KU Rowers Finish Fall at Head of the Hooch
Nov. 1, 2012
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Preparing for one of the most challenging regatta’s in collegiate rowing, Kansas will be among the more than 1,600 boats racing at The Head of the Hooch this weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Head of the Hooch is the second largest regatta in the country, and will mark the final competition for the rowing team this fall.
On Saturday, KU has two boats entered in the Women’s Championship Eight event and two entered in the Women’s Collegiate Novice Eight event. The Women’s Championship Four will also be held on Saturday, where KU has two boats entered.
KU head coach Rob Catloth is looking to build off of the team’s successes thus far and end the fall season with continued improvement.
“We had some really good races down in Tulsa and we are looking to continue to progress from our performance there,” Catloth said. “I think for the novice rowers we look to see if they can come out and perform in front of more competition than they were competing against in the scrimmage in Tulsa. This is a big race environment as there are a lot of crews there and this is a further distance then they have raced before.”
The Head of the Hooch concludes on Sunday with the Jayhawks racing four boats in the Women’s Open Eight and two boats in the Women’s Open Quad.
The spring season will kick off March 8-10, 2013 at the Oklahoma Invite. Catloth imparts to his rowers the importance of staying in shape over the long break.
“The main focus is to keep up their level of fitness and do well academically,” Catloth said. “When they go home it’s important they continue staying shape so that we are not starting over when the team gets back from break. There is some ownership and responsibility for them to stay in shape when they are home”.
Some members of the team will be chosen to travel to Florida to train over winter break. During the spring season, KU will row in seven competitions culminating with the Conference USA Championships which will determine if KU qualifies for the NCAA Championships.
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