Celebrating Our Past: A Daughter Following an Idol
December 29, 2004 | Women's Rowing
Children look up to their parents for different reasons, such as their accomplishments, occupations, talents and/or status, among many others.
No matter what the reason, the underlying theme is that the parent is considered a paragon in one way or another. Such is the case with Jennifer Lhost and her mother, Kathleen, both of Appleton, Wis.
Despite growing up participating in golf, basketball and track, Jennifer, a University of Wisconsin freshman majoring in biochemistry, joined the rowing team, a sport that her mom helped found at UW in 1971-72.
Back then, crew existed only as a club sport for women. During those years as a club team (1972-74), the program borrowed equipment from the men's team and made the women pay for their own uniforms and travel expenses.
In Kathleen's sophomore year, she saw a flier about women 's rowing, and decided to try something that she fell in love with watching as a freshman. Since high schools at the time offered little more than intramurals for girls 'and thus, girls didn't have much experience with sports'the concept of things like daily workouts was new to her.
'Rowing was my first exposure to competitive sports, ' Kathleen said. 'It took a while to get used to it all, but I enjoyed being fit and having contact with others.'
The men's team became very supportive of their counterparts once they realized how serious the women were, according to Kathleen. In July of 1974, two months after she graduated, the program was elevated to varsity status.
Kathleen considered postponing graduation just so she could experience a year in varsity, but her parents, who often reminded her that her main purpose for coming to UW was getting an education, weren't excited about that idea.
Now as a parent, Kathleen gives nothing but full support for everything Jennifer does. She also finds it 'awesome' that her youngest daughter (the oldest, Elizabeth, attends Northwestern) has joined a sport that will 'really add to her college experience.'
Believe it or not, Jennifer actually decided to row without any prompting from Kathleen. But the younger of the two admits that her mother's stories sparked her interest in a fairly uncommon sport.
'Crew sounded like a lot of fun, so I decided to give it a try,' Jennifer said. 'I'm very proud of the fact that she rowed when it started out as a program.'
Jennifer adds that she feels thrilled to be a female UW athlete and the latest part of a rich tradition of rowing that her mom helped begin.
Today, the women's team has scholarship-athletes and an $8 million crew house ready for use starting in 2005.
For all of this, Kathleen is happy to see how big the program has grown and how well they've done over the years (12 national championship-winning boats, 14 Olympians and 146 Academic All-Big Ten selections).
'I'm very proud that I was a part of the original program, but at the time I didn't consider myself a pioneer,' Kathleen said. 'Really, it was `why do just the boys do this'' '
It was because of statements like that and the attitude that Kathleen had that makes Jennifer idolize her.
'My mom was ahead of her time,' Jennifer said. 'She's a really strong individual. I think the whole team paved the way (for future generations) because they wouldn't quit or give up.'
Paved the way that team certainly did, and in doing so, they became great role models'the kind that children look up to.
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This feature was done as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of women's intercollegiate athletics at the University of Wisconsin.
