Bonus coverage from the 2023 U23 World Championships: hear more from the newly-minted U23 champs in the USA Women's Eight.
You can read more about the gold medal race and watch a replay in row2k's Sunday report from the course.
Victoria Grieder - Coxswain, U23 Women's Eight
row2k - When we first interviewed you last spring for the "In the Driver's Seat" series, we asked you about how you call mid-race moves, but with the crew so far ahead on Sunday, it looked like you didn't need much mid-race magic in Plovdiv. What was the key to how the crew raced the final?
Grieder - Going into the final on Sunday we knew our base speed was a strength and we leaned into that the middle thousand. Once we shifted to a powerful rhythm, I made some calls about being confident and staying internal to own the rhythm. There was so much trust within the crew.
row2k - Did you and the crew make any adjustments after the heat, where you had that comeback move in the last 500 to get the win that put you straight into the final?
Grieder - In the heat, we were about a length down on Germany off the start so in between the heat and final, we did some start work and talked about executing it differently. It was cool how, in just a few sessions, we improved upon those focuses. The final was the best start we have ever done as a crew and I remember in the first 20 strokes of the final that I said, "We're going to do it."
row2k - You've won a World title now at both the U19 level, in the JW4+ in 2021, at now at U23s. Can you talk a bit about how those experience were similar, or different?
Grieder - One difference from U19 is that for U23 there is a more condensed timeline to train together before racing. This summer was truly awesome though, especially in Plovdiv, because every day we were coming closer as a crew: building the inside jokes and boat chemistry that makes racing so much more fun when it's with close friends.
I could not be more proud of the women in this boat and it was an honor to have been apart of it. Shoutout to the MMM.
Evan Park - Five Seat, U23 Women's Eight
row2k - What was the approach for the heat, in your first race as a crew?
Park - In our heat race on Thursday, we planned on sticking to a long, strong rate the entire race and to stay calm and trust the base even if the other boats were up off the start. During that race, we were able to walk back on Germany throughout the piece, pulling ahead in the last 250, which felt straight out of a movie.
row2k - Did the boat talk at all about changing things up for the final?
Park - We stuck to pretty much the same plan in the final, except we worked on getting to rate faster on the start, which we executed well. As for the rhythm, we have immense trust in each other that we can hold a consistent, powerful pace for a long distance.
We did more than twenty 1500s of seat racing in Oklahoma at selection camp, so we had a really solid base fitness to support us. We were very competitive with each other at camp, in a respectful manner, which helped us develop a lot in of speed together. That experience and trust definitely allowed us to stay collected and strong during the race.
row2k - So part of your backstory is that you are pretty new to rowing relative to other folks in the crew--can you talk a bit about being a World U23 Champ as a collegiate walk-on to the sport?
Park - I walked on to the Oregon State rowing team the fall of 2021, so I've been rowing for almost 2 years. My experience there has been amazing. I had a very knowledgeable novice coach, David Herrick, who is very passionate about rowing. He was realistic about how difficult rowing can be, but showed me how to love the sport in the process.
As a walk on, you are picking up a completely new mental, physical, and technical skill set for a sport that you are learning the rules of along the way, so you have to be very adaptable and willing to learn. The U23 selection camp has been an amazing way for me to experience new stroke styles, techniques, and coaching methods, as well as to meet rowers from other programs and learn more about the sport as a whole.
It is pretty surreal that I got to compete on the world stage of a sport that I am so new to, but it makes me super excited to see where else rowing will take me. My head coach, Kate Maxim, sometimes mentions the importance of keeping a "novice mindset" as you progress through rowing. I think that keeping an open mind about how far I can push myself has been a huge factor in getting me to this level in rowing. Consistency and curiosity are key.
Lauren Day - Two Seat, U23 Women's Eight
row2k - Can you tell us a little bit about how this crew came together through the selection camp and the run-up to the racing in Plovdiv?
row2k - What was it like to be part of a crew that was able to win a World Championship so emphatically?
Day - This summer was an amazing experience, mostly because of my teammates and Coach Trowbridge. I think we had a really special group of people at camp, and Coach Trow did a great job of teaching us how to row together in such a short period of time. She said exactly what we needed, when we needed it, both for our rowing, and for mentally preparing us to race.
Day - My teammates and Coach Trow made it easy to give it my all during practice and each race, and I had so much fun doing it. I've never been a part of a crew that's gone so fast and felt so powerful! Honestly, this experience has made me appreciate and love rowing on a whole new level and I feel so honored and privileged to have been a part of such an amazing group. I'll remember the race and the entire camp, selection, and racing experience for the rest of my life.
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