March 19, 2009
Check out the UCF Intercollegiate Rowing Center
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's rowing team kicks-off its 2009 season Friday when it heads to the Longhorn Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas. Prior to making the trip to Austin, UCFAthletics.com caught up with first-year head coach Becky Cramer to get her thoughts on the upcoming campaign.
You served as the team's interim head coach last season and then were officially named the rowing head coach last summer. Talk about taking over the squad this season and how it feels to be in charge of the program.
"It's a different feeling because I have been able to plan better and implement my goals for the spring earlier in the year, as opposed to last year when I only was able to begin planning in the early part of spring. I was also able to bring in a new coaching staff that shares my goals for this team and we have been able to make some changes in training, how we approach different things and to the overall coaching philosophy. I think that we are in a very good place right now in those areas."
There are a pair of new faces by your side this season in assistant coaches Susan Cohen and Marc DeRose, what do each of these coaches bring to the table for you and the team?
"Both Marc and Susan bring a lot to this program. Marc is extremely efficient in making training plans and developing athletes in the technical aspects and the training plan aspect. Implementing new training techniques has been one of the main focuses in his career and that is why I brought him here to UCF. I can already see a difference in how the athletes are being prepared to race.
"Sue is very enthusiastic. She has gone on the road recruiting a lot and has a lot of contacts in terms of recruiting, which is one of the reasons I brought her in. She has been such a great role model and leader to the freshmen that have joined the squad and is setting them up to be very successful."
What are your main goals for your first campaign as a head coach?
"We are looking to create depth. We want to develop this team with a top-down approach. We want to build a program, not just a fast year and a lot of the choices and decisions we have made this year have been for long-term development. I think that the team is a lot deeper this season than it has been in the past. I think that we are showing speed on all levels, which coincides with us wanting to be a fast program, not just one fast boat."
How has the team changed with the removal of the lightweight program this year?
"The lightweights were very successful and very fast, so, with not having a split squad, we have been able to take advantage of that speed. Now we have some of the lightweight rowers in some of our top boats and they are making an impact. I believe that we are a faster program having the lightweights and the open-weights as one squad. It gives us the best of both worlds."
What have the student-athletes done during the off-season and in pre-season to prepare for their 2009 campaign?
"They have been training really hard and learning what it takes to be a top-tier rowing program. One of our goals as a staff is teaching the student-athletes accountability, and they have been working hard at taking personal accountability as well as holding each other accountable. The team has also been working tirelessly in the classroom. We had one of our most successful semesters academically last fall and they are off to a really great start in this spring semester."
The UCF Intercollegiate Rowing Center is finally completed. Talk about how this state-of-the-art facility is going to help you this season and in seasons to come. How will the rowing center effect how you recruit?
"With the rowing center complete, we now have the ability to focus our efforts in one site, be it on the water or on the ergs. It takes away a lot of the extraneous issues that we had to deal with, so now we can focus on training. We are more efficient and get more work time out of our practices. The facility also helps us maintain our boats. As coaches, we have been able to take rigging to the next level. So, because our boats are indoor and well maintained there have been some things that we have been able to experiment with and tweak, giving us more options. It makes it a lot easier to be fast because it takes away a lot of the distractions.
"In terms of recruiting, it has been great. The junior national team coaches had an ID camp at the rowing center earlier in the year, so the best juniors in the Southeast came and were able to experience what our facility had to offer. It is one of the better, if not the best, training centers in the Southeast, so it will definitely attract talent. We have the combination of a great lake (Lake Pickett) and a great boathouse."
Talk a little bit about your varsity squad this season. Your varsity eight is a very experienced squad, how do you see them performing this season?
"Because one of our goals this year has been to create depth, the varsity eight is going fast, but the JV is right on their tail. The seniors that we have this year are showing great leadership and are contributing to the depth that we are striving for. We have seniors scattered through different boats on different levels. The varsity four has been posting some great times at practice as well, and they are excited, which make me excited to see what they can do. I think they are going to show some speed. I think that goes back to the depth. We are excited because we have the full gamut. It is not just the varsity eight that we are counting on. I think that we are a good team."
How is the novice team shaping up for the season? Do you see a lot of potential from the newcomers?
"I see a lot of potential from the newcomers this season. They have been developing really well. They have been posting good times at practice and they are showing that they are ready to compete on a Division I level. There are areas in which they can improve, but they are in a great starting place."
Your schedule this season pits you against some of the toughest teams in the nation. How will this help you prepare for the South/Central Sprints and for a run at the NCAAs?
"I think that if you want to be the best, you have to race the best. We definitely set up a challenging schedule. We are racing teams that have raced at, and will be racing in, the NCAA Championship and it will show us where we need to be, both as a varsity eight and as a team. I think that it is going to prepare us well for the NCAAs, because if we do well against those teams, we are right there."
The Knights kick-off their 2009 season Friday at the Longhorn Invitational, where they will row against Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, No. 6 Virginia and No. 14 Wisconsin.
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