After competing in only two races this fall — the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta on Oct. 9 and the Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 24 — the men's crew team is preparing for a much busier spring season, which will be marked by a plethora of races that involve both the varsity and novice lineups. The team appears to be ready for its nine−race season after enduring this fall's rigorous training regimen that included a 5 a.m. wake−up time, long jogs to and from practice each morning and weekly lifts throughout the semester.
The varsity team will be slightly undermanned this season, as several team members have decided not to participate this semester for both personal and academic reasons. With the losses, the Jumbos are now down to six varsity rowers and two coxswains, just enough to fill a four−person boat with alternates.
"Being a smaller team, we definitely have our work cut out for us this season," senior tri−captain Eugene Kim said. "We're still optimistic for the spring, which should be a lot more fun than the fall."
Despite this major setback, coach Jay Britt can still work with a strong six−person racing team at the varsity level. The varsity squad should continue to improve over the course of the season and will be back to full strength next fall with a slew of returning varsity rowers and a talented novice group that will gain valuable experience over the course of the spring.
"Let's not forget that the future looks bright for the varsity squad," Kim said. "We should be back to around eleven [varsity] guys in the fall not including our novice squad."
The novices, mostly freshmen and less−experienced rowers, have shown a great deal of promise over the course of the fall semester. Like the varsity squad, the novice team trained throughout the fall season and during winter break, putting the team in good shape heading into spring competition.
"After our winter training program, we've all gotten a lot stronger," freshman novice rower Macgill Davis said. "At this point, it's all about getting back into the motion of rowing. Rowing on the river is [very] different than [on] the machines."
One thing that should not be a problem for the novice team is a lack of numbers. The young group, led by freshmen captains Ben Kane and Carter Palmer, consists of 18 rowers, 16 of whom are healthy and currently able to row. With the most freshmen in recent years currently in the program, the Jumbos' rebuilding process is already well underway.
"I think we'll do fairly well together," freshman novice rower David "Lex" Clary said. "We may not have the same kind of talent as other schools, but we seem to have a lot of potential. ... After only a week [of practice outside], our new guys are rowing at a surprisingly competitive level."
In a sport where either four or eight athletes are required to perform in perfect harmony, the novice squad is still trying to get used to new teammates, some of which just joined the team at the beginning of the semester.
"We got some new people over winter break," Davis said. "In practice, we've been getting used to the new rowers and [trying] to get all eight guys working together. I think we've gotten a lot better since the beginning of practices."
A longer and more difficult training regimen over spring break will precede the team's first race — an April 2nd home regatta — with strenuous practices for both teams twice a day. These practices are scheduled to be roughly two hours long and will consist of tiring drill work in which both teams will look to build physical endurance for the long season ahead.
Kim understands the importance of spring break practices after a few years of experience with the Jumbos' crew program.
"Next week will consist of only three things," Kim said. "Eating, sleeping and rowing."
