University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Novice
/ Rowing
Novice
/ Rowing
Photo by: David Kaplan
Gophers' Novice Rowers Launching from the Start
5/9/2024 1:30:00 PM | Rowing
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota has developed one of the program's best novice rowing teams in the 2023-24 season, turning a group of student-athletes that started with almost no rowing experience into a fast, connected team.
As a novice team, the challenge of molding a new batch of recruits comes about every single year, but novice coach Victoria West and the rest of the Golden Gophers' coaching staff have been up to the task as they work to establish their team's ability to compete from coast to coast.
"Every year we do walk-on questionnaires and I send a mass email, and then if people are interested, I invite them to come out to the boathouse," West said. "This year we did two days of informational meetings, and we also took them to Athletes Village. As a coaching staff, we wanted to show the additional resources and value that are potentially available to them as a Minnesota student-athlete."
For two incoming freshmen, they each took their own route to join the team. Jaden Deutscher received that email and had her interest piqued after being both a cross country and track and field state champion as a prep standout in North Carolina.
"I initially found out about the team through an email saying the team is looking for athletes," Deutscher said. "I remember seeing that and thinking, I'm not done yet. There is still something left I have to give. I wanted to be part of a team and be in that atmosphere again, so I just thought, why not?"
Emilie Rish heard about the sport from a different collegiate coach and took an immediate interest, moving away from the sport of volleyball, where she was a First Team All-Lake Superior Conference selection and team MVP at Hermantown High School, and into rowing.
"At one of the volleyball tournaments I was playing, I actually had a rowing coach reach out," Rish stated. "I didn't realize you could go D1 with a sport that you've never tried before. I did some more research and tried a couple rowing clubs and summer programs to see if I'd be interested. As it turned out, I liked it more than my original sport."
Once Deutscher and Rish, along with approximately 25 others, gathered officially for the first time, it was all about learning a new sport, which is an area Coach West thrives on. Aided by assistant coach Laura Feinson, the novice squad was taught the basics of how to row, how to handle the equipment, getting out on the water, doing the ergs, and completing fitness tests.
"We were hoping for a bigger group," West mentioned. "At first I was bummed since we didn't hit the numbers that I wanted. But I remember walking out of the boathouse after meeting this group and thought, wait a second, these are the people that matter the most and after that tryout period, we knew something special was there."
West knew this was a group receptive to improving every day and cared about getting better based on the questions they were asking at practice. She knew she could teach the sport, but there was one key element they had to bring individually.
"It's the heart! I tell them I can't teach you heart. I can teach you technique, but I can't teach you how bad you want it, that's gotta be you and that organically comes through in what they do," West mentioned.
It didn't take long for the novice team to start taking shape as there was a lot of talent to work with. This all became clear to the coaching staff when the season continued through the holiday break and into a January training trip to San Diego, Calif.
"I think they're just naturally gifted and I feel like a big chunk of them are gifted on the power side. Then we have people who are not as powerful, but they're more gifted on the technical side. You need a combination of those and being able to mesh it all together is how we created a faster boat. The absolute buy-in I had from everyone, I knew it was going to be a fun time, and it has been," West said.
With a roster of nearly 60 varsity and novice student-athletes, the Gophers' rowing team has a lot of personalities and that has taught the group how to work with different people. They've had to lean on each other and learn from one another, and that has shown significantly with the varsity athletes helping and supporting their novice teammates.
"Everyone comes with a different story. Every novice that joins has a different background and has a different experience, which I think is what makes the program so unique and makes us stronger. This is the most team-oriented sport I've been on because you're in the boat with eight other girls and you all need to be rowing as one. I think there's something so beautiful about that," Deutscher added.
"I think our chemistry became so natural because we were all learning at the same time so we could all bond together during the process," Rish added to follow up on her teammates' thoughts. "Our team has a lot of chemistry and is one of those rare moments where it's a team that really connects with one another. We've just grown so close in the past few months."
Both newcomers looked back to their race in Columbus, Ohio, as a turning point for their season when they noticed the training and hard work was paying off on the water. The First Novice Eight boat got out to a fast start, leading from start to finish during a win over the nationally-ranked Buckeyes on that day in early April.
"Going back to our race this spring against Ohio State and seeing us row. It was amazing to see," Deutscher added. "Seeing we are strong, we are powerful, and it was really, really cool to see our bow ball ahead at the finish."
Rish saw that anything was possible for the group moving forward through the rest of the semester if they continued to execute the training plan.
