Rowing needs members for novice team

The West Virginia rowing team is looking for members to join its novice team for the 2010-11 season.

Novice coach Tina Griffith said she is looking for around 45-50 women to join the team – which is treated as a junior varsity team.

"You will get the same type of benefits as the varsity team, but it kind of works as a JV team," Griffith said. "Some people don't realize the perks you get for being a student-athlete. You get academic support, athletic support, we have a training room, gear, and you get to schedule early."

The team will have informational meetings today and Wednesday. Today's meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Shenandoah Room of the Mountainlair. The Wednesday meeting will be held in Room 102 of the Student Recreation Center.

Griffith said a good rower is one who is tall and has strong legs.

"Most people think it's an upper-body sport," Griffith said. "But it's not at all. The seat is not fixed, it's moveable. So you actually move with your legs."

Almost every member of the novice team who finished the season last year made the varsity roster in 2010, Griffith said.

Griffith said women interested do not need to have previous rowing experience.

"Out of all the kids on the team, we always have a few that have no rowing experience," Griffith said. "If they're athletic, they shouldn't have a problem walking onto the team."

Last year's novice 8+ team earned a bronze medal at the Grand Finals of the ECAC Regatta in May.

The same team placed fourth at Big East Championships in April.

The team starts its fall season Oct. 9 with the Head of the Ohio race in Pittsburgh. The Mountaineers have four fall tournaments before a full Big East Conference season in the spring.