Sunday, July 09, 2006

One Year

Today marks one year since the first post on Fight in the Dog. Since that time we’ve seen the best racing women’s lightweight rowing has to give as more dedicated programs have come on the scene and parity looks achievable. Unfortunately, the sport has also faced one of the largest threats ever to its existence.

FITD began like most blogs, read only by its author. It slowly grew until by the end of the spring season it had readers from teams around the country, including all of the top 10 programs. The first reader who ever contacted me was a former Georgia Tech rower who began to spread the word with a link from her own blog. The first team I knew to read FITD was UCF. Rowers, coaches, parents, and regatta officials have all contacted me about women’s lightweight rowing at some point over the life of FITD. Those who have read and commented on this site are simply proof that women’s lightweight rowing is alive and vibrant in the US. True, there are those involved with women’s rowing who couldn’t be bothered enough to answer my questions about lightweights, and there are those who desperately wish this blog didn’t exist. In the end, though, rowers of all weights and sexes recognize that we all share a love of the same sport, we all take the same strokes, over the same distance, and experience the same pain in the pursuit of perfection. We are all the same.

Not too long ago, a reader posted a comment in which she said that there was nothing on FITD that you couldn’t find on row2k. I have to admit that stung a bit, probably because I had just finished a series of posts that mostly consisted of race results. It did get me wondering, however, just what I might have written about that was new and informative to lightweights. Here are some things I could think of:

- FITD was the first to report to a wide audience (outside of the conference) that the Pac 10 was pushing for a NCAA championship for heavyweight men.

- FITD was the first to publish a Q&A with the NCAA on women’s lightweights

- FITD was the first to report on the 2006 IRA weigh-in requirements

- FITD was the first to do a study of the number of lightweight programs

- FITD is the only place you’ll see eating disorders and lightweight rowing discussed without a politically correct bias

- FITD is the only place to find an ongoing discussion of how the NCAA affects lightweight rowing

- FITD is the only place you’ll find a discussion of why there aren’t more lightweight programs

- FITD was the first to do a post-season ranking of V8s

- FITD was the only place to find race reports of lightweight women’s races

- FITD is the only place to find an analysis of lightweight vs. heavyweight race times

- FITD is the only to place to find season previews for women’s lightweight programs

- FITD was the first to call out the Rowing News on its lack of women’s lightweight coverage in its season preview issue

There was other unique information on FITD but perhaps the biggest scoop was also the one that stimulated the most negative feedback – the IRA dam opening. Of all the outlets reporting on the IRAs no one else was alert enough (or cared enough) to recognize aberrant results and look for the cause. In some quarters FITD will be forever despised for making a lot of people look silly.

As the summer flies by (teams will be back to school next month), lightweights with national team ambitions are testing themselves at U23 trials, Nationals, and Canadian Henley and will provide leadership to their teams and the sport in the fall. Like all major endeavors, progress for women’s lightweights will come in fits and starts. Much progress was made last season, but who knows what will happen this coming season? The trend in dedicated programs is up, in quality of crews is higher, and in parity is more. The 2007 season should be better than the last. More crews than ever have shown they are fast, and more crews than ever believe they can win. As Georgetown and UCF have shown, the top five slots of the national poll are no longer safe. There will always be threats to lightweight rowing, but the best way to fight them off is for more women to row harder, row faster, and row smarter. I firmly believe that will happen, just as I believe the best days of women’s lightweight rowing are yet to come.

“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you are keeping up the blog for next year's season. Welcome back!

JW Burk said...

No, no change in status right now. Still doesn't look too promising.

Anonymous said...

I don't agree with whoever said the comment that we can always find the same information on row2k... there have been so many times where the girls on my team were going crazy looking for certain information and then the next day, it was always on FITD. Please keep it going!!!

Anonymous said...

I was getting nervous that you were serious about quitting the blog. I'm a bit relieved you'll be with us again next year. 2 more months until we report! Thanks again for doing it one more season JW.

Anonymous said...

I hope you continue. Thanks for all of your work! I think that there are many many many more appreciative readers than those few critics. So, thanks from all of us lurkers who don't ever comment!

Anonymous said...

