The Iowa rowing team is preparing to put its boats in the water this weekend in Rockford, Ill., for the Head of the Rock.
More than 1,700 rowers are expected to be in Rockford for the event.
The Head of the Rock takes place on a 2.75-mile stretch of Rock River and begins at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 9. The Hawkeyes will wear pink headbands in light of October’s status as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The race is the Hawkeyes’ second event this fall; the team placed three boats in the grand final of the last race, the Head of the Oklahoma, last weekend.
Head coach Mandi Kowal said her team’s first race was a good way to gauge Iowa’s progress and noted that the Head of the Rock will be another useful tool to tell how much the Hawkeyes have grown.
"Our races this weekend are a measuring stick for the progress we made during our practices," Kowal said in a release. "On Sunday, we want to come in unified on land to set up for the water. We have to be put together on land and water and want to come out of the race one step further than last weekend’s race.
"Our focus is on gaining speed, so we’re fast in the spring season."
— by Conrad Swanson