Wrapping Up On Winter
Welcome back friends and family of Illini Rowing! We hope you missed us, because we missed you! Following the success of our December Ergathon, Illini Rowing has stayed booked and busy! Ready to hear all about it? From surprising team updates, to training and indoor regattas, it’s time for the Winter Newsletter!
Preparing for our boathouse construction, a bulldozer makes its first appearance at the Clinton Lake Site.
Starting strong, we begin our newsletter by sharing some recent boathouse updates. As of February 3rd, we have officially broken ground at our site on Clinton Lake! Next up, the DNR will be clearing trees near the dock and grass will be planted after the ICRI and IJRI regattas. Our progress would not have been possible without our incredibly generous donors to our boathouse campaign. Thank you for all of your emotional and financial support through this exciting process! If you haven’t heard about our campaign and are interested in learning more about the boathouse initiative you can learn about it here.
Ready to carry our trailer to spring break, our new team truck awaits us in the dealership lot.
Later in February, our team received even more good news. Illini Rowing is now the proud owner of a 2026 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD! We are ecstatic as this team truck will prove essential to the success of our team when traveling to spring break, hosting ICRI, and attending all of our spring regattas this season. Want a sneak peek? Check out the photo on the left!
Enthusiastic about the day of racing ahead, rowers commemorate Southside Smackdown 2026 with a selfie.
Off the thrill of our team news and ready for more, some of our team members found some competitive fun at Southside Smackdown/Tiro Cup. Competing in five events, our seven participating rowers, and one coach, came ready to show the erg who was boss. Completing 2ks, cheering each other on, and overall deepening their team bond, our rowers left Chicago with Portillos in their hands and smiles on their faces. A special shoutout to our Head Coach, Peter Filice, is well deserved for his first place finish across the board for the Men’s Open One Minute Race. Congratulations to all the competitors, some of which had their first 2K race!
Braving the frigid February temperatures, rowers showcase the wide variety of homemade baked goods at our Bake Sale.
Although Ergathon may be complete, that didn’t stop our team from working toward our boathouse goal this year. Ensuring that our team had maximum energy and full bellies, our Fundraising Chair, Katherine Altergott, organized our first 2026 fundraisers! From Qdoba on February 18th, to the Bake Sale on February 24th, our fundraising adventures concluded with a full team Mia Za’s dinner on March 3rd. Interested in contributing to our fundraising journey? Donate to our Boathouse Fund here!
Working on his third set, Novice Man, Harry Sutcliffe, completes a back squat.
As we exit February, our team eagerly counts down the days until our return to the water. Spending a better part of the last three and a half months erging, lifting, and cross training, it’s safe to say that Illini Rowing is ready to hit the lake faster and better than ever. Preparing for spring racing season, our workouts have started to transition from winter steady state and heavy lifting to spring high intensity ergs and sprint pieces. The start of March marks good news for our athletes and their palpable enthusiasm, spring break training is only a few days away!
Keep an eye out on our socials this March for our spring break, spring racing schedule, and water practice updates. Until next time, Go Illini!