Iowa rowing team prepares for Head of the Des Moines
The Head of the Des Moines regatta is a favorite race for Iowa coaches and rowers. With a large amount of support coming from the Des Moines area and a gutsy turn involved in the course, there is a lot for the rowing team to be excited about.
"Des Moines has given a lot to us as a program," head coach Mandi Kowal said. "A lot of our donors for the boathouse are from Des Moines."
Susan P. Beckwith, for whom the boathouse is named, is from Des Moines.
"We've got a lot of love from Des Moines, and we want to give our support and appreciation back," Kowal said.
The first race of the season is never going to be perfect, but the Hawkeyes have big goals set for their first competition: breaking the course record. Senior rower Jessica Novack said the Hawkeyes also hope to win all the events, as they did last year, and improve their overall times.
"We're going to look at getting the trophies back, of course," Kowal said.
The 2.85-mile course begins at the Des Moines Botanical Center and travels upstream to Prospect Park.
Kowal noted in particular a fun and challenging turn in the course she called "the gut."
The coxswain plays a fundamental role in helping the rowers steer the boat through the curve.
"As a coxswain, you've really got to be ready," Kowal said.
"You really have to listen to the coxswain call to make the tightest turn possible," sophomore Katy Kroll said.
"It's fun to break up a straight course," Novack said. "It lets us trust them [the coxswains] even more."
Iowa will be racing boats of pairs, 4s, and 8s.
"In the pair, you've got to be ready, and you've got to know what your course is going to be, how you're going to attack each corner," Kowal said. "If you're passing, where you're passing — that makes it really fun."
Des Moines is not only about setting course records and demolishing the competition — the Hawkeyes hope to have their technique perfected going into the race.
"We've been working a lot on the release, so we're going to look a lot to clean that up before we get to the race," Kowal said.
Because it is the first race of the fall season, she said, one of the purposes is getting the rust off and mentally switching into race mode.
After a summer without team practices or races, Novack said her favorite part of the fall, and the first race, is being able to put their matching uniforms on again.
And with their first opportunity to put those black and gold uniforms on again Saturday, the Hawkeyes look forward to their first race.
"You know when you're racing," Kowal said. "It's interesting no matter who is there or what happens."
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