Many athletic teams headed south over spring break in search of warmer weather and worthy opponents, but the women's crew team stayed in Medford to battle the cold in a sport that is at the mercy of mother nature.
"Row, eat, and sleep. That's pretty much all we did over spring break," junior Rebecca Clark said. "But it paid off because we had four people with erg times under eight minutes, and we have a low team erg average."
The purpose of winter training in collegiate crew is to build strength and improve technique in preparation for the spring season. While races in the fall are roughly 5000 meters, the spring season features 2000-meter sprints. