With the Head of the Charles Regatta a week away, the women's crew team traveled to Hooksett, NH to test the water against local clubs before stepping into the national arena. Tufts' two varsity boats finished tenth and 13th out of a 21-team field in the varsity Open Eight, while the novice team placed sixth in a field of 28 teams.
A rarity occurred in NH Championship Regatta last weekend when the B boat finished ahead of the A boat. But coach Jess Normand was not too surprised, since the two boats were set evenly, and the rowers were placed so that the boats would finish closer together.
"People were set in different places in the boat," senior Marcy Archfield said. "And that takes a little bit of getting used to."
Though the results don't indicate a successful race, many in the boat felt that weeks of hard work are paying off.
"It's taken time, but every week and every practice we improve as a boat," Archfield said. "We're still working on ratio issues and not rushing the slide, but we've really come together in terms of controlling the swing of the boat."
The B team crossed the finish line in tenth with a time of 17:42.95, while the A team was three spots back at 17:50.76.
A goal of the race was to cut the gap between the Jumbos and Holy Cross, a team that was victorious at the Head of the Connecticut two weeks ago. The B squad accomplished this task, finishing five seconds behind the Holy Cross B boat.
In the Women's Eights novice race, the Jumbos finished in a time of 18:23.74, good for sixth place. The only other college that finished above Tufts was Colby in secnd place, as the rest of the teams were competitive high school squads.
"The loss to Colby was disappointing," Normand said. The coach hopes her novice team can regain the form which won two previous races.
Overall, Normand believed that the boats flowed well together and rowed effectively. The A boat had some problems with continuity, in that there was a lack of flow between the bow four and stern four that gave the crew an appearance of two separate boats of four rowers at times. This is something the team looks to work on as the season progresses.
"We've gotten more aggressive, but we need to be even more so," Normand said. "You can't be aggressive without consistency, so we're looking for consistency and continuity in the boat."
Some of the lack of flow was due people adjusting new boat positions for the NH Regatta. The flow and timing should only get better as each rower becomes comfortable in her new place in the boat. The teams also want to maintain a consistent effort throughout the entire race.
In the upcoming Head of the Charles Regatta, the crew team will compete against both teams in its division and the best in the world. The B boat that raced in NH will be entered in the lightweight division, while the A boat will be entered in the heavyweight division.
"We're looking to see how we stack up pre-season," Normand said. "The lightweight boat will look out for CRI, Riverside, and Radcliffe, while the heavyweight boat will chase after BC, Holy Cross and Wesleyan. I'll be interested to see how we place against Wesleyan, they're a big rival."
Facing squads like the US National team and hundreds of others from around the world, the Jumbos will be spectators as much as participants. For many sophomores who moved up to the varsity level this year, it will be their first time experiencing the famous regatta.
"It's amazing to think that we'll race alongside the best in the world," sophomore Sandra Goldberg said, echoing the sentiments of her classmates. "It's really beautiful to watch some of these boats race, they make it look so effortless as they combine speed and power with grace. We're all looking to have a good race and see how much the hard work we've put in will pay off."
Most of the technique and aggressiveness issues that cropped up in the beginning of the season have been resolved, and some of the boats look to improve upon their timing in the week leading up to the Head of the Charles. For some, it will be their first time experiencing the thrill of such a premier regatta, and for others it will be their last, but all are eagerly anticipating what might be the biggest rowing event in the world.
At the 37th annual Head of the Charles, spectators have a chance to witness world class boats but support Tufts at the same time. The world-famous Regatta begins at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and concludes on Sunday at 4 p.m.