It is not true that you can find all the information on FITD on Row2k. In fact, I read both of them every day (and everyone I know checks FITD religiously) and although row2k has the numbers, FITD has the stories. No one on row2k has time to sit down and commentate about all the different races. That's why it's great to have FITD - finally a website that is actually dedicated to OUR sport. Keep it going, don't stop it, and don't worry about negative feedback from the dam opening because all controversial comments will get negative feedback... Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

"don't worry about negative feedback from the dam opening because all controversial comments will get negative feedback"

What terrifically open minded readers you seem to have.

Anonymous said...

It's almost time for Season Preview 2006-2007!

Anonymous said...

adios.

Anonymous said...

I don't get the above comment

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"don't worry about negative feedback from the dam opening because all controversial comments will get negative feedback"

What terrifically open minded readers you seem to have.


20 July, 2006 10:50
Anonymous said...

adios.

Both of those make little sense at all. Come on JayDub, we need a new post.

Anonymous said...

adios means goodbye. or in this case good ridance.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the last post, if one denigrates someone or his/her efforts, at least learn to spell! In addition, articulate your argument, if you have one. In your opinion, why is the end of FITD "good ridance [sic]?"

While I claim no expertise regarding the specific topic and am certainly on the outside looking in on the drama of lightweight women's rowing, the loss to the sport of rowing in general of this blog is enormous, it seems to me. I for one will miss you, JW, for your energy, insight and, most importantly, your vision. You have affected the world of women's lightweight rowing for the positive because you have generated a lot of interest and a little bit of controversy in a niche of a sport that's really a niche sport.

Oh, the sport of rowing is so beautiful to watch, and anything that serves to promote it is a good thing, in my opinion. But FITD's effort to promote lightweight rowing specifically is even better! Godspeed, JW.

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

us wisco lights are super excited to have a new coach, Erik Miller!

Anonymous said...

Dear JW,
I am going to be a senior in high school this coming year and I am looking to row lightweight in college. I would like to give you many thanks for the help you’ve given me in learning more about the different lightweight crews out there, thanks for showing that there is a future for the world of lightweight rowing, and thanks for all the excitement you’ve created surrounding the sport. Rowing has become my life and I have made it a personal goal to make it on a top program and become a top competitor.

The future IS so, so bright...

Many Thanks

Ps. I would like to see the blog continued, I’m sick of just reading the comments(and I feel the majority is with me on this one)

Anonymous said...

Yea gosh darn it! You should only consider the needs of your readers! We DEMAND that you continue to write things to entertain us for free. You should completely ignore any other life aspirations you have and focus on charity entertainment work!

DO IT, DO IT!

Anonymous said...

Whoever you are, who keeps posting these negative comments... um... why do you keep reading the blog and spending time posting comments if you don't like it??? Leave it to those of us who do like it so we can read it in peace without the irritation of your comments.

JW, we await your next post!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, there's really no need to the sarcasm either. We love what JW does, and everyone appreciates it. Lightweights never get recognized, so it's nice to know someone cares!

Anonymous said...

Wisco and Ohio State have new coaches and no info on FITD.

Come on Addie, you are slacking! Please bring it back.

Anonymous said...

UCF is looking for a new coach

Anonymous said...

who the heck is Addie?

Anonymous said...

is there a facebook group for lighweight rowers?

Anonymous said...

depends on what school you go to... for example, if you go to wisconsin and you want to join a ucf lightweight group, you can't. So if there's not one at your school, you should start one! I do know that a few of the main lightweight schools do have them. There are also tons of rowing groups on myspace.

Anonymous said...

I think the Addie comment was a joke to try to get JW to reveal her identity, right Angela?

Anonymous said...

This just in:

newly created facebook group 'Fight in the Dog Fan Club'

Anonymous said...

Hello!
I'm on the lightweight team at Georgetown, and my teammates and I read your blog... pretty much all the time. Coach King (the head of the women's program) left us last May, and our new head coach is suggesting he'd like to merge the two women's teams. It looks to us like it's a step backward for women's rowing, especially after IRAs this June. Thoughts? Suggestions? We're all afraid of what the dissolution of our team could mean for those of us who naturally weigh 128. And I have NO desire to cox...