Carter Focusing on Technical Development

Oct. 8, 2013

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — With first-year head coach Andrew Carter roaming the Beckwith Boathouse along the Iowa River, the University of Iowa rowing program is focusing on technical reform.

Since arriving from the University of Miami (Fla.), Carter has tried to make the Hawkeyes into a more cohesive team and introduce new concepts.

“They’re cohesive, and a strong group of women, but concepts is something I am trying to get across to the team,” Carter said during a media gathering Tuesday. “They established the last 12-18 months a solid training ethic, and they know how to get in there, work hard, and push their boundaries from a physical perspective.

“Some cohesiveness and comprehensive technical reform is what we need to work on. As I watch them row, we can make advances in speed from that technical perspective.”

Sophomore Edwina Flakemore says Carter has worked with individual strokes to find a way to more efficiently generate power.

“He has broken the whole stroke down and is building it back up to make sure we use our power more efficiently,” said Flakemore.

Sophomore Alyssa Armstrong says Carter preaches that in order to make something a habit, getting the daily repetitions and muscle memory is key.

“Coach says you have to do something 10,000 times, and then you can do it without thinking about it,” said Armstrong, a native of Tipton, Iowa.

Carter has been pleased with the group he inherited and the effort put forth by the student-athletes in his first four months on the job.

“This is a group I have been fortunate to walk into,” he said. “They train hard and nobody is afraid of a good, hard work out. They have an open mind and are excited about the possibilities.”

Iowa performed well in its first competition of 2013, as it dominated the women’s collegiate 8+ event by earning the top three finishes at the Head of the Des Moines. The Hawkeyes also had the top two times in the women’s collegiate 4+.

This weekend, Iowa will welcome Big Ten foe Indiana to Iowa City for a Friday and Saturday scrimmage. Carter is excited to have a fellow conference school coming to the UI campus.

“We have one regatta under our belt and having another Big Ten school come to our campus and mix it up in a low-key scrimmage is exciting,” said Carter. “The coaches will get to get involved, and we can tailor the event to the needs of the crew we have.”

Carter says the Hawkeyes need to continue to build on the technical development that has been hammered home during the first six weeks of practice. He wants to bring new ideas and see how the team makes the adjustments in a competition setting.

Iowa’s next official competition will be Oct. 27 with the Head of the Iowa. The event will be held at Lake Macbride in Solon, Iowa.

“It will be an interesting event because of the way the course will be laid out,” said Carter. “The course itself will be reminiscent of one of the most famous head races in the world — the Head of the Charles. It should be interesting and a good spectator venue.”

Flakemore says the team has come together under Carter’s leadership, and she’s seeing results.

“We’ve all done well to be open to the new changes,” said Flakemore. “It is proven on the water, and we’re rowing better and have developed more speed… and that’s good.”