The Wake

You may see them from the Washington Avenue bridge as you walk to class in the morning. You may see them from the river flats as you play Frisbee. You may see them as you sit next to the river smoking a joint. They are the crew team. And you have to admit, they look pretty cool when they row by.

Senior rower Cheryl Wick, who was recently named to the All-Central Region first team, talks about her rise in crew, the upcoming season, and lots more.

The Wake: First of all, congratulations on being named to the all-region team.

Cheryl Wick: Thanks!

The Wake: Was that kind of a surprise for you?

Wick: Yea, I really wasn’t expecting it. The two weeks before that were Big Tens, and Beth Ratterman from our team was Big Ten second team. Vilma Stragyte was Big Ten first team. So when (coach) Wendy (Davis) told me I’d made first team all-region, I was kind of surprised.

The Wake: What sports did you play in high school?

Wick: All four years I did soccer, basketball, and I also threw in track, and actually did that for five years. I started when I was an eighth-grader.

The Wake: When did you realize, ”I’m pretty good at this crew thing”?

Wick: The first I was in a boat was the summer after my senior year of high school. A friend of mine in Rochester was rowing that summer and said that if I wasn’t doing anything that I should try it out. And I really liked it. Then I went to St. Thomas my freshman year and joined the club team. I planned on throwing, actually, at St. Thomas with their track team, but then I got involved with crew right away that fall and loved it. At the end of the spring season one of my coaches said, “You know, Cheryl, if you really like this rowing thing, you should maybe talk to Wendy at the University of Minnesota and see if she has a place for you.” So that’s kind of when I realized I should see where this takes me.

The Wake: Did the Gophers approach you?

Wick: One of my coaches from St. Thomas talked to Wendy first, and because of how the NCAA works, Wendy couldn’t contact me at that time. So James Dunden, who was the coach at St. Thomas, said “I told Wendy about you, but if you want to do this, you have to take the step to go over to the U.” I think he told me about this the last week of April and the transfer application to the U was May 1, so I had about four days to make the decision to leave St. Thomas and transfer to the U.

The Wake: Wow

Wick: It was pretty crazy, ‘cause I had all my plans for the next year. I was going to study abroad and all that stuff. It was a last-minute choice that turned out to be right.

The Wake: Some late-night calls to the parents, probably?

Wick: Yep yep, and they were actually really supportive. They said, ”Do what you want to do.”

The Wake: I noticed that you went to Seattle in the fall. Does the team get to travel much?

Wick: That Seattle trip was actually a lot of fun for us — to be able to get out of the Midwest and go somewhere other than normal, old Rockford where we go every fall.

The Wake: Do you notice a difference between the Midwest and costal schools as far as crew goes?

Wick: Yea, there’s definitely a difference. Maybe not so much the crew teams themselves, but the mindset of rowing. The coastal schools have a lot of tradition built into their programs. They have the alums, and the recognition. If you go, let’s say, to the East Coast on a Saturday afternoon and there’s a rowing regatta going on, you’ll see people lining the shores just to go watch for the pure sport of it. Here, people are walking along the Mississippi in the morning and they might see us rowing, but other then that they don’t know much about us. So that’s a big difference. And the other thing is, our schools don’t get as much respect as the costal schools, not just from the general public, but from other schools. You hear about “the Harvard boats” or “the Cal boats,” and you know who they are. Then it’s like, “Minnesota, and who are they?” But we’re hoping to change that this year.

The Wake: So you think next year’s team is going to be solid?

Wick: Oh, I can’t wait for next year! It’s going to be so much fun. Especially after how our season ended this year. I think people will be kind of weary of us. We’re ready.

The Wake: What’s the progress on getting a new boathouse?

Wick: Supposedly, they are hoping to break ground at the end of summer. But what we really need is funds. We just don’t have the financial progress done that we need. So once we get enough donations and money raised, we’ll go ahead. But the park board has been really great and given us the go ahead from their end.

The Wake: Before I go, I have to ask this question, because it’s something that bothers me whenever I see the crew team practicing on the Mississippi, and I’m sure it’s on the rest of the campus’ mind. How much more difficult is it row against the current than with it?

Wick: (laughs) This spring the current was the worst I’d ever seen it. It’s very difficult! It’s kind of discouraging when you realize you went with the current down and then it takes you twice as long to get back when you turn around.

The Wake: Thanks for your time, and good luck next year!

Wick: Thank you!