Last year, the Wisconsin crew program received one of the finest crew houses in the nation. It amasses approximately 52,000 square feet and cost over $8 million to construct. The crew house is so large, it can store over 100 Shells.
Indeed, the facility is massive, and now the UW men's rowing team is having a hard time finding the ideal display area to keep some extra hardware earned last weekend against Dartmouth, MIT and Boston.
"We can't decide where to put this stuff," UW head coach Chris Clark said. "So far, we stuck them next to the entrance of the office. It's nice to see it. It makes the place look a little more normal, like back when we used to have a lot of them."
The extra hardware includes the likes of the Cochrane Cup and Jablonic Cup. The Cochrane Cup was claimed over Dartmouth and MIT, while the Jablonic Cup was won over Boston. Wisconsin, the traditional holder of both trophies, had lost both last year, so with the reclaiming of the laurels came a renewed sense of pride for the rowers.
Now, for the first time in many years, the Badgers are in the middle of a three-week hiatus between competitions.
"It hasn't happened since I've been here," Clark said. "It's something a lot of teams have, but we never did."
The Badgers will use the extra gap in their schedule as a tune-up for final exams and the EARC Championships, May 21.
"If we do well at the Eastern Sprints, I'll say it's the greatest thing that has ever happened in history," Clark joked, "And if we don't do well, I'm going to blame it on those three weeks."
Perhaps the greatest advantage to the extra rest has been just that: rest. The Badgers have hosted four-straight home regattas. Each regatta has been grueling in its own rite, and the team is not about to complain about a little extra rest before exams.
"It really takes it out of you," Clark said about the four consecutive weeks of competition. "They could use the rest. Basically, I like to restart the season during this week, then gear it up a little as we get closer and closer to Eastern Sprints."
Including the Eastern Sprints, the crew team has three regattas remaining in its schedule. Following the Sprints, the team will travel to Maryland to compete against the U.S. Naval Academy, before ending its season at the IRA Championships.
The regatta against the Naval Academy will allow Wisconsin to compete in extra events in preparation for the IRA Championships.
"There are eight events at the national championships," Clark explained. "This will give both of our teams a chance to race every event."
For both the Eastern Sprints and the IRA Championships, the Badgers only have one goal: to make finals.
"It's huge," Clark said of both championships. "For us, making it into finals is always a big deal. When you are on a roll, that becomes helpful, and getting into the finals helps you win. … We just want to get into has many finals as we can."
