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It has been a very simple, productive and enjoyable fall semester. We pulled

the trigger on a number of new projects and ideas which I will outline below. Meanwhile, we also kicked off our year-long celebration of the team’s 35th Anniver-sary with 45 alumni racing at the Head of the Schuylkill.

First, we re-turned to a pure and complete semester of sculling (now in doubles instead of singles), while maintaining our conservative and efficient training schedule. The river was low due to repairs to the Adam T. Bower dam, but we had enough water to do 2000 meter laps.

Second, we completed the

three-year transition of our Leadership Group. For a num-ber of years the entire senior class served as the leadership group for the team, followed by a short period of representation from each class. Now we are working collaboratively with Bucknell’s Leadership Institute to develop our team leaders. The group currently includes two seniors, four juniors and four sophomores.

Third, we experimented with providing a Learn-to-Row class

for all freshman women two days a week for the first eight weeks of the fall semester. We had a consistent weekly turnout of approximately 30 women, with 19 students transi-

tioning to our Novice Squad in late October.

Fourth, we held our first Women’s Rowing networking event along the banks of the Schuylkill. Over 40 women’s rowing alumni gathered with our team to discuss their current career choices. Athletics, Edu-cation, Engineering, Health, Fi-

nance and Management were the focus, along with our resident sommelier, counter-terrorism agent and geographic informa-tion systems specialist.

Lastly, we have instituted a three-squad system within the team, comprised of the Patriot League, Dad Vail and Novice Squads. With a large team, we are working to maximize the value of the experience for ev-eryone involved. So far so good, but it will probably take a year or two to fine-tune the structure.

See you in the Spring!

Sincerely,Stephen Kish ’92

BACKSPLASHThe Official Newsletter of the Bucknell Women’s Rowing Program

November 2017

Notes from CoachStephen Kish ’92

With a large team, we are working to

maximize the value of the experience for

everyone involved.

www.BucknellBison.com

Save the Date

To engage, challenge and push every individual student-athlete with the goal of growing their inner confidence and strength of character through humble hard work in pursuit of athletic excellence in a team environment.

Our Mission

Alumni Row and BBQ Gathering – 10:00 a.m., Saturday, April 28th at the Bucknell Boathouse. Participate in our Senior Day oar ceremony, enjoy a short row on the beautiful Susquehanna followed by a gath-ering at Skeeter’s BBQ just across the street, and later that night all are welcome to attend the team banquet as well as our scrimmage against Villanova University early on Sunday morning. n

Alumni Gathering - 6:00pm, Wednesday, May 9th at the Graham Build-ing in Philadelphia AND 6:00pm, Wednesday, May 23rd at a location TBA in New York City. Join Coach Kish ‘92 and other Bucknell alumni to celebrate our past successes and future challenges. n

35th Anniversary Celebration - Fri/Sat, September 28-29, reunite with your teammates for an Alumni Row and Banquet. We hope to launch 35 boats of men and women on Saturday morning! n

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1983-2018Celebrating 35 Years of Rowing

Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia, PA.

ALUMNI RACING

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Catching up with Jennie Trayes ’08

QSince graduating from Bucknell where has your

career path taken you?

AMy career path has taken me right back to rowing!! I grad-

uated from Bucknell and moved to New York City. After a year in the corporate world, I found myself yearning to work for an organiza-tion with a mission. Coach Kish sent me a link to Row New York’s website, and the rest is history. I’ve been at the organization, which transforms the lives of New Yorkers of all backgrounds and abilities through the beloved sport of rowing, for over eight years. Our students go out on a limb to do something they’ve nev-er done before, work their tails off, go to college, and see where that experience can take them. I get to share the organization with

potential partners and funders as part of the development team. Our kids inspire us every day around here, and I feel lucky to do what I do.

QWhat skills that you learned as a student-ath-

lete at Bucknell have helped you become successful today?

AWhere do I start? I learned to work hard, be a good

teammate, make healthy choices, and commit to something bigger than myself. I learned that it’s about the process - and not always about the result. I learned that everyone - no matter what seat - brings something to the table and you can learn something from everyone. I learned that if you don’t like the position you’re in, you have a lot of control and you can change it. I learned that there aren’t many places where people truly care about you. We had that on our team in a profound way. It’s important to surround yourself with those who care about you as much as possible. So much of these lessons are important for my career and my life, and have helped me to build relationships, relate to people from different back-grounds, and have perspective.

QWhat are some of your fondest memories of

your time wearing the Orange and Blue?

AMy first race at the Head of the Occoquan with fuzzy bi-

son shirts, rowing in Miami Beach and the gumdrop game on the beach, many trips to Lake Russell and the team bonding that came with it, trips to the caf and stadium runs at Christy Mathewson, some of the coldest moments I have ever had in my life on morning rows, winning Patriots for the first time in 2006, rowing at the Henley Women’s Regatta in 2008, the hours of preparation for and the many, many laughs during our cabin and class skits on training trips, and finally, clawing our way into Eastern Sprints, graduating with five other seniors on the banks of the Cooper River, and the pouring rain in our last domestic race. To name a few! :)

QWhat advice would you give to the current

players in the program?

AEnjoy it! Not sure if Coach Kish still says this, but “make

choices, not sacrifices”. You are

part of something truly unique - even as far as women’s crew teams go. Don’t worry about missing those concerts or those big parties or those late-nights. You have purpose and goals, and you have people counting on you. The team and the culture and the friendships and your success and your experience at Bucknell in general - all of it - is about what you make of it. And that’s true for life too! If you work hard and put positive energy into the world, I’m pretty sure good things will happen.

QWhy do you feel it is im-portant to give back to

Bucknell Women’s Rowing?

AMy coaches, my teammates, and my opportunities made

me who I am today. I think about Bucknell Women’s Rowing every day - and not just because I still work in the sport. It made a huge impact on me, and I know it can for others too. n

FALL RACING

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WOMEN’S ROWING CONTACT INFORMATIONHead Coach: Stephen Kish / 570-577-1770 / kish@bucknell.edu /Fax: 570-577-1660Assistant Coach: Abigail Klicker / 570-577-3769 / apk010@bucknell.edu Assistant Coach: Mari Sundbo / 570-577-3974 / mgs029@bucknell.edu Assistant Coach: Allison Carter / 570-577-3243 / ac056@bucknell.edu

Women’s RowingBucknell UniversityOne Dent DriveLewisburg, PA 17837

We want to hear from YOU! Please click on the questionnaire link below or go to the ALUMNI link on our website and take a moment to tell us what’s been happening in your post-Bucknell life. Also, please record a memory

or two that we can share with the current women on the team. Finally, please update all your contact information.

Help us keep the history of Bucknell Rowing alive!

Click on the link below or go to www.BucknellBison.com to fill out our Alumni Questionnaire.

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