Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Louisville Names Leadership Committee for Upcoming Season
March 07, 2019 | Rowing
Five student-athletes voted to committee by teammates
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With the opening of the spring season in just a week, University of Louisville rowing has named its leadership committee for the 2019 campaign.
In lieu of the traditional captain system, team members selected five student-athletes for the committee: senior Perie Howard, junior Abigail Davies, sophomores Violette Legrand and Madison Meister, and freshman McKenzie Sweeney. The rowers were chosen for being approachable, receptive, and confident with communication between members of the team and coaches.
"I'm very excited about a couple people. Many people got multiple votes for these positions because they demonstrate open communication among the team and have emerged as leaders," said head coach Derek Copeland. "From the first meeting, it was clear these five selected will do a great job helping the team realize a vision."
According to Copeland, the committee members will have three main initiatives, with 25 percent of their time going toward helping the coaches more effectively train the rowers, 25 percent dedicating to fostering communication between players and coaches, and 50 percent helping lead the program to new heights in the spring season. The committee will meet consistently with coaches, creating a team itinerary and reporting on the pulse and trajectory of the team.
Louisville will open its spring competitive season next weekend as it hosts the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational on March 16-17 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Perie Howard (Senior – Lewisburg, Pa.)
"I am honored that I was selected to represent such an outstanding group of girls with so many strengths. My hope is I will be able to use this opportunity to help ensure that my teammates are in the best possible position to use those strengths. May that be in the classroom, community, or on the water – we will shock collegiate rowing."
Abigail Davies (Junior – Northwich, U.K.)
"I felt proud that my teammates view me as someone that is approachable and is able to communicate well with the coaches. There were so many girls that were voted for a position, which is awesome and says volumes about how much we care about our team and our teammates as individuals. I am really excited to be part of the committee and take on a different approach to leadership, focusing more on empowering and growing. I intend to be there to listen and learn from my teammates, feed back necessary information to the coaches, and work with my fellow committee members to help the team grow."
Violette Legrand (Sophomore – Paris, France)
"I feel very grateful to be viewed as a girl that has a good attitude and brings a good balance for the team. My position is a little bit different than the others, and this is why it makes it even more interesting. I definitively think that a leadership committee is a very good idea to push everybody in a good dynamic and make an impact on the team. This group is helping to have better communication between us, the athletes, and the coaching staff."
Madison Meister (Sophomore – Kailua, Hawaii)
"There were tons of girls who received votes to be on the leadership committee, which speaks volumes about the culture of our team, so I feel very thankful to be a part of it. I'm excited to be a part of this group of girls and work with the coaches and my teammates to help grow our team. I think this committee is going to be super helpful in helping grow our young team achieve the goals that we've set."
McKenzie Sweeney (Freshman – Orlando, Fla.)
"I am extremely appreciative for this leadership position that my teammates nominated me for. There were several girls who were more than qualified to fill this role, and I am honored to be recognized as one of them. Coming in as a freshman and seeing how strong and amazing these girls are only pushes me to be a better version of myself in order to successfully lead our team."
In lieu of the traditional captain system, team members selected five student-athletes for the committee: senior Perie Howard, junior Abigail Davies, sophomores Violette Legrand and Madison Meister, and freshman McKenzie Sweeney. The rowers were chosen for being approachable, receptive, and confident with communication between members of the team and coaches.
"I'm very excited about a couple people. Many people got multiple votes for these positions because they demonstrate open communication among the team and have emerged as leaders," said head coach Derek Copeland. "From the first meeting, it was clear these five selected will do a great job helping the team realize a vision."
According to Copeland, the committee members will have three main initiatives, with 25 percent of their time going toward helping the coaches more effectively train the rowers, 25 percent dedicating to fostering communication between players and coaches, and 50 percent helping lead the program to new heights in the spring season. The committee will meet consistently with coaches, creating a team itinerary and reporting on the pulse and trajectory of the team.
Louisville will open its spring competitive season next weekend as it hosts the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational on March 16-17 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Perie Howard (Senior – Lewisburg, Pa.)
"I am honored that I was selected to represent such an outstanding group of girls with so many strengths. My hope is I will be able to use this opportunity to help ensure that my teammates are in the best possible position to use those strengths. May that be in the classroom, community, or on the water – we will shock collegiate rowing."
Abigail Davies (Junior – Northwich, U.K.)
"I felt proud that my teammates view me as someone that is approachable and is able to communicate well with the coaches. There were so many girls that were voted for a position, which is awesome and says volumes about how much we care about our team and our teammates as individuals. I am really excited to be part of the committee and take on a different approach to leadership, focusing more on empowering and growing. I intend to be there to listen and learn from my teammates, feed back necessary information to the coaches, and work with my fellow committee members to help the team grow."
Violette Legrand (Sophomore – Paris, France)
"I feel very grateful to be viewed as a girl that has a good attitude and brings a good balance for the team. My position is a little bit different than the others, and this is why it makes it even more interesting. I definitively think that a leadership committee is a very good idea to push everybody in a good dynamic and make an impact on the team. This group is helping to have better communication between us, the athletes, and the coaching staff."
Madison Meister (Sophomore – Kailua, Hawaii)
"There were tons of girls who received votes to be on the leadership committee, which speaks volumes about the culture of our team, so I feel very thankful to be a part of it. I'm excited to be a part of this group of girls and work with the coaches and my teammates to help grow our team. I think this committee is going to be super helpful in helping grow our young team achieve the goals that we've set."
McKenzie Sweeney (Freshman – Orlando, Fla.)
"I am extremely appreciative for this leadership position that my teammates nominated me for. There were several girls who were more than qualified to fill this role, and I am honored to be recognized as one of them. Coming in as a freshman and seeing how strong and amazing these girls are only pushes me to be a better version of myself in order to successfully lead our team."
Players Mentioned
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