"I think that race put in perspective how hard we've been pushing each other through the winter season and how badly we want to win," Rish stated. "Our boat has become so competitive, and I am so excited to see how far we can go as we are so connected as a boat."
That Saturday in Ohio helped jump start a stretch of impressive results from the novice boat as it won the next two races against Kansas and Kansas State. They followed with quality performances against fellow conference competition, and other top programs from across the country, at the Big Ten Invitational Regatta in Sarasota, Fla., last month.
"This group, not just as rowers, but as people and the way that they hold themselves, they're confident in what they do," West stated. "They're having a lot of fun. Doing the weekly tests that we do and having them see that progress is not linear, but you're chipping away at yourself and watching how you've improved over the year; that gives you so much confidence as the training plan is working."
Trusting that process has been made easier thanks to the support of their teammates from the varsity squad, as most of them went through the same development at the beginning of their rowing careers with the Gophers.
"One impactful experience I had was during a combined practice with novice and varsity. Knowing where (varsity) started out as rowers versus where they are now motivated me. Being able to practice with them really helped me push myself more and I feel like I improved so much just being around them," Rish said.
Feeling the love and support from their older teammates has taken many forms throughout the season. From walks on the beach leading to chats about practice, school, and any number of topics, to sharing a boat during training, and celebrating together after every race.
"All of them coming up to us after a race and congratulating us or saying how good we did; I think our upper classmen are just such a supportive and caring group. They want the best for everybody, and you can really feel that," Deutscher said.
Both Deutscher and Rish admitted that when they first joined the rowing team, they never realized how hard it is. Watching the varsity team and professionals make it look so smooth and relaxed, but being in the sport, they quickly found out it's mentally and physically hard. That's where coaching has made the biggest impact for the freshmen.
"I think Victoria does an incredible job of helping you push past your limits with no fear. She's so supportive, but she is also good at pushing us and validating us. That's what makes her such an amazing coach and Jaden and I both said how she's the best coach we've ever had," Rish added.
With only 10 days until the Maroon and Gold take to the waters of Devil's Lake in Baraboo, Wis., for the 2024 Big Ten Conference Rowing Championships, the team continues to train and prepare for what they hope is a successful day of competition.
"I want them to have fun and I don't want them to worry too much about the end result. The result will be what it is, and hopefully it'll be great, but I know it'll be great if they lay down the best race that they can," West concluded.
As a novice team, the challenge of molding a new batch of recruits comes about every single year, but novice coach Victoria West and the rest of the Golden Gophers' coaching staff have been up to the task as they work to establish their team's ability to compete from coast to coast.
"Every year we do walk-on questionnaires and I send a mass email, and then if people are interested, I invite them to come out to the boathouse," West said. "This year we did two days of informational meetings, and we also took them to Athletes Village. As a coaching staff, we wanted to show the additional resources and value that are potentially available to them as a Minnesota student-athlete."
For two incoming freshmen, they each took their own route to join the team. Jaden Deutscher received that email and had her interest piqued after being both a cross country and track and field state champion as a prep standout in North Carolina.
"I initially found out about the team through an email saying the team is looking for athletes," Deutscher said. "I remember seeing that and thinking, I'm not done yet. There is still something left I have to give. I wanted to be part of a team and be in that atmosphere again, so I just thought, why not?"
Emilie Rish heard about the sport from a different collegiate coach and took an immediate interest, moving away from the sport of volleyball, where she was a First Team All-Lake Superior Conference selection and team MVP at Hermantown High School, and into rowing.
"At one of the volleyball tournaments I was playing, I actually had a rowing coach reach out," Rish stated. "I didn't realize you could go D1 with a sport that you've never tried before. I did some more research and tried a couple rowing clubs and summer programs to see if I'd be interested. As it turned out, I liked it more than my original sport."
Once Deutscher and Rish, along with approximately 25 others, gathered officially for the first time, it was all about learning a new sport, which is an area Coach West thrives on. Aided by assistant coach Laura Feinson, the novice squad was taught the basics of how to row, how to handle the equipment, getting out on the water, doing the ergs, and completing fitness tests.
"We were hoping for a bigger group," West mentioned. "At first I was bummed since we didn't hit the numbers that I wanted. But I remember walking out of the boathouse after meeting this group and thought, wait a second, these are the people that matter the most and after that tryout period, we knew something special was there."
West knew this was a group receptive to improving every day and cared about getting better based on the questions they were asking at practice. She knew she could teach the sport, but there was one key element they had to bring individually.
"It's the heart! I tell them I can't teach you heart. I can teach you technique, but I can't teach you how bad you want it, that's gotta be you and that organically comes through in what they do," West mentioned.
