Baggot: Uncommon in common for UW's new rowing coaches
September 05, 2023 | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing, Andy Baggot
Badger alumni Opitz, Hoopman ready to share stellar rowing careers with UW's next generation
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
Beau Hoopman and Vicky Opitz don't know each other all that well, but they know enough to speak of the other in reverent tones.
Hoopman is the newly installed coach of the Wisconsin men's rowing program, while Opitz is now in charge of the women's open and lightweight crews.
Hoopman, a two-time U.S. Olympic medalist and UW Athletic Hall of Famer, observed Opitz during her two-year stint as an assistant coach with the lightweight boats.
"I know she knows her stuff,'' Hoopman said.
Opitz, a two-time Olympic alternate, four-time world champion and first-team NCAA All-American, has watched and often listened to Hoopman during his 12-year stint as an assistant with the men.
"I'm very aware of his successes,'' Opitz said. "That's the pinnacle of our sport and it takes a tremendous amount of discipline, work ethic and ability to achieve the things that he's done. As someone who's walked that path, I have nothing but total admiration and respect for that.''
When Hoopman and Opitz share some get-acquainted time, they will discover they have quite a bit in common.
Both grew up in Wisconsin: Hoopman is from Plymouth; Opitz from Middleton.
Both are UW alums: Hoopman got his degree in biological aspects of conservation in 2003; Opitz got her degree in political science and communication arts in 2011.
Both were assistants under long-time Badgers coaches: Hoopman served under Chris Clark, who took over the men's team in 1996 and now serves as UW rowing director, while Opitz worked under Bebe Bryans, who retired in May after 19 seasons at Porter Boathouse.
Both have world-class resumes as athletes: Hoopman won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2004 and a bronze medal in 2008; Opitz rowed in what was the fastest eight-seat boat in world history in 2013 and was USRowing's female athlete of the year in 2018.
Both have unique legacies: Hoopman is the only former UW rower to win an Olympic gold medal; Opitz's parents rowed for Wisconsin and her grandfather, UW hall of famer Randy Jablonic, won a national title as a rower and as coach of the Badgers.
Then there's this: Both coaches were asked what most impressed them about the other.
"His calm, get-the-work-done-type mentality,'' Opitz said. "It's kind of like, "Enjoy what you're doing and do it. Don't make it fussy. You can enjoy the process, but you are here to work hard and achieve things.'''
"She is very calm and she's always, I don't know if you'd call it happy, but she's always very polite,'' Hoopman said. "She's very nice, but you know she's an ultra-competitor.''
Another shared reality for Hoopman and Opitz is that they must make the transition from world-class athlete, where you have a semblance of control over your shell's performance, to being a coach with little say in the outcome.Â
"It's the only sport where you have absolutely no control,'' Hoopman said. "Once you send them off the dock, they're on their own. It's up to them to execute what you've done in practice. You can't call time out in the middle of a race. You can't coach them in the middle of a race. It's completely, 100 percent their show once they shove off the dock.
"From that standpoint, it's one of the hardest things that we'll have to deal with.''
Opitz believes UW student-athletes will come to appreciate the expertise someone like Hoopman will provide.
"I think a lot of times athletes like to question what their coach is asking them to do, but you get a little bit more street cred when your coach has done what you're doing,'' she said. "It's hard not to listen when your coach has done some pretty tremendous accomplishments and bringing that level of expertise. Bringing that level of expertise and work ethic is a tremendous benefit.''
Hoopman said Opitz has a lot of good ideas for what to do with the teams and how to train them.
"I'm eager to see how she coaches,'' he said. "It will be a process. It's a little different than being a rower. You've got to be focused not on yourself, but the team and making the parts become synchronous.''
Hoopman and Opitz will have the same priorities as their predecessors: Find ways to create speed in order to be better than they were last season.
"At the end of the day, I'm not so sure things are that different'' between the men's and women's teams, she said. "We all try to go out there and take good quality strokes and push the intensity when appropriate.''
Opitz said she looking forward to sitting down with Hoopman and exchanging ideas about training and racing.
"I've not had much chance to socialize (with Hoopman), but from what I've seen he's very funny, has a wonderful family and cares very much about them and is a huge supporter of Wisconsin Athletics,'' she said. "A great person.''
Opitz said she loves everything about her new role.
"So thrilled and happy that I get to be working at a university that I love with athletes that I think are amazing that are going to change the world and with such an amazing staff that, honestly, it doesn't feel like work,'' she said. "I love being here.''
