Oct. 14, 2002

Throughout the season, members of the UNC rowing team will provide TarHeelBlue.com readers with an inside look at the Carolina program and the experience of being a varsity athlete at North Carolina. This installment, the sixth of the 2002-03 school year, is by Michelle Hall, a sophomore from Chapel Hill.

Greetings Carolina Rowing Fans!

This past week has been somewhat shortened due to Fall Break, although we somehow managed to pack as much intensity into this short week as we do in a regular week. We did not get much time on the water because of the rain, but it was definitely nice to see University Lake up several feet. It was almost new to us to see the entire dock floating on the water, as opposed to sitting on the ground!

Since we were not out on the water, we were in the erg room practicing. After so much steady state on Monday and Tuesday, the 6K that we did on Wednesday did not seem so bad. We had several people achieve personal records, which is really great especially since Fall Break was on everyone's minds.

However, the varsity rowers were not the only lucky ones to take a 6K. The novices took their first 6K on Tuesday and Wednesday (half went one day, the other half went the other day). They did an amazing job. It is hard for me to admit this, since I was a novice last year, but their average time was about a minute faster than last year's novi. They have really set themselves up for a good season and I'm very excited to see how they do.

Even though official practices ended Wednesday, we are all kicking our butts over break. A mixture of body circuits, hill runs, and steady state is what we have to keep ourselves busy over the break. It is great to have a break so we can relax and refocus, but I think we're all excited to get back and start working even harder to attain the goals we have set for ourselves.

Your Rowing Friend,

Michelle Hall