It didn't take long for the novice team to start taking shape as there was a lot of talent to work with. This all became clear to the coaching staff when the season continued through the holiday break and into a January training trip to San Diego, Calif.
"I think they're just naturally gifted and I feel like a big chunk of them are gifted on the power side. Then we have people who are not as powerful, but they're more gifted on the technical side. You need a combination of those and being able to mesh it all together is how we created a faster boat. The absolute buy-in I had from everyone, I knew it was going to be a fun time, and it has been," West said.
With a roster of nearly 60 varsity and novice student-athletes, the Gophers' rowing team has a lot of personalities and that has taught the group how to work with different people. They've had to lean on each other and learn from one another, and that has shown significantly with the varsity athletes helping and supporting their novice teammates.
"Everyone comes with a different story. Every novice that joins has a different background and has a different experience, which I think is what makes the program so unique and makes us stronger. This is the most team-oriented sport I've been on because you're in the boat with eight other girls and you all need to be rowing as one. I think there's something so beautiful about that," Deutscher added.
"I think our chemistry became so natural because we were all learning at the same time so we could all bond together during the process," Rish added to follow up on her teammates' thoughts. "Our team has a lot of chemistry and is one of those rare moments where it's a team that really connects with one another. We've just grown so close in the past few months."
Both newcomers looked back to their race in Columbus, Ohio, as a turning point for their season when they noticed the training and hard work was paying off on the water. The First Novice Eight boat got out to a fast start, leading from start to finish during a win over the nationally-ranked Buckeyes on that day in early April.
"Going back to our race this spring against Ohio State and seeing us row. It was amazing to see," Deutscher added. "Seeing we are strong, we are powerful, and it was really, really cool to see our bow ball ahead at the finish."
Rish saw that anything was possible for the group moving forward through the rest of the semester if they continued to execute the training plan.
"I think that race put in perspective how hard we've been pushing each other through the winter season and how badly we want to win," Rish stated. "Our boat has become so competitive, and I am so excited to see how far we can go as we are so connected as a boat."
That Saturday in Ohio helped jump start a stretch of impressive results from the novice boat as it won the next two races against Kansas and Kansas State. They followed with quality performances against fellow conference competition, and other top programs from across the country, at the Big Ten Invitational Regatta in Sarasota, Fla., last month.
"This group, not just as rowers, but as people and the way that they hold themselves, they're confident in what they do," West stated. "They're having a lot of fun. Doing the weekly tests that we do and having them see that progress is not linear, but you're chipping away at yourself and watching how you've improved over the year; that gives you so much confidence as the training plan is working."
Trusting that process has been made easier thanks to the support of their teammates from the varsity squad, as most of them went through the same development at the beginning of their rowing careers with the Gophers.
"One impactful experience I had was during a combined practice with novice and varsity. Knowing where (varsity) started out as rowers versus where they are now motivated me. Being able to practice with them really helped me push myself more and I feel like I improved so much just being around them," Rish said.
Feeling the love and support from their older teammates has taken many forms throughout the season. From walks on the beach leading to chats about practice, school, and any number of topics, to sharing a boat during training, and celebrating together after every race.
"All of them coming up to us after a race and congratulating us or saying how good we did; I think our upper classmen are just such a supportive and caring group. They want the best for everybody, and you can really feel that," Deutscher said.
Both Deutscher and Rish admitted that when they first joined the rowing team, they never realized how hard it is. Watching the varsity team and professionals make it look so smooth and relaxed, but being in the sport, they quickly found out it's mentally and physically hard. That's where coaching has made the biggest impact for the freshmen.
"I think Victoria does an incredible job of helping you push past your limits with no fear. She's so supportive, but she is also good at pushing us and validating us. That's what makes her such an amazing coach and Jaden and I both said how she's the best coach we've ever had," Rish added.
With only 10 days until the Maroon and Gold take to the waters of Devil's Lake in Baraboo, Wis., for the 2024 Big Ten Conference Rowing Championships, the team continues to train and prepare for what they hope is a successful day of competition.
"I want them to have fun and I don't want them to worry too much about the end result. The result will be what it is, and hopefully it'll be great, but I know it'll be great if they lay down the best race that they can," West concluded.
Head of the Mississippi Hype
Wednesday, October 08
Third Varsity Four Wins Again at B1G Invite
Monday, April 21
Second Novice Eight Wins at B1G Invite
Monday, April 21
First Varsity Four Wins at B1G Invite
Saturday, April 19