Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Steven Johnson Senior Constance Deslauriers flags down her teammates during rowing practice near the Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma on Friday. [Click to enlarge]

Laugh at her for it if you must. After all, her teammates do. They find it quite hilarious that senior rower and captain of the varsity eight Constance Deslauriers, listens to techno before a race to pump herself up. The results, however, are no laughing matter.

She never envisioned herself as a rower. Growing up in Canada, rowing hadn't entered her consciousness. That is until two dislocated knees set a new path before her. Before the injuries, she was a skier, flying down mountains as a competitor in the Super G event.

After her skiing career came to an abrupt halt, Deslauriers saw some people rowing and thought it looked interesting. Before long, she was practicing and was so good that she was racing in the 2002 Canadian rowing championships.

Perhaps the injuries were serendipitous, because they allowed her to find her way into a boat. The Sacramento State rowing team has certainly benefited.

Deslauriers' fiery determination and persona have helped her stay afloat in a sport that demands so much of its competitors.

"It's hard to keep focus sometimes because you have to be so disciplined," she said. "It is tiring when you practice so hard in order to cut just one second off your time. You can't think about school or your boyfriend, you just have to focus on what you are doing."

She makes it known that if she is to be beaten, it will not be because she was out-worked.

"I'm pretty short, but I'm going to kick anyone's ass," the 5-foot-6 Deslauriers said. "I don't care how big someone else is, I can beat them."

Such an attitude has rubbed off on her teammates.

"That's why people go to her," fellow senior rower and best friend Janine LaCrosse said. "She has a no B.S. attitude, and the girls are always looking to her for help. When she talks, everyone listens because she has so much knowledge."

Now, as a senior, Deslauriers hopes to be an inspiration to the younger rowers. It seems as though she is. Her boat named her as captain for this season.

"I was flattered to be elected as captain by my teammates," she said. "It shows that they think I am setting a good example."

It isn't all business all the time, though. Along with the never-ending jabs at her musical choices, Deslauriers also performs a ritual with LaCrosse before races to settle nerves.

"We talk about it all the time," LaCrosse said. "We don't know when we started it or why, but we do it before races."

The ritual involves touching pointer fingers and making a buzzing sound.

"It's really stupid, but we don't care," LaCrosse said.

It is this mix of silliness and seriousness that has endeared Deslauriers to her team. All joking aside, there is a very real goal just ahead of this year's team.

Last year's varsity eight won gold at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) championships, and this year the goal is the same.

"We can totally do it," Deslauriers said. "We have more speed this year and all the newcomers are faster than the people who left."

Despite a season that has been full of what she calls "ups and downs," including the boat's first loss to UC Davis since 1998 on April 7, the gold can once again be theirs.

"It's going to come down to who wants it more," she said. "At the very end, who is going to push hardest?"

If they are to win, the serious and focused Deslauriers might just be laughing as they cross the line first.

Benn Hodapp can be reached at bennhodapp@statehornet.com

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