Wildcats Primed for “Big Curve Up”
Mar 17, 2022 | Rowing, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State women's rowing head coach Pat Sweeney is keeping a close eye on Saturday's weather forecast for Sacramento, California, as the Wildcats prepare to participate in the Hornet Invitational at Lake Natoma. The Wildcats are scheduled to compete against Sacramento State, St Mary's and UC San Diego.
As long as the weather cooperates.
"People around here are jumping up and down because they're finally expecting rain," Sweeney says. "We're over here like, "No, no, no, we don't want this.'"
The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-50s and an 80% chance of rain showers for Sacramento — hardly ideal for the Wildcats, who traveled to the west coast for their spring training camp prior to the Hornet Invitational.
The last time K-State competed in the Hornet Invitational is one that no one on the squad will ever forget. Unexpectedly, it was the Wildcats' final competition of 2019-20 as COVID canceled the rest of their season and sent K-State into an unusual time that spanned the entire 2020-21 slate.
Now, the Wildcats have come full circle as they return to gear up for their competition season two years later.
K-State comes off an unprecedented season in which it finished third among traditional Big 12 Conference schools and fifth overall among affiliate members at the Big 12 Championships.
Sweeney calls this group "stronger than last year."
"Physically we're stronger," he says. "They seem to be more advanced looking at the training times in the last day or so. It's looking good. We're young, there's some inexperience, but I think we're in a good spot. If they hold it together and improve week to week, they'll have a good season."
This current K-State roster is noticeably young. A total of 21 of 32 rowers are freshmen and two of five coxswain are freshmen as well. Such a training trip and competition is a pivotal opportunity for the Wildcats given inconsistent conditions in Kansas, which can hinder initial on-water readiness.
"I'm really pleased with where the team is at," Sweeney says. "Just in the few days here they've done a really good job and are biting into it and going for it. It'll be fun to see what they do racing for the first time this weekend. There'll be some first-race jitters with some of these youngsters, but we'll see what they can do coming down the course."
At K-State's winter camp in Waco, Texas in January, the Wildcats rowed on the Brazos River that runs through Baylor's campus. Sweeney calls it "grunt work," featuring an emphasis on basic technique and evaluation to decide "who's ready for the next step." This past week has been key in finalizing crew assignments, formulating a race plan, and has emphasized a gradual uptick in overall boat speed. That is one noticeable difference between on-land preparations in Manhattan and on-water preparations in Sacramento.
"We've seen massive growth," Sweeney says. "The growth curve has been huge. The week we spend here is like a month at home. Because we're able to get on the water consistently here, we can really form the boats, so by the end of camp, the crews are set. That's something we really can't do at home because we need to be on the water to see everything."
Although Madison Jensen and Megan Michaelis are team captains, Sweeney has been pleased by the mentorship he's witnessed among all experienced rowers, an ownership of sorts as they "get the less-experienced rowers headed in the right direction."
"It's a hard sport," he adds. "When those heads come down, it's 'Let's do it. You can keep it going.' The older group has taken responsibility. Part of the big team thing is they all want good results from everybody. Every boat counts and every boat is important to the team.
"It's like football in some ways. You've got your first boat, second boat and third boat, so it's like offense, defense and special teams. They're all important. They all try to lift each other up to get the best out of every boat."
K-State began the spring season at the OU scrimmage on March 5 in Oklahoma City. After the Hornet Invitational, the Wildcats return to action in the Sunshine State Invitational on April 1-2 in Sarasota, Florida. On April 15-16, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) will host their championship regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Creighton Duel in Omaha, Nebraska on April 23 will mark the Wildcats' final regatta before the Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City on April 30.
All focus remains on Saturday.
All eyes on Saturday will also remain fixed on the sky.
"It's really about gaining speed each time we race," Sweeney says. "The crews like the ones we're going against this weekend, they're on the water all the time. When we're racing is about the only time we're getting on the water. Some teams have a very similar speed all year long whereas ours are a big curve up. We're getting everything in the right direction.
"We're just hoping for no rain."
