Women's Rowing Journal - Renee Alemi
3/22/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
March 22, 2007
My spring break 2007 was spent like most Bucknell students, in nice, hot weather with friends from school. However, most Bucknell students do not spend their spring breaks rowing and running unless they are on the women's rowing team. Returning to Elberton, Ga., for another training trip, the team was ready to get some serious work done to kick off the season strong. The morning we arrived, we had to immediately start preparing for our race the next day against the Crimson Tide, University of Alabama. Being on the water for the first time since our last trip to Georgia in January, the girls had to quickly find speed in new boats. My first college race resulted in my first college victory. The whole team did great and the novice got their first taste ever of racing.
Lake Russell was glad to have us. We had great weather and great water almost everyday, which helped us build speed and rhythm in the boats. I had no idea that Lake Russell was so massive until rowing on the endless and endless amount of water it had. It worried me slightly when coach would tell us that he had never gone this far before. Some people claimed they rowed all the way to South Carolina. I guess anything is possible with Lake Russell.
Our trip to Athens was a nice break in the training and tons of fun. Seeing the University of Georgia's campus made me appreciate the small community feeling of Bucknell, but envious of their surrounding town. Athens had great restaurants, and shops and yes... a Cold Stone Creamery! The day in Athens was just what I needed to push me through the rest of the trip.
I believe the team's growing closeness was our greatest accomplishment in Georgia. At the pot luck dinner on our last night, classes and cabins preformed skits. The skits had no rules, and some groups really took advantage of the blank canvas aspect of the performance. Choreographed dances that rival the Bison Girls and predicted coaches' dinner conversations were some of the highlights of the night. To top it all off, a dessert competition between cabins helped us all get some needed sugar energy. In my opinion the trip was a great success and I can't wait to see how our hard training in Georgia is going to pay off in our season.
- Renee Alemi '10