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May 10, 2005

The Washington men's and women's rowing teams begin postseason competition this weekend when they travel to Sacramento, Calif. for the Pac-10 Rowing Championships. The conference regatta is scheduled for Sunday, May 15 at Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova.

Senior Janelle Dubbins (Anchorage, Ak./Robert Service HS) rows in Washington's 12th-ranked women's varsity eight. She spent a few minutes with GoHuskies.com, talking about the season and describing her thoughts on the upcoming Pac-10 Championships.

GoHuskies.com: How was the atmosphere at Saturday's Windermere Cup regatta?

Janelle Dubbins: "It's always really exciting. Rowing is not really a spectator sport, so when you get in an event like this, it's really special for all of the rowers involved. Also, this year with the opening of the new boathouse and all that and being a senior myself, it was really cool to see all of this to on for us. To see the alumni and the parents and all of the corporations that were here too made it cool."

GoHuskies.com: What did you think of the race against the Czech National Team?

JD: "It was a really fun race, it's always a fun race. I think going into it we knew that the Czech girls were going to be very fast. It was exciting to race against a national team and I think it was a good experience for our boat and the whole team."

GoHuskies.com: What are your thoughts about Sunday's Pac-10 Championships?

JD: "We're racing a lot of fast teams this weekend, so we're not backing down and not letting up one stroke. It was good to come off of a race like Windermere Cup where we weren't the fastest boat there because it will help us keep our heads focused for this weekend. We have a challenge this weekend and we're ready to go I think."

GoHuskies.com: Why did you decide to come to school at Washington?

JD: "I wasn't planning on going here, I was planning on going to Boston University. I came here at the last minute for the Pre-Med program and I did it. I'm going to go to medical school here in the fall at the UW."

GoHuskies.com: What area of medicine do you plan to pursue?

JD: "I'd like to be a surgeon right now, that's kind of the direction I'm headed. We'll see. I'm really excited about medical school."

GoHuskies.com: Was there a deciding factor for why you chose UW over Boston University?

JD: "Honestly, I think it was financial reasons why I came here. I wasn't recruited or anything, I walked onto the team. I wasn't rowing, I started rowing during the tryout period."

GoHuskies.com: What made you decide to tryout for crew?

JD: "I had a friend who was going to try out and she said, `Oh, you should come do it, you're an athlete, come do this with me.' So, I tried. She quit part way through and I kept with it."

GoHuskies.com: What was the experience like to begin a sport in a program that is so strong?

JD: "I had no idea what I was getting into. My freshman year, my locker was right next to Anna Mickelson who won a silver medal in the Olympics this summer. Through my novice year, my eyes were really opened to what an incredible program this is and the opportunities I would have if a stuck around."

GoHuskies.com: Did your receive any encouragement or advice from Anna Mickelson who was also a true novice when she began rowing at UW?

JD: "Oh definitely. We talked all the time. It was sad when she left and graduated, but it's awesome to see what she's doing now."

GoHuskies.com: Would you comment on the season so far?

JD: "Our season hasn't been perfect, but I think that we're in a good spot. We've won some, we've lost some, so we're not going into it with really big heads and we're not going into it feeling totally defeated."