Life on club rowing team expensive, but 'worth it'

When George Werres was a freshman, someone pulled him aside and said, "Hey, you're tall. Want to try rowing?" \nNow a sophomore, Werres wakes up every morning at 5:30 to meet the rest of the Crew Club at the Fine Arts Plaza by 6, and he gets back from crew practice at 8:30. He pays his dues for this privilege -- $100 a semester, plus race fees, and like all crew members, he buys his own equipment. \n"It's expensive, but it's worth it," Werres said. "On the water there's just this … feeling you get. I love it."\nUnlike the women's varsity crew team, which formed last year to fill a void in women's sports, crew, or the men's rowing club, is not recognized by the University as a varsity sport. \nAccording to the club's Web site, the NCAA does not govern crew, nor does the club receive funds from the athletic department. Yet each year, the team competes against other NCAA varsity crews, which have new equipment and well-paid coaching staffs. \nCrew isn't letting these apparent disadvantages affect their performance. After the second-to-last fall regatta Oct. 21, the club had garnered 52 medals for the season, more than they had by that time last year. The men were also the only team to have a boat cross the 2.7 mile lake in less than 14 minutes, beating rival Marquette with a time of 13:55 in the men's 8. \n"We definitely use our varsity club status to our advantage," said sophomore Kat Campbell, a coxswain for the men's club. "The nice thing about a club is that everything you have, you worked for." \nFirst-year coach Josh Gray, a graduate student, said he agreed. "We're not getting anything for free," he said. "If we earn the money, everything we have is our own."\nThe club survives by fund-raisers, donations from alumni and a small allotment from the IU Athletic Foundation. Fund-raisers listed on the crew Web site, www.indiana.edu/~iucrew, include programs such as Rent-a-Rower, in which Bloomington residents can make a tax-deductible donation to Crew and have a club member come to their house to do yard work, minor repairs or other odd jobs. \nGray said that while funds would be better if the club were an NCAA-governed team, the freedom of being a club is beneficial. \n"Besides, I've always been a huge proponent of Title IX," Gray said. "Men have had so many sports for so long, and now women are finally getting a chance. I'm excited for the women."\nCampbell added that it would be nice to spend more time practicing and less time fund-raising. \n"The women's team bought five new boats last year, and the club has had one new boat in the last 10 years," she said. "An eight-man boat costs around $20,000. Add oars, $5,000 trailers, and coaches' salaries, and crew becomes one of the most expensive sports on campus."\n"The financial commitment is huge, but it's worth it," said club president junior Shane David. "People always ask me how much I love crew, and this is what I tell them: I am not a morning person. Yet I get up every single morning and push my body to the limit. I would much rather stay up until one and get up at 11. It's a huge commitment." \nDavid said that while he liked the club atmosphere, he wouldn't mind becoming a varsity team. \n"Obviously, the money would be great, new equipment, not always having to worry about funds; we pay a lot of money just to be in the club. I personally would like it." \nStill, David stressed that IU Crew is doing just fine as a club. \n"In past years we've been really unorganized -- we've competed, but we haven't really been competitive. This year we're starting to pull things together. We've raced Marquette three times, and every time we've gotten a little bit closer. And of course there's always Purdue but right now we want to focus on beating Marquette." \nWomen's varsity crew assistant coach Rob McCracken said he agrees there is little difference in the dedication of the male and female rowers, and he said the men's club is just as good as the women's varsity team. Three years ago, McCracken coached the rowing club for both men and women, but he left to assist coach Mark Wilson last year when the women became a varsity team. \n"Women's rowing is the most competitive sport in the Big Ten," McCracken said. "It's a totally different coaching style, going from women to men and club to varsity. I really enjoyed coaching the men though; it's good that they're finally starting to get some recognition." \nWith McCracken gone, the club was left without a coach, and it was up to Tim Humphrey, now a fifth-year senior, to lead the team. Humphrey remembers rowing against Gray before he became the club's coach. Humphrey started rowing nine years ago and said Crew's club status doesn't upset him.\n"The change in funding would be nice, but I don't see a difference between the intensity in men and women -- we both train just as hard," Humphrey said. "The club came up to a new level this year. I think it's the beginning of a new era"