Lakers Train in California
Friday, December 19th, 2008The Laker Navy was fortunate to have five of its athletes invited out to Oakland, CA from December 14th-21st to take place in a training camp hosted by the California Rowing Center. Student-athletes Breck Davis, Jr., Eddie Eisenhauer, Jr., Ryan League, Jr., Geoff Sadek, Sr. and Sarah Zelenka, Sr. accompanied Coach John Bancheri on this week long camp to train under newly named U.S. Men’s National Team Coach Tim McClaren. The Lakers will train alongside athletes from programs including Brown University, Yale University, and University of Washington while having the opportunity to be coached by McClaren, his assistant Joel Scrogin, and recently retired Steve Gladstone.
While training on the Oakland Estuary, the athletes will be training primarily in doubles and quads. The Grand Valley Rowing Club would like to thank CRC for the generous help in sending the student-athletes out to the training camp.
Link to full press release of Coach McClaren’s hiring
Link to CRC
Photos from California (Thumbnails are not working for an undetermined reason, but full-sized pictures are unaffected)
Dear T. Gary Rogers, Coach Tim McLaren, Coach Steve Gladstone, Coach Joel Scrogin and of course the speedy crew at the California Rowing Club,
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all
for the experience of rowing and coaching at the highest
level, and also for what this experience has and will contribute to
ourselves, our team and our university. For many of us, this was our first visit to
the west coast, and California proved a welcomed retreat from the
cold and snow at home in Michigan. During our stay we were able to
explore some of California’s most magnificent landmarks, namely Muir
Woods National Park (the drive there was just as much fun), some pristine wine country,
and the sights and sounds of San Francisco, all of which were truly unique experiences.
Throughout this week we learned how
much discipline and talent it really takes to become a world class rower. The
opportunity to get on the water at the CRC and mix with rowers from universities we have
heard of but never thought we could ever hang with, was quite an experience and this helped
us understand the demands it will take to begin to raise our own level. A
lot of what we needed to work on was more mental than physical
(although we know that the ergo score must get faster). The
ability to practice twice a day for two and a half hours, also helped
us raise our level by giving us plenty of time to work on our
technique and power. Each practice was an opportunity to reach another level.
It was a magnificent experience to row on the famed Estuary and be
coached by Tim McLaren, Steve Gladstone and Joel Scrogin. To have that caliber of coaches critique
our rowing technique was a thrill. We know that when we return to Grand Valley, we
will be able to take what we learned in their training (on and off water training programs) and
in some way apply it to our own program in order to help our own
team to get better. This in turn will also help our competitors in the midwest get faster,
as we provide them with stiffer competition.
Each day from here to the Dad Vail Regatta will be an opportunity to improve, “kaizzen”.
We realize that one way we can help the rest of our team at GVSU to get
faster is if we are able take what we learned here and have the
ability to apply it every day when we get back to Grand Valley.
Watch our results as you are now investors in our program.
Mr. Rogers, if it wasn’t for your contribution and development of the CRC, like many other athletes
(and many more to come), we wouldn’t have had this opportunity to experience the best that our sport has to offer.
We hope that all of you guys at the CRC have a fantastic holiday;
Grand Valley State University Rowing Club
Rowing Members attending the CRC
Breck Davis (JR),
Geoff Sadek (SR),
Eddie Eisenhauer (JR),
Ryan League (JR),
Sarah Zelenka (SR),
Coach John Bancheri