The women’s rowing team has seen nothing but growth in it’s three years of existence at Cabrini. You can feel the excitement in the air for their first two races of the season coming up Sat. March 23 and 24. Under the coaching of Janit Gorka, they are as prepared as they’ve ever been and are eager to put their ores in the water.
Rather than having games like the majority of sports at Cabrini, women’s rowing isn’t racing up against just one team. On March 23 they will be racing in the Murphy Cup Regatta in Philadelphia against multiple schools. The Murphy cup consists of teams from division one, two and three.
Barely a full day later, the team will be going down to Atlantic City to race Stockton and Rochester. Back-to-back racing is no easy task but everyone is confident in their abilities and are thinking positively about these races.
“Training is going very well,” head coach Janit Gorka said. “We started earlier this spring, we did three weeks of ERGing sessions, which are our rowing machines, to prepare to be on the water. Which means they were already in relatively good shape before they even put their hands on an oar.”
The team changed things up from the previous two seasons and went to Florida this year for spring break to practice in warmer weather. Considering the fact that Cabrini usually has a relatively early spring break in late February it’s hard to practice out on the water in such cold weather. Thankfully things are different this year for the team and they stayed at a summer camp in Gotha, Florida, to train. With three new recruits on board, this gave the whole team a great opportunity to rise together in their skill level.
The team used this trip as a chance to bond as well. Growing close as a crew is a type of unity that is extremely valued for a sport that really relies on being in sync with each other for a two kilometer race. With all this training and bonding as a team under their belts everyone is looking forward to performing this season, no matter the outcome of the race.
“I think this season is going to go well,” Emma Turnbach, junior psychology and philosophy major, said. “I don’t really measure success in winning. I think just over all progress is just exciting to watch especially with such a new team. I think the possibilities are endless. For me as a newcomer I think we’re already seeing so much growth with our relationships as a team and on the water so I think that’s really exciting.”
