Photo by: Elisabet Pietz
Lisbet's Lane: Hello from Cocoa!
January 14, 2020 | Women's Rowing
Badgers took on the waters of Florida for 10 days of winter training
Senior and Madison, Wisconsin, native, Elisabet (Lisbet) Pietz is giving regular updates this year from the Porter Boathouse and around the country as the women's rowing team travels through the 2019-20 season. As a multi-seat recruit for the Badgers, this 2018 CRCA National Scholar Athlete stroked the second varsity eight to 12th place at the 2019 NCAA championships. Lisbet also has a background in circus where she performed in and around Madison from second grade through freshman year of college. She performed a self-choreographed stilt-walking dance for Buckinghams her freshman year.
COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- The team has been enjoying the warm weather down in Cocoa Beach, Florida for our winter training trip! We have passed the halfway point and only have a few more practices to go. It has been a bit windy, but we have taken that in stride, adjusting training and technique as needed. Thankfully, the weather down here is much milder than the blizzard that has taken over Madison.
This winter training trip is important for teams like ours with water that freezes over in the winter. These 10 days are our chance to set the rhythm and technique on the water that we want to maintain for the spring. Although working on technique is possible on the ergs -- and is definitely a focus -- it doesn't compare to the technical work that can be done on the water. It is critical that we take advantage of every stroke we get to take down here.
In the afternoons the varsity and freshman squads have been combining for mixed rows. In addition to creating unity across classes, bringing our oldest and youngest members together allows varsity to transfer our experience and knowledge to our junior teammates.
I remember rowing with the varsity when I was a freshman three years ago. I always felt a mix of intimidation, awe and excitement. It used to put pressure on me to row at the top of my game, and it was exciting to row in a boat that moved much faster than I was used to. I always felt myself sit up a little more and apply a little extra effort to get my blade in quick. I did not want to be the weakest link in the boat!
The freshmen are not the only ones who have a lot to learn from these practices! In your first year so much is new, and you tend to approach everything with a beginner's mindset. You don't put limits on what you think you can do because you have no idea yet what you are capable of. This is a mindset that tends to get lost as we become more experienced. We think we know everything, and we set limits for our performance. Rowing with the freshmen gives us a chance to let go of the false limits we have created for ourselves. It's an opportunity to approach each stroke, each piece with an open mind.
As a senior, I particularly enjoy these rows because I get the chance to imagine what this team will be like once I am gone. Although it is fairly easy to be a leader in person, it is much harder to leave a lasting impression and a high standard that will remain with the team after graduation. This is the kind of influence I try to exert when I get the chance to row with the underclassmen on our team. I want to instill a tough and competitive mindset in my younger teammates.
All the teams that we compete against at Big 10s and NCAAs are extraordinary teams. I absolutely love racing against other fast, strong and motivated women. It is a very empowering experience. This sport would not be satisfying if our competition was weak. It is particularly the fact that they are all amazing women that makes rowing at the D1 level so much fun.
But that means that in order for us to do well, we must approach each practice and each race with the right mindset. For me, that mindset has arisen out of that same feeling that I used to get as a freshman rowing with varsity. I want to win. I want to be the best. Most of all, I want my competition to be fast. Whether that competition is my teammates during an AT practice, or other Big 10 teams, I want them at the top of their game. Then we can go head to head and see who has trained harder, with more discipline, who wants it more and who has that X-Factor. That is the feeling that I live for.
So here at Cocoa, we put our heads down and race our hearts out one stroke at a time. NCAAs may seem far off, but really it is right around the corner. Each stroke takes us one stroke closer. We might as well make it a good one.
COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- The team has been enjoying the warm weather down in Cocoa Beach, Florida for our winter training trip! We have passed the halfway point and only have a few more practices to go. It has been a bit windy, but we have taken that in stride, adjusting training and technique as needed. Thankfully, the weather down here is much milder than the blizzard that has taken over Madison.
This winter training trip is important for teams like ours with water that freezes over in the winter. These 10 days are our chance to set the rhythm and technique on the water that we want to maintain for the spring. Although working on technique is possible on the ergs -- and is definitely a focus -- it doesn't compare to the technical work that can be done on the water. It is critical that we take advantage of every stroke we get to take down here.
In the afternoons the varsity and freshman squads have been combining for mixed rows. In addition to creating unity across classes, bringing our oldest and youngest members together allows varsity to transfer our experience and knowledge to our junior teammates.
I remember rowing with the varsity when I was a freshman three years ago. I always felt a mix of intimidation, awe and excitement. It used to put pressure on me to row at the top of my game, and it was exciting to row in a boat that moved much faster than I was used to. I always felt myself sit up a little more and apply a little extra effort to get my blade in quick. I did not want to be the weakest link in the boat!
The freshmen are not the only ones who have a lot to learn from these practices! In your first year so much is new, and you tend to approach everything with a beginner's mindset. You don't put limits on what you think you can do because you have no idea yet what you are capable of. This is a mindset that tends to get lost as we become more experienced. We think we know everything, and we set limits for our performance. Rowing with the freshmen gives us a chance to let go of the false limits we have created for ourselves. It's an opportunity to approach each stroke, each piece with an open mind.
As a senior, I particularly enjoy these rows because I get the chance to imagine what this team will be like once I am gone. Although it is fairly easy to be a leader in person, it is much harder to leave a lasting impression and a high standard that will remain with the team after graduation. This is the kind of influence I try to exert when I get the chance to row with the underclassmen on our team. I want to instill a tough and competitive mindset in my younger teammates.
All the teams that we compete against at Big 10s and NCAAs are extraordinary teams. I absolutely love racing against other fast, strong and motivated women. It is a very empowering experience. This sport would not be satisfying if our competition was weak. It is particularly the fact that they are all amazing women that makes rowing at the D1 level so much fun.
But that means that in order for us to do well, we must approach each practice and each race with the right mindset. For me, that mindset has arisen out of that same feeling that I used to get as a freshman rowing with varsity. I want to win. I want to be the best. Most of all, I want my competition to be fast. Whether that competition is my teammates during an AT practice, or other Big 10 teams, I want them at the top of their game. Then we can go head to head and see who has trained harder, with more discipline, who wants it more and who has that X-Factor. That is the feeling that I live for.
So here at Cocoa, we put our heads down and race our hearts out one stroke at a time. NCAAs may seem far off, but really it is right around the corner. Each stroke takes us one stroke closer. We might as well make it a good one.
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