Spring Break 2025
Last Saturday, Illinois Rowing headed down to Gainesville, Georgia, for our annual spring break training trip. The week was full of intense workouts, team bonding events, and preparation for the upcoming racing season.
On March 14th, the team drove up to Clinton Lake to load boats, oars, and other equipment on the trailer for the week ahead. That night, athletes went to bed, ready to get some well-needed sleep for the ten hour drive next day. However, just a few hours later, at midnight, a tornado hit Champaign. Local officials sent out emergency warnings and triggered the siren, waking up most team members, who headed to the closest basement or first floor for safety. By 1 AM, the tornado had passed through, and the team could safely go back to sleep.
Varsity women Sylvia Gimbel and Abby Obradovic rigging boats.
Due to the high winds that remained in the area and continued storms on our route south towards Georgia, the trailer was delayed on its way to Gainesville, and the team was unable to rig the boats on Saturday. Nevertheless, athletes made the best of the situation, stocking up on groceries for the week, getting some highly anticipated dinner from Cook Out, finishing assignments and playing trivia in the hotel lobby at the end of the night. The team went to sleep, more eager than ever to return to the water in the morning. Sunday morning came quickly and the team began rigging boats soon after arriving at the site. Guest coach and Illinois Rowing alumnus Andrew Rosenblat helped make lineups and work with our boats on the first water session of the week. After a long day, the team drove out to Olive Garden for a full team dinner.
The next day would prove to be one of the most difficult days of the week, with winds up to 20 mph hitting Lake Lanier. Our first set of boats even ended up having to wet launch on the north side of the lake due to extremely choppy waters by the docks on the south side. Conditions were significantly better on Tuesday, with bright skies and little to no wind on the water. The team stayed busy with some long distance workouts and technical drilling, and major strides in performance were made. Some athletes hit the Guest Lodge pool to relax a little after getting back from the lake. The night ended with a team dinner at Johnny’s, a local pizza and pasta place in Gainesville, courtesy of the Slattery family. After everyone had gotten food, the team conducted elections for the 2025-26 team executive board. It was one of the most competitive elections in recent years, with a variety of promising candidates running for the board. In the end, the team made excellent choices and we are looking forward to seeing the collaboration and leadership of this new board in the upcoming year.
Varsity men rowing in a double and straight four on Wednesday morning.
Wednesday was another busy day, with some high rate training in the morning, followed by more technical work in the afternoon. It was also the first day that Coach Charley Sullivan joined Illini Rowing as a guest coach for the remainder of the week. Sullivan rowed at Princeton, and has extensive coaching experience and accolades, having coached both Michigan Men’s Rowing as well as UC Santa Barbara’s crews. Needless to say, the team was thrilled to have his helpful feedback and coaching on the water. The day ended with another team dinner, this time split between the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s team headed to Chili’s, bringing the legendary Bridget Filice along with them. The men’s team took their business to Cheddar’s, where they were accompanied by Coach Peter and Coach Charley. The men greatly enjoyed their dinner talking to Coach Charley about his time rowing at Princeton in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, as well as being a coach for the Michigan men and the formation of ACRA. Finally, both crews headed back to the hotel for some s’mores by the pool.
Rowers hiking across a bridge on Thursday at the Chicopee Nature Preserve in Gainesville.
On Thursday, winds picked up again, and boats only had one workout on the water, another exciting piece with frequent rate shifts. The team originally planned to do a battle paddle style duel for their second water session, but had to pack it up due to choppy conditions. Instead,
athletes drove out to Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve for a three mile hike. The team got their workout in, traversing through the rolling hills and forests– an exciting change of terrain in comparison to that of Illinois. More team bonding events continued, with some athletes spending the evening bowling and playing arcade games at Station 300.
Novice women Sarah Kerlin and Victoria You learning to scull in a double.
Friday was another exciting day; crews spent both the morning and afternoon sessions learning start sequences for 2K races, and walking through a typical race on the water. As soon as the second water session ended, crews efficiently derigged boats that wouldn’t be used on Saturday, and loaded them on the trailer. Athletes also received Lake Lanier Olympic Park bucket hats as a parting gift from the Lake Lanier Rowing Club. The team concluded the day with a dinner at Señor Fiesta and tuning in to the Illini Men’s Basketball game vs. Xavier in the hotel lobby.
On Saturday, most of the team began the drive back to Champaign in the morning, while a few boats remained in Gainesville for a few more hours to race in the John Ferriss regatta. Racing was a huge success, with both our varsity women’s eight and our varsity men’s four placing second overall in their respective categories.
Varsity rower Tommy Moreno rowing a single across the lake.
This year’s training camp would not be possible without the generosity of the Slattery family for the meals and accommodations they provided the team. We would also like to give a shoutout to our team’s Vice Presidents, Rachel Qiu and Ben Wang, for their efforts in planning the logistics and travel for this trip. A special thank you to the Guest Lodge for letting us stay there for the week, as well as Bridget Filice for driving our trailer down to Georgia and back up at the end of the week.
After a successful week of training, the team is excited to return to the familiar waters of Clinton Lake to gear up for spring racing!