Both men's crew boats finished tenth in the season-opening Textile Regatta on Sep. 30, and the team hopes to finish strongly this Saturday at the New Hampshire Championships in Manchester. The Championship will be one of the Jumbos' last races of the fall season, preceding the year's biggest rowing event, the Head of the Charles.
Over 250 boats - most from the New England area - will be competing in this weekend's race. The Jumbos will race two boats in the regatta - one for the open fours and the other for the club eights.
This year's race will differ from last year's however, in that it will be taking place at a new location. While last year's championships were in Hookset, NH - the site of the regatta for the past 35 years - the Amoskeag Rowing Club has moved location to Manchester, NH. The scene is different, but the distance stays the same: 3.4 miles.
Last year, the Jumbo's finished twice in the top three. The open eights finished in third place with a time of 18:27 and the novice eights finishing in second with a time of 19:59.
"I think we're going to have fun this weekend," coach Ben Foster said. "Our team is starting to gel and things are looking good for the rest of the season."
For Sunday's race, the bulk of the competition will be against Bates, MIT, and UNH. All three teams have yet to finish below fifth place this season, and both Bates and UNH have netted first place finishes in the fours. The Jumbos have prioritized improving their chemistry and timing for upcoming races.
"We've been looking pretty positive," junior James Burke said. "The whole fall season has been in prepping us for laying the groundwork for the Head of the Charles and the spring sprints."
In addition to the NH Championships, the Head of the Charles on Oct. 20-21 will be a major race for the Jumbos. The weekend event will feature over 500 boats from around the world, competing in a weekend-long event. The Jumbos are entering two boats for that race as well.
"So far this season we have been looking pretty good," junior Ryan Steeb said. "We're just going to use this weekend to get a feel for things before going all out for the Head of the Charles."
Crew has come to form quickly from the off-season this year. Their senior nucleus and an abundance of returning sophomores have allowed them to retain team chemistry. Foster has also been pushing many rigorous practices both in and out of the water. Team members are confident about this season thus far, and are expecting a good finish for the remainder of the fall.
