KU Rowing Team Kicks Off Season This Weekend

Sept. 27, 2006

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The Kansas Rowing Team kicks off its fall campaign this weekend with a trip to Oklahoma City for the Head of the Oklahoma. The two-day regatta will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1 on the Oklahoma River which is adjacent to downtown Oklahoma City and Bricktown, the city’s entertainment district. The Saturday races will begin at 3:05 p.m. and the Sunday races will begin at 9 a.m. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The Head of the Oklahoma is the first of four regattas during the fall season. Kansas will enter teams into the Collegiate Eight, Collegiate Four, Collegiate Double and Collegiate Single events.

The Kansas contingent of athletes will include only the varsity rowers for the Head of the Oklahoma regatta with the novice rowers making their debuts a month later at the Head of Iowa regatta in Iowa City, Iowa. The two final meets for 2006 will take place in November at the Head of the Chattahoochee Meet in Chattanooga, Tenn. and in Manhattan, Kan. for the Sunflower Showdown.

“We look at the fall as competitive training days. We try to improve our technique during the fall, and then apply them to races,” said KU head coach Rob Catloth, whose team returns 10 seniors this season.

“The Head of the Oklahoma is a really good venue and every year they are upgrading the event. This year they are going to have night racing which should be fun for our team.”

Other collegiate participants in the Head of the Oklahoma include Texas, Kansas State, Tulsa, Oklahoma City University, Navy, Louisville and SMU.

For more information, please visit www.kuathletics.com.