Featured Rower | Maren Schieffer

Nickname: Mars Bars
Year: 5
Hometown: Moorhead, MN
Major: Spanish and English
Years on the team: 5!

Favorite Erg Piece: 

--Don Craig workout

Favorite Cox'n Calls:

--"If you were an eagle, you would be soaring!"-Jennina Johnson

"Drop bombs!!!"-Natalie Stoppel

Favorite Rowing Memory:

--Spring Break novice year

What is your weirdest study habit?

--What is studying...??

Featured Alumni Rower | Jennina Johnson

Nickname: Aunt Jemima or Jemimes
Year: 2nd year graduate student
Hometown: Circle Pines, MN
Major: School Counseling
Years on the team: 4 years, 2007-2011, meeting only member 2011-2012 =)


Favorite Erg Piece:  
--Erging was never my favorite, but I loved doing 40s.


Favorite Cox'n Calls:

--Balls to the wall. If you were an eagle, you'd be soaring. Dan.Dee.Ran. (cut the cake)


 Favorite Rowing Memory:
-- I can't even pick one!  I know I shared some awesome races but more than that, I think back to all the fun time with my teammates, particularly on spring break. So here's to velveeta shells and cheese, blisters, scrabble, madlibs, Nature Bruce, mafia, someone always plugging the toilet (I think Molly carried on the tradition last year) hot seat and Don Craig Oreo kisses.

What is your weirdest study habit?
--Writing papers in my snuggie.

Featured Alumni Rower | Mike DeNucci

Nickname: DeNucci
Year: Super Senior
Hometown: Cedar, MN
Major: Mass Communications/ Radio Broad Casting
Years on the team: 4 years on the team


Favorite Erg Piece:  
--Favorite single erg piece I've done would have to be at the Rochester Power Pull in 2011. I'd been training to reach a sub 7minute PR for my 2k.  My first event of the day was a Lwt Open Mens 2k and i was competing along side my teammates Matt McCann and Mike Steinman and coxswain me was Collin Winters. Having those guys with and next me helped calm my nerves and I pulled a personal 2k pr, sub 7 and got gold.   2k's are my least favorite erg piece and since that day I haven't tried to PR it, but the weekend was fantastic as a whole and getting the 2k off my shoulders was a great relief, and it happened with my best friends next to me.

30min piece are my favorite erg pieces in general.



Favorite Cox'n Calls:

"Sit Ready"

"We're Walking"

"Weigh-enough"

or anything from Don Craig

 Favorite Rowing Memory:

My novice year Topeka Regatta Mens Open 4+ 400 Dash, All the lanes were filled with crews who were mostly taller and stronger. After one bad start that caused all the boats to turn around, and earned our boat a verbal scolding from our coxswain Tatty (Jason Briant).  The second start was near flawless and for me it was the first near perfect race i was apart of, it was the closest to erging on the water I've been apart of. Tatty told us we were battling for first the whole way, we were neck and neck with one other boat two lanes over. When the race finished we didn't know if we had won, it wasn't till later we found out that we had won by .2 seconds.  As a novice it showed me how awesome rowing can be. 
Thanks, Collin, Dan Deeren, Tatty, and Aiden.



What is your favorite meal for breakfast? 

Chicken Fried Steak w/ sausage gravy and breakfast potatoes washed down with a tall cool clash of Milk

Featured Rower | Megan Jones

Nickname: Megjones
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Fairport, NY
Major: Life Sciences Education
Officer Position: Co-Captain
Years on the team: First year

Favorite Erg Piece:  
On January 22 of this year, we had an all-novice practice with only five people. We did a 3 x 2k with five minutes of rest in between each one. The first 1000m of each 2k was at your 5k pace plus ten split seconds, the next 500m was at your 5k split, and the last 500m was at your 2k pace. It was a pretty tough workout but it went by fast and everyone left practice feeling good.

Favorite Cox'n Calls:

“You’re the strongest 8 women out here!!” – Mike Steinman

“That’s it, let’s finish it with POWER!!” – Renee Kardell 

Favorite Rowing Memory:
At the Tail of the Fox regatta earlier this year, I got to cox a mixed 8 for the first time. We started out strong and kept it going smooth through the whole race. When we got to the half-way point, we bumped it up a notch and then ended it with a solid sprint for the last few-hundred meters into the finish line. Everyone put their all into that race and we came in first!

What is your favorite meal for breakfast?
 A big stack of chocolate chip pancakes with real maple syrup, served with coffee and orange juice.

Featured Rower | Justin Gaytan

Nickname: Gator
Year: 1st Year
Hometown: Sartell, MN
Major: Business Management
Years on the team: Almost 1 year completed

Favorite Erg Piece: My favorite Erg session occurred on the Monday of January 21, 2013. I entered the erg room that day with the determination to overcome a milestone. I set the erg meters to 500 and placed weights on both ends of the erg to prevent movement. I turned my iPod to the song 'Till I Collapse and waited for the timing. Remembering the racing start taught by my captains, I took off. I felt like I was soaring past the meters with an almost supernatural force. When the dust clouds fell, my newest PR was set. This moment was symbolic; it was the first time I had shown significant improvement from the first day on the erg.

Favorite Cox'n Calls:
"POWER TEN!" -Mike Steinman during Men's Novice 8 to win gold. 

"Attention, and ROW!" -Megan Jones from one of the last water practices.

"Almost there! Finish with power!" -Cassie Milhon during Men's Novice 4.

Favorite Rowing Memory: On the last day of water practice, former Captain Mike Steinman, announced that it was also his last water practice ever. To break the sadness, we rowed out to the middle of the Mississippi River to have some fun. We came up with the idea that if you pull your oar as hard as you can while attempting to stand, we could have the boat move while the crew stood. When it was my turn to try, I pulled as hard as I could and tried to stand. Suddenly, there was a large snap. I instantly fell down and my foot plate had snapped off. I ended up receiving crew loser for the stunt but it was a very enjoyable experience.

Favorite Laundry Detergent: Tide Sport with Febreze

Featured Rower | Michael Hansen

Name/Nickname: Hunchback

Year: 5th year
Hometown: Bay Lake, MN
Major: Creative Writing
Officer Position: President



Favorite Erg Piece:
My favorite piece all-time was a half hour piece early in the 2011 fall season. There were only four of us at practice, so we set the ergs up in an X shape facing in. We alternated the stroke rating every five minutes between 22, 20, and 18, blasted some Girl Talk and PRed everything. 

Favorite Cox'n call: 

"If we were an eagle, we'd be soaring right now!" -Jennina Johnson

"Breathe..." -Megan Jones

"Want it more!" -Jason Briant



Favorite Rowing Memory: 

We had a Mixed Open 4 at Rockford in the fall of 2009. It was myself, Collin Winters, Kelly Johnson, and Kayla Bryd with Natalie Stoppel coxing. Our row to the start was extremely rocky, none of us could find our rhythm and it wasn't looking to be a good race at all. All that change when the start command sounded. I have never felt power in a boat like the power in that one and never felt a ratio shift so smooth. It was one of those boats that could do no wrong, and to this day I have yet to be in a four that comes close to as fast and strong as that one.

Favorite Toothpaste:

Crest 3D White with an Oral B toothbrush, followed by a gulp of ice cold tap water.