It's "homecoming" for the men's and women's rowing squads, and all three programs are ready to celebrate.
For only the second time this year, the No. 8 men's rowing team, No. 18 women's openweight squad and No. 3 women's lightweight team will all compete together.
"We only get one other chance to do that, and it's one of the last races in the fall," UW women's head coach Bebe Bryans explained. "It's really neat. We are such a huge team, and we usually don't get to spend a lot of time racing together. It'll be fun."
All three squads will be showcasing their talents at the 34th annual Midwest Rowing Championships, which will be held on Lake Wingra Saturday.
The regatta was founded by former UW men's head coach Randy Jablonic in 1973 and has run each year since. Last year, the event was canceled after the first race due to high wind speeds and low temperatures.
The Midwest Rowing Championships are held in honor of all three squads and mark a celebration of their success over the years.
"Every race is different, but this one is like a homecoming," Bryans said. "It is as much about the group team effort as it is about the winning and losing. Of course we want to be successful every time we go into the water, but this is more of a celebration of our team, the university and our city."
Over the years, Wisconsin has had many reasons to celebrate after the event. The men's varsity eight has won the event 30 times since its origin, while the women's openweight eight has claimed 29 titles. The women's lightweight eight has yet to lose a race since it began competing seven years ago.
"The biggest competition comes from our own boats," UW men's head coach Chris Clark said. "We thoroughly are expecting a sweep, so I hope we do."
This regatta will mark the final preparation for the women's openweight eight as the team will use this event as a gear-up for the conference championships next week. After three weeks of practice on Lake Mendota, Bryans is expecting to see some top-notch racing from her squad.
"We are looking forward to bring ourselves one step closer to the Big Ten Championships," she said. "Good, hard racing; that will be in the main thing. It is also a chance to come down the race course in our uniforms in front of a crowd and get all the jitters forward and deal with them."
For the men, the varsity eight will use this event to test new race combinations and to garner some much-needed experience.
"Part of the reason why this is important is because you want to race as much as you can," Clark said. "It is also important because of all the changes and different combinations we'll make … this race will be a free-for-all for everyone. Everyone will get a shot at everyone else. It is only interesting how they will handle it."
On Saturday, crews will start competition near Vilas Beach. It will be an all-day regatta and celebration.
"This is one regatta that we have both the men and the women competing together," Clark explained. "We know there will be smooth waters because of where we are having it. So that is the best part about it. It's an acceleration of our own rowing."
"We are excited," added Bryans. "It's a chance for the city of Madison to see some good rowing. … Anything is possible. But it will sort of be business as usual."
