This weekend, Illini Rowing returned to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championships. ACRA is our most competitive regatta of the year and is what we base our goals around each season, so the team was very excited to be back. 

After a week of final exams, rowers packed up their bags and left Champaign early morning on Thursday, May 15th. We reached Oak Ridge during the afternoon and rowers began setting up our team tent and rigging boats for the weekend. Crews began their swing row soon after, and got a good feel of the course. Afterwards, cars stocked up on groceries and headed to the hotel, ready to get a good night’s rest before their first race. 

The men’s novice four, along with both our varsity women and varsity men’s fours were the first to wake on Friday morning. They drove out to the lake where they were greeted by a substantial amount of fog covering the entire course. Due to these conditions, racing was delayed by over an hour.

This spring season was full of memories for Illini Rowing, both of perseverance through hardship and endless joy in achievement. Ever since the team returned from spring break, athletes from all parts of the team have been motivated to train hard, bond with their teammates, and give it everything they can during racing. 

During the last weekend of March, the team continued our new tradition of volunteering in Farmer City as a way to give back to the community that supports us so much when we are on the water. After practice, athletes worked hard raking leaves, cleaning, and lifting heavy objects for local residents. We truly enjoyed providing help to these lovely citizens and could not be more grateful for their love to our team…