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45 T he University of Iowa rowing team thrives off the contributions of each student- athlete, but the composition of Iowa head coach Andrew Carter's roster comes from diverse athletic backgrounds. While some athletes played soccer, volleyball, and track during their high school careers, others transitioned during college to compete on the water like fih-year graduate student Lucie Daman. Daman made the shi to rowing this past fall aer a career as a defensive star for the field hockey Hawkeyes and the University of Birmingham in England. "When I got back to Iowa in the summer, I found out I had a fih year, so I emailed (assistant) coach (Jeff ) Garbutt," Daman said. e decision process was not drawn out for Daman. Originally, Daman had planned on being a graduate assistant around the field hockey team while completing her degree, but her desire to compete took hold. "Compliance let me know I could continue my athletic career," Daman said. "I had met coach Garbutt before when I was on my field hockey visit and I got to tour the boathouse as well, so we knew of each other." Later in the summer, Daman met with Carter and began her career as an Iowa rower. Daman reflected on one of her first experiences in a boat during a training trip the team took last winter. "e moment I knew the sport was special was when we were at one of our training trips and we started rowing — all eight of us — together in one movement. at felt good," Daman said. "e boat was cutting through the water." Despite the athletic advantage Daman had transitioning between sports, the training and intensity proved to be different between the pitch and the water. "e feeling of pushing yourself to the limit alongside your teammates and the high aerward is a great feeling. Both sports are the same in that regard but have different aspects during competiton," Daman said. While both sports are different during the competition, they are also team oriented, which provides a stability for Daman when connecting to a new environment. "e teamwork aspect helped me a lot when hearing what others need of you," Daman said. "Having that security and bond within teammates has made the experience better. We know that everyone next to each other was working for the girls beside them." Rowing also provides mental challenges when pushing through courses 2,000 meters long, while less than 20 feet away from another crew. "Being mentally tough is an aspect of competition that you have to master both in field hockey and rowing," Daman said. "My time on the pitch helped me prepare for the grueling training on the (ergometer) and in the water. "Every workout creates a buildup for race day. Because we were forced inside from flooding and winter months, we had time to think about our competitions this spring." Daman made her collegiate rowing debut March 30-31 at the PAC-12 Invitational in Redwood Shores, California, in the II Varsity Eight boat against No. 11 Southern California, No. 3 Stanford, and No. 1 California. APRIL SCHEDULE April 13 Minnesota/Wisconsin April 19 at Harvard/Brown (Providence, Rhode Island) April 21 at Harvard/Brown (Providence, Rhode Island) April 27 at Longhorn Invitational (Austin, Texas)