Both varsity boats earned decent finishes in this past weekend's Textile Regatta, and the women's crew team is beginning to show potential for future success. Battling unpredictable weather and a chaotic race-start environment, both boats stayed focused and have made progress in their goal of putting the Jumbos on the crew charts.
The start of the event was anything but smooth sailing, with the varsity race kicking off 30 minutes behind schedule. Adding to the confusion were a handful of men's boats racing in the women's heat because they missed the start of their own race. Overall, the first varsity boat came in 26th out of 40 with a time of 22:16 and the second varsity boat came in 32nd out with a time of 24:00.
However, according to coach Jessica Normand these standings and times are not representative of the actual performances by the two boats. "I'm very pleased with the level of performance displayed by both boats," Normand said. "The standings don't accurately reflect how effectively these boats rowed as one unit."
The standings don't show the efforts made by both boats during the course of the race. The first varsity boat passed two other boats in its race, powerhouses BC and CRI (what is this?). CRI is a prestigious private rowing club that has its boathouse headquarters on the Charles.
While the second varsity boat didn't pass any boats, it also was not surpassed. "They really did a nice job holding their ground," Normand said.
Newly elected captain Shelly Nelson echoed her coach's sentiments about the team's performance. "The whole time in the boat you could tell that everyone was giving 110 percent, it's a very satisfying feeling," Nelson said. "There was really good pick up and really good run, the boat really felt like it was moving."
Despite its performance, the team understands that it needs to do a lot of work to move into the upper echelon. In the coming weeks, the team hopes to hone its mental stamina. As well as a race's obvious physical toll, the mental equivalent is just as significant. In fact, a deficit in mental stamina can affect physical performance.
"There is a developing trust on the boat, we're all starting to really get comfortable with each other, it's a trust that only increases with time," said (year?) Rebecca Stein. Trust was evident as the squads fought to maintain control in wind pockets and still succeeded in keeping the boat steady and speedy.
Looking ahead to the New Hampshire Championships on Oct. 13, the team has set goals and determined what areas need improvement. The varsity boats aim to again edge out rival BC and while finishing closer to Holy Cross. Holy Cross emerged victorious at the Textile Regatta and Tufts looks to cut their lead, thereby using Holy Cross as a gauge of their improvement.
In terms of technique, the teams are looking to step up the intensity of practice, and work on endurance and conditioning. Overall, Normand wants to see the boats exhibit more tenacity in their stroke.
"They all looked strong and consistent, but lacked uumph," Normand said. "I'd like to see them be even more aggressive."
The crew team will try to be more aggressive this Saturday at the Head of Connecticut in Middletown.
