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Legacy of the Beaver - Wells' Canadian tale will live on with UT rowers
Knoxville News-Sentinel, The (TN) - Sunday, May 14, 2006
Author: BRAD GASKINS, Special to the News Sentinel
OAK RIDGE -- Lauren Wells came to Tennessee from Canada four years ago on a rowing scholarship and told her teammates she
had a pet beaver living in her backyard.
The Lady Vols haven't been the same since.
Wells even had them believing she shaved the beaver's teeth.
"Coming in my freshman year, I took advantage of how naive you American Southerners were," she said with a light-hearted laugh Saturday at the Central/South Region Championships at Melton Hill Lake. "For two weeks, people believed me."
UT competes in the Grand Final this morning at 11:40.
Wells' father, John, suggested she settle by saying Sammy got run over by a car, but Wells opted to confess. She said people would have planned a funeral and sent flowers.
"I just felt so bad for lying to these nice Southern people that I finally had to tell them there's no such thing," she said. "You cannot have a pet beaver."
But the legacy of Sammy --that's the beaver's name -- lives. Wells hung a framed poster of a beaver in UT's boathouse Friday.
Wells already has left her mark in UT's record book.
She was the first Canadian in the program, and UT's Varsity 8+ qualified for the first of three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances her freshman year.
Much of whether Wells makes it four in a row will depend on today's race.
"Lauren Wells has been a critical factor in our team making the transition from a dual-season competitor to a post-season competitor," UT coach Lisa Glenn said.
Wells chose UT out of London (Ontario) Central High School because she liked the coach, the rowers and the academics. It helped that the boathouse is within biking distance of campus. She has no car.
"I still have a bike," she said. "It's all downhill there. It's uphill on the way back, which kind of stinks."
Four other Canadians have come to UT since Wells.
"There are so many good athletes up there who love the chance of coming down to a school here," she said, "and having great facilities, having great coaching and having the school pay for it."
UT advanced to the semifinals after edging No. 9 Minnesota by 0.4 seconds in Saturday morning's heat race. UT was third in the semis, while No. 15 Virginia was fourth.
"We're doing the things that we've been trying to do all season, but now it's really coming together," Wells said. "Obviously, it would have been nice to have this happen earlier on in the season, but it's happening now, and we're taking it."
The Lady Vols will be joined in the Grand Final by Minnesota, No. 6 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 10 Notre Dame.
"Incredibly strong field," Glenn said. "The race is going to be just a barnburner. I think all of the coaches understand that."
Sammy, meanwhile, hangs in the boathouse and has a message for future rowers who might wonder why there's a poster of a beaver on the wall.
Wells provided translation: "Yeah, you work your tail off, but you can have fun doing it."
The Lady Vols haven't been the same since.
Wells even had them believing she shaved the beaver's teeth.
"Coming in my freshman year, I took advantage of how naive you American Southerners were," she said with a light-hearted laugh Saturday at the Central/South Region Championships at Melton Hill Lake. "For two weeks, people believed me."
UT competes in the Grand Final this morning at 11:40.
Wells' father, John, suggested she settle by saying Sammy got run over by a car, but Wells opted to confess. She said people would have planned a funeral and sent flowers.
"I just felt so bad for lying to these nice Southern people that I finally had to tell them there's no such thing," she said. "You cannot have a pet beaver."
But the legacy of Sammy --that's the beaver's name -- lives. Wells hung a framed poster of a beaver in UT's boathouse Friday.
Wells already has left her mark in UT's record book.
She was the first Canadian in the program, and UT's Varsity 8+ qualified for the first of three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances her freshman year.
Much of whether Wells makes it four in a row will depend on today's race.
"Lauren Wells has been a critical factor in our team making the transition from a dual-season competitor to a post-season competitor," UT coach Lisa Glenn said.
Wells chose UT out of London (Ontario) Central High School because she liked the coach, the rowers and the academics. It helped that the boathouse is within biking distance of campus. She has no car.
"I still have a bike," she said. "It's all downhill there. It's uphill on the way back, which kind of stinks."
Four other Canadians have come to UT since Wells.
"There are so many good athletes up there who love the chance of coming down to a school here," she said, "and having great facilities, having great coaching and having the school pay for it."
UT advanced to the semifinals after edging No. 9 Minnesota by 0.4 seconds in Saturday morning's heat race. UT was third in the semis, while No. 15 Virginia was fourth.
"We're doing the things that we've been trying to do all season, but now it's really coming together," Wells said. "Obviously, it would have been nice to have this happen earlier on in the season, but it's happening now, and we're taking it."
The Lady Vols will be joined in the Grand Final by Minnesota, No. 6 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 10 Notre Dame.
"Incredibly strong field," Glenn said. "The race is going to be just a barnburner. I think all of the coaches understand that."
Sammy, meanwhile, hangs in the boathouse and has a message for future rowers who might wonder why there's a poster of a beaver on the wall.
Wells provided translation: "Yeah, you work your tail off, but you can have fun doing it."
"That's the legacy of the beaver."
(IMAGINE PICTURE HERE OF ME WEARING NOTHING BUT BRIGHT ORANGE - ha!)
Caption: Tennessee's
Varsity 8+ competes in the NCAA Central/South Region Sprints on
Saturday at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. The
Lady Vols downed 15th-ranked Virginia by five
seconds to advance to today's big race, which features four of the top
10 boats
in the country. ELIZABETH OLIVIER/UTLADYVOLS.COM
Edition: Five-star
Section: Sports
Page: D4
Index Terms: college rowing ; UTK
Dateline: OAK RIDGE
Record Number: 417109459
Copyright (c) 2006 The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Section: Sports
Page: D4
Index Terms: college rowing ; UTK
Dateline: OAK RIDGE
Record Number: 417109459
Copyright (c) 2006 The Knoxville News-Sentinel
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