Teams: NorCal/SoCal Challenge
Where: Port of Sacramento – Sacramento, Calif.
When: Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m.
Who to watch: Emily Roberts sits at the bow for the first varsity eight team.
The San Diego, Calif. native, who keeps the middle rowers in stride, is one of only two freshmen in the main boat.
Did you know? This will be the first time the Aggies host this challenge against Northern and Southern California schools.
Preview: Coach Carissa Adams felt one more race was needed for the Aggies’ preparation.
By challenging some of best rowing teams in the state this weekend, the Aggies would be that much more ready when bigger events come their way.
At least that’s the plan. Adams, however, has always preached that focus and determination begins and ends with the team.
“We don’t want to focus on what other programs are doing,” Adams said. “The focus needs to be on ourselves.”
It’s with this team-oriented drive that the Aggies hope they can gain momentum heading into the first big event on their card – the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
Just performing enough to make it past the first day of competition in the WIRA has been something that has plagued the Aggies since the 2006-2007 season.
Yet, as evident in last week’s performance in the Causeway Classic dual, the Aggies are not ones to back down from a challenge because a little adversity catches their eyes. UC Davis’ season-best time against the Hornets – six minutes and 38.06 seconds – shows that perhaps the Aggies are exceeding their own expectations at this point in the year.
Adams, meanwhile, knows a satisfied attitude can often be the death of an aspiring young team like the Aggies.
“We’re progressing, but still have a long way to go,” Adams said. “We need to use these three weeks to get faster.
When the NorCal/SoCal Challenge ends with what the Aggies hope is another team victory, they will soon discover just how fast these events begin to creep up.
– Marcos Rodriguez
