The women’s rowing team will head to Florida on Thursday to begin its training in preparation for its final season at Temple University.

For the first time since the semester ended, the team of 60 will look to regain its mental focus on rowing.

“We are hoping to log some miles,” coach Rebecca Smith-Grzybowski said. “Just to get on the water. It will be a change of scenery, change of pace and getting the team back together. It’s just going to be a really good time to get away. No one has school to worry about, we just get to be together and train hard and start to set some goals for the upcoming season and row as much as we possibly can.”

The team will spend just about 10 days in Florida and return to Philadelphia on January 18th.

The women’s rowing team will be competing for the last time in 2012 Saturday in the Head of Schuylkill Regatta. The Owls will be racing in three events.

The regatta will be the first time the team has competed together since Oct. 13, 2012. Last weekend, one boat traveled to Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta. The boat placed seventh out of 46 and qualifying for next year’s Head of the Charles Regatta.

The rest of the Owls stayed in Philadelphia to participate in the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta. With some upperclassmen in Boston, the other Owls placed second and fourth behind La Salle whose boats placed first and third.

With the entire team together Saturday, new coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski expects the Owls to have a true race mentality.

The first event, the women’s open fours with coxswain final, will begin at 9:40 a.m. The Owls will have two boats in this race.

Next, the event will be the women’s open club eights final beginning at 11:40 a.m. The Owls will have two boats in this race.

The Owls will wrap up the Regatta and the season with the women’s open heavy championship eights final which will start at 2:40 p.m. The Owls will again race two boats.

-Liam McKenna