This is more important than just rowing’: Badger rowing teams raise money for brain cancer research
MADISON, Wis. — While it’s a little cold to get out on the water just yet, the Badger men’s and women’s rowing teams hit the gym Thursday to row, and honor one of their own lost to brain cancer by raising money to fight it.
“This more important than just rowing,” Women’s Head Coach Bebe Bryans said.
At the sound of the bell, the athletes started rowing, cheered on by their teammates and coaches — a lot more excitement than you’d normally find at the seated rowing machines.
“It’s a torture machine, actually,” Bryans joked. “It’s an ergometer actually and it’s the thing at the gym that usually nobody is on.”
But the fans on the ergometers — or “ergs” — at the Porter Boathouse were spinning fast Thursday.
“While rowing on that rowing machine is not something they’re into, this they’re into,” Men’s Head Coach Chris Clark said.
The 8th annual Connor’s Erg Challenge is a virtual, 100K rowing relay to raise funds for brain cancer research.
“We have so many people in our lives that are affected by this disease, so it’s good that we can use our platform to provide some awareness to the disease and also raise money for the cause,” senior Breck Duncan said.
Every three minutes, one athlete hopped off the machine, while the team pulled the cable to keep it moving as a new team member took position.
“The tactic is, ‘go as hard as you can and try to hold on,’” Duncan said, “this is a fly and die situation.”
The challenge’s namesake, Connor Dawes, lost his battle with brain cancer on April 20, 2013. He was a passionate rower and applied to Stanford and UW.
His mother started Connor’s Erg eight years ago, uniting a dozen U.S. colleges and universities to compete for the “Connor’s Cup.”
“She doesn’t let us forget, and it’s easy for us to forget because life moves on unless you’re reminded of things that are really important,” Bryans said.
While the challenge honors those lives lost to brain cancer every year, it hit closer to home for Wisconsin Rowing.
In January, UW-Madison Mechanical Engineering professor and rowing team alum Kris Dressler lost his battle with Glioblastoma.
“To be honest it’s really hard to be here today,” Leslie Dressler, his widow, said Thursday. “This was his boathouse. The two of us spent a fair amount of time here.”
“Also, it’s also amazing to be here for something like this because I know he believed in it, like he believed in them,” she said.
Dressler visited the teams a few months before his passing.
“[The] whole team got to meet him last year because he came to this event last year,” Bryans said, “acknowledging that chances are good he wasn’t going to be here next year, which is this year — and unfortunately, he was right.”
“It’s amazing to me that he’s actually gone,” Clark said. “And a lot of kids on our team are mechanical engineers and they’ve had Kris as a professor and they loved him.”
So on Thursday, each row in was a reminder of who’s gone, and each row out was a reminder of who they’re fighting for.
“Just a celebration of life, too,” Clark said.
“That you’re here healthy, and can do these kinds of things. And don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “And also honoring them through the one thing that bonded us all, rowing.”
Wisconsin Rowing’s goal for this year is $20,000. You can donate online here.