich history as part of the Olympics and provides great exposure to the sport, particularly in communities like Nebraska where rowing is relatively unknown. For those who may not have much background in rowing or for those looking to follow all the action this Olympics, here is a brief overview followed by links to other articles and websites:

Olympic rowing races are 2000 meters long and rowers reach anywhere from 40 to 47 strokes per minute. There are two disciplines of rowing, sweeping and sculling. Sweeping requires the use of one oar per rower while sculling uses two oars per rower. Coxswains are used in the men's and women's eights to steer the shells and guide rowers through races.

The Olympics will feature 14 different rowing races:
Sweep
Men's pair without coxswain (M2-)*
Women's pair without coxswain (W2-)*
Men's lightweight four without coxswain (LM4-)*
Men's four without coxswain (M4-)*
Men's eight with coxswain (M8+)*
Women's eight with coxswain (W8+)*

Scull
Men's single sculls (M1x)*
Women's single sculls (W1x)*
Men's lightweight double sculls (LM2x)
Men's double sculls (M2x)
Women's double sculls (W2x)*
Lightweight women's double sculls (LW2x)*
Men's quadruple sculls (M4x)*
Women's quadruple sculls (W4x)*


*Races with US boats competing

Some interesting facts:

• The United States has the most overall Olympic medals in rowing with 84.
• The United States Women's Eight are the defending Gold Medal champions for the 2012 London Olympics. 
• Many consider retired British rower Sir Steven Redgrave the greatest British Olympian of all time for winning five consecutive gold medals in five Olympic games from 1984 to 2000. The feat of this accomplishment is even more impressive considering the fitness demands of rowing. At the 2012 Opening Ceremony, he received the torch from David Beckham and passed the flame to the seven young athletes, who ultimately lit the Olympic cauldron.

photo credit to abc.net.au




If you're looking for some more websites to follow this summer, NBC Olympics: Rowing provides a comprehensive overview, including a brief history, competition format and of course updated race results and viewing schedules. USRowing is also a great place to look for news and information on the United States Olympic Rowing team. 

And for your reading pleasure between races, here are some articles recounting some great moments in rowing history, 1936 US Men's Eight victory in Berlin and the 1976 Yale Women's Crew making a statement.

We also hope you'll like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated on our own rowing competitions in the coming seasons.

We wish all the US Rowing athletes the best of luck and look forward to watching them succeed in London!

Featured Rower | Kelsey Thorpe

Name: Kelsey Thorpe                      

Year: Sophomore

Hometown: Crystal Lake, Illinois

Major: Chemistry

Rowing position: Bisweptual
Novice

Favorite erg workout: Intervals

Favorite rowing drill: Mosquito Drill

Favorite call from your coxswain: Power 10

Favorite post-workout meal: Celery with Peanut Butter

Favorite Nebraska Crew memory: Spring Break!

Biggest goal for this year/season: Place in a race.

Featured Rower | George Pagano

Name/Nickname: George Pagano/Jorge

Year: Sophomore

Hometown: Philly

Major: Actuarial Science

Officer Position: Maintenance Officer

Rowing Position: Stroke seat, but biswept
Varsity 

Favorite erg workout: 10x500m

Favorite rowing drill: Cut the Cake

Favorite racing shell: Brand: Resolute/Empacher Team boat: Ellen

Favorite call from your coxswain: Way 'nough

Favorite post-workout meal: Spaghetti

Favorite pump up song: Kernkraft 400- Zombie Nation

Favorite motivational quote: "Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory." –George S. Patton

If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be? Paesano

Favorite Nebraska Crew memory: Milbank

Favorite regatta/venue: Head of the Rock/Rockford, IL

Biggest rowing accomplishment: Finishing 6^th in Stotesbury (largest high school regatta in the country)

Biggest goal for this year: Medalling