UWBadgers.com Insider
Beau Hoopman and Vicky Opitz don't know each other all that well, but they know enough to speak of the other in reverent tones.
Hoopman is the newly installed coach of the Wisconsin men's rowing program, while Opitz is now in charge of the women's open and lightweight crews.
Hoopman, a two-time U.S. Olympic medalist and UW Athletic Hall of Famer, observed Opitz during her two-year stint as an assistant coach with the lightweight boats.
"I know she knows her stuff,'' Hoopman said.
Opitz, a two-time Olympic alternate, four-time world champion and first-team NCAA All-American, has watched and often listened to Hoopman during his 12-year stint as an assistant with the men.
"I'm very aware of his successes,'' Opitz said. "That's the pinnacle of our sport and it takes a tremendous amount of discipline, work ethic and ability to achieve the things that he's done. As someone who's walked that path, I have nothing but total admiration and respect for that.''
When Hoopman and Opitz share some get-acquainted time, they will discover they have quite a bit in common.
Both grew up in Wisconsin: Hoopman is from Plymouth; Opitz from Middleton.
Both are UW alums: Hoopman got his degree in biological aspects of conservation in 2003; Opitz got her degree in political science and communication arts in 2011.
Both were assistants under long-time Badgers coaches: Hoopman served under Chris Clark, who took over the men's team in 1996 and now serves as UW rowing director, while Opitz worked under Bebe Bryans, who retired in May after 19 seasons at Porter Boathouse.
Both have world-class resumes as athletes: Hoopman won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2004 and a bronze medal in 2008; Opitz rowed in what was the fastest eight-seat boat in world history in 2013 and was USRowing's female athlete of the year in 2018.
Both have unique legacies: Hoopman is the only former UW rower to win an Olympic gold medal; Opitz's parents rowed for Wisconsin and her grandfather, UW hall of famer Randy Jablonic, won a national title as a rower and as coach of the Badgers.
Then there's this: Both coaches were asked what most impressed them about the other.
"His calm, get-the-work-done-type mentality,'' Opitz said. "It's kind of like, "Enjoy what you're doing and do it. Don't make it fussy. You can enjoy the process, but you are here to work hard and achieve things.'''
"She is very calm and she's always, I don't know if you'd call it happy, but she's always very polite,'' Hoopman said. "She's very nice, but you know she's an ultra-competitor.''
Another shared reality for Hoopman and Opitz is that they must make the transition from world-class athlete, where you have a semblance of control over your shell's performance, to being a coach with little say in the outcome.Â
"It's the only sport where you have absolutely no control,'' Hoopman said. "Once you send them off the dock, they're on their own. It's up to them to execute what you've done in practice. You can't call time out in the middle of a race. You can't coach them in the middle of a race. It's completely, 100 percent their show once they shove off the dock.
"From that standpoint, it's one of the hardest things that we'll have to deal with.''
Opitz believes UW student-athletes will come to appreciate the expertise someone like Hoopman will provide.
"I think a lot of times athletes like to question what their coach is asking them to do, but you get a little bit more street cred when your coach has done what you're doing,'' she said. "It's hard not to listen when your coach has done some pretty tremendous accomplishments and bringing that level of expertise. Bringing that level of expertise and work ethic is a tremendous benefit.''
Hoopman said Opitz has a lot of good ideas for what to do with the teams and how to train them.
"I'm eager to see how she coaches,'' he said. "It will be a process. It's a little different than being a rower. You've got to be focused not on yourself, but the team and making the parts become synchronous.''
Hoopman and Opitz will have the same priorities as their predecessors: Find ways to create speed in order to be better than they were last season.
"At the end of the day, I'm not so sure things are that different'' between the men's and women's teams, she said. "We all try to go out there and take good quality strokes and push the intensity when appropriate.''
Opitz said she looking forward to sitting down with Hoopman and exchanging ideas about training and racing.
"I've not had much chance to socialize (with Hoopman), but from what I've seen he's very funny, has a wonderful family and cares very much about them and is a huge supporter of Wisconsin Athletics,'' she said. "A great person.''
Opitz said she loves everything about her new role.
"So thrilled and happy that I get to be working at a university that I love with athletes that I think are amazing that are going to change the world and with such an amazing staff that, honestly, it doesn't feel like work,'' she said. "I love being here.''
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