Jan. 23, 2004
"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley wide enough" was a song playing on the bus radio during one of our unforgettable road trips. And before you knew it, the ENTIRE bus was belting it out like we were on stage. This song is perfect to describe the outlook of our team this season. There is absolutely nothing that can stop us from getting to where we want to go, nothing!
Entering into our final season as Aztec rowers, we have many mixed feelings. We are excited to graduate and enter into the new world, but we are going to miss everything about this team. Yes, especially the early mornings, and possibly even the ergometers! We have been Aztec rowers for three and a half years now. Over that span of time we have seen many great rowers graduate and move onto other aspects of their lives, but we have also witnessed rowers maturing into their potential. For example, Brittany McMahon, Sarah McKillip, Amy Opielowski, Audrey Edney, Venesa Meses and Kristen Olson are all first- or second-year varsity rowers, but all of the women have contributed to the success of the varsity boat this past fall season. Not to overlook the improvements of Korina Tonne, Rachel Saldivar and Amanda Briggs throughout the fall. With our strong group of returners what more could you ask for? Well, ask and you shall receive, the Aztecs received an incredible group of novice this year. They are deeply motivated, and hard working. Mia Lysen, and Caitlin Weber were instantly moved up to row with the varsity boats. Christy McDonald and Caroline Casey are leading our novice boats to victory, followed by Adora Salvati, Nancy Balt, Katie Heisinger, Molly Enochs, and many more!
With this strong team we are very excited about the upcoming spring season. With the donations from our Row-A-Thon we were able to purchase two new boats (Thank you supporters!). One of which has recently arrived. It was like an early Christmas present, everyone showed up early on a Sunday morning to help unload the trailer. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised to find a brand new RED Vespoli M2 eight.
So, now that we have the sharpness of a brand new boat to add to our strength and speed, we don't think that there is anything that can stop us this upcoming spring. To begin with, our lightweights are always improving, and getting stronger. We are confident that we will see the same success as we did last year in that boat. We will hopefully end the semester at the IRA's (Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships), which will be the icing on the cake! "You wish you were a lightweight!" (the Aztec lightweight cheer) Like we said earlier, our novice squad is one of the best groups we have seen in a while. They have positive attitudes, they are ready to learn and improve, and they work extremely well together. As for varsity, we are fortunate enough to have a great group. If we work together, and put everything we have into what we do this season, there is nothing that can stop us.
They say that great things come from great leaders. This is definitely true for the Aztecs. The new head coach, Jennifer Zebroski, has helped the team immensely. Her new ideas, constant feedback, and good communication skills make her ideal for the position. She also has great support from Colin Truex and Alicia Stuebner. As a team we are looking forward to great things!
Go Aztecs!
Stella Conger
Stephanie Snaman