|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
Alum helps win 2 national rowing titles
2:29 p.m., Sept. 28, 2006--Alison Conway, a UD alumnus and former member of UD's women's rowing team, helped her team, the Austin (Texas) Rowing Club, capture two national rowing titles at the U.S. Rowing Masters National Championships held Aug. 11-13 in Seattle. A 2002 graduate who majored in civil engineering and minored in history and Irish studies, Conway is a doctoral candidate in the transportation engineering program at the University of Texas in Austin. About 40 rowers from the 300-member Austin Rowing Club competed in the U.S. Rowing Masters competition at Seattle, where they took seven gold medals, Conway said. U.S. Rowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. “We won the gold in the AA 'straight four,' which is an unusual race,” Conway said. “Most 'four' races are in boats steered by a coxswain. In a 'straight four' race, the rower in the bow of the boat actually steers as well as rows.” Racing in the AA category for rowers ages 21-27, Conway competed in five sweep (rowing with one oar) races. She said that she was amazed at the level of competition and commitment displayed by members of all age groups at the Seattle championships. “While the people I was competing against were mostly recent college rowers like myself, many of the rowers in the other age categories were former elite national rowers, and I could definitely learn a lot from people who had competed at the highest levels of the sport,” Conway said. “The most amazing thing for me, was to see people competing who are now in their eighties and have probably been rowing for most of their lives. I definitely hope that 50 years from now I'll still be out on the water.” Although she had seen races on the Schuylkill River while growing up in Philadelphia, Conway said she did not get involved in the sport until her sophomore year at UD. “In my novice year, 2001, we won the team points trophy at the Dad Vail Regatta, which had been our goal for the year,” Conway said. “Although it was a little rough waking up for the 5:15 a.m. practices, they were definitely worth it.” As a member of the Austin Rowing Club, Conway practices on Austin's Town Lake on Texas' Colorado River. Unlike its more famous and larger namesake, Texas' Colorado River has its source and its mouth in the Lone Star State. “We have team practices four days a week, in a variety of different kinds of boats, including sculling and sweep boats,” Conway said. “In the two months before Seattle, we were practicing five or six days a week.” Ending a two-year hiatus following her graduation from UD, Conway rowed with Texas Crew, the University of Texas' club rowing team, before joining the Austin Rowing Club in April. “Because of my previous college rowing experience, I was not eligible for all of the Texas Crew competitions,” Conway said. “Once that first season ended, I decided to try joining the masters' team at the Austin Rowing Club, which shares the same dock on Town Lake. Joining the club has been a great experience, as the team has lots of great, competitive rowers and a coach [George Jenkins] with collegiate and national team success.” While the sport is growing in Texas, there are some noticeable differences in accessibility for rowers competing in the Diamond and the Lone Star states, Conway said. “Down here, it's a lot more difficult to compete than it is in the northeast because our competition is so far away,” Conway said. “There is only one competitive club, and the nearest competitors are three-plus hours away in Dallas and Houston. It is a big change from rowing at UD, where we were only an hour from Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.” While being a member of a rowing club in Texas means dealing with the considerable distances team must travel to compete, Conway said she enjoys participating in what she describes as the ultimate team sport. “No matter how hard everyone in the boat is pulling, if they are not in synch with each other, the boat does not go anywhere,” Conway said. “While it can get frustrating, it's an awesome feeling when, after hours or weeks of practice, everything clicks and the boat just glides through the water.” Conway said there also are benefits from being a rower that go beyond teamwork and winning gold medals in national competition. “Getting out on the water is just a great way to get away from school, work and everything else going on in the world,” Conway said. “Although getting up for a 5 a.m. practice may sometimes seem crazy, seeing the sun rise on the river is a great way to start the day.” Article by Jerry Rhodes |
|
|
