72 // VARSITY May 15, 2014
Putting it all together the
goal for Eastern Sprints
Badgers looking to get past growing pains
T
he Wisconsin men's
rowing team, led by one
of the Badgers' most
entertaining head coaches in
Chris Clark, is in a down cycle.
Clark knows it, but also knows
that things will change soon,
he's just not quite sure when.
He's just waiting for it to
all come together. That next
chance comes Sunday at the
2014 Eastern Association of
Rowing Colleges Champion-
ships, also known as the East-
ern Sprints. UW's conference
championships, and the quali-
fier for the national champi-
onships, takes place on Lake
Quinsigamond in Worcester,
Massachusetts.
"This group could easily be
in a grand final with 18 teams
and six go to the grand finals,
seven to 12 is petite, and then
the third level final after that," Clark said.
"But they're going to have to get over the
idea of 'Let's see how many ways we can
screw it up.'
"We've done that a lot already. So
hopefully they have a quiver of pulling
out arrows of messing up. Hopefully they
realize they're out of arrows. 'What the
heck. Let's just go ahead and do well.'"
Clark knows. He's coached his team
to a national title and a couple of East-
ern Sprints titles during his UW tenure,
but he's also gone through a down time
in the past. After winning just one of its
last 10 dual races, he is still encouraged
about what is to come.
"That's what's frustrating about this
group is, body-wise, they look great. It's
like, wow, these guys could do it. The last
time we got a bit of a dip we didn't have
athletes like this. They just started out
probably losing too much their first year.
"Once you've learned to do that, then
it's just you're running a laundry list in
your head of the ways we're going to lose.
You see it with any team. 'How are we go-
ing to lose? Is it going to be a turnover?
Is it going to be an interception? Are they
just going to outscore us?'
"It's the same thing in rowing. Like,
'Oh, boy, we're going to miss this row.
Is the water going to be bad?' Eventu-
ally you switch to: Let me count the ways
that I can win."
With two more weeks on the water
since the Badgers were tested, Clark
hopes it is time to start the count.
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
May 18 at EARC Sprints
May 30-June 1 at IRA Championships
INSIDE
MEN'S ROWING
BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO @BADGERROWING