Kansas State women's rowing head coach Pat Sweeney is keeping a close eye on Saturday's weather forecast for Sacramento, California, as the Wildcats prepare to participate in the Hornet Invitational at Lake Natoma. The Wildcats are scheduled to compete against Sacramento State, St Mary's and UC San Diego.
As long as the weather cooperates.
"People around here are jumping up and down because they're finally expecting rain," Sweeney says. "We're over here like, "No, no, no, we don't want this.'"
The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-50s and an 80% chance of rain showers for Sacramento — hardly ideal for the Wildcats, who traveled to the west coast for their spring training camp prior to the Hornet Invitational.
The last time K-State competed in the Hornet Invitational is one that no one on the squad will ever forget. Unexpectedly, it was the Wildcats' final competition of 2019-20 as COVID canceled the rest of their season and sent K-State into an unusual time that spanned the entire 2020-21 slate.
Now, the Wildcats have come full circle as they return to gear up for their competition season two years later.
K-State comes off an unprecedented season in which it finished third among traditional Big 12 Conference schools and fifth overall among affiliate members at the Big 12 Championships.
Sweeney calls this group "stronger than last year."
"Physically we're stronger," he says. "They seem to be more advanced looking at the training times in the last day or so. It's looking good. We're young, there's some inexperience, but I think we're in a good spot. If they hold it together and improve week to week, they'll have a good season."
This current K-State roster is noticeably young. A total of 21 of 32 rowers are freshmen and two of five coxswain are freshmen as well. Such a training trip and competition is a pivotal opportunity for the Wildcats given inconsistent conditions in Kansas, which can hinder initial on-water readiness.
"I'm really pleased with where the team is at," Sweeney says. "Just in the few days here they've done a really good job and are biting into it and going for it. It'll be fun to see what they do racing for the first time this weekend. There'll be some first-race jitters with some of these youngsters, but we'll see what they can do coming down the course."
At K-State's winter camp in Waco, Texas in January, the Wildcats rowed on the Brazos River that runs through Baylor's campus. Sweeney calls it "grunt work," featuring an emphasis on basic technique and evaluation to decide "who's ready for the next step." This past week has been key in finalizing crew assignments, formulating a race plan, and has emphasized a gradual uptick in overall boat speed. That is one noticeable difference between on-land preparations in Manhattan and on-water preparations in Sacramento.
"We've seen massive growth," Sweeney says. "The growth curve has been huge. The week we spend here is like a month at home. Because we're able to get on the water consistently here, we can really form the boats, so by the end of camp, the crews are set. That's something we really can't do at home because we need to be on the water to see everything."
Although Madison Jensen and Megan Michaelis are team captains, Sweeney has been pleased by the mentorship he's witnessed among all experienced rowers, an ownership of sorts as they "get the less-experienced rowers headed in the right direction."
"It's a hard sport," he adds. "When those heads come down, it's 'Let's do it. You can keep it going.' The older group has taken responsibility. Part of the big team thing is they all want good results from everybody. Every boat counts and every boat is important to the team.
"It's like football in some ways. You've got your first boat, second boat and third boat, so it's like offense, defense and special teams. They're all important. They all try to lift each other up to get the best out of every boat."
K-State began the spring season at the OU scrimmage on March 5 in Oklahoma City. After the Hornet Invitational, the Wildcats return to action in the Sunshine State Invitational on April 1-2 in Sarasota, Florida. On April 15-16, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) will host their championship regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Creighton Duel in Omaha, Nebraska on April 23 will mark the Wildcats' final regatta before the Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City on April 30.
All focus remains on Saturday.
All eyes on Saturday will also remain fixed on the sky.
"It's really about gaining speed each time we race," Sweeney says. "The crews like the ones we're going against this weekend, they're on the water all the time. When we're racing is about the only time we're getting on the water. Some teams have a very similar speed all year long whereas ours are a big curve up. We're getting everything in the right direction.
"We're just hoping for no rain."
Players Mentioned
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Colorado
Thursday, February 26
K-State Rowing | Media Day
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Rowing | Weights Practice
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Tennis | Weekend Recap vs Old Dominion & Minnesota
Tuesday, February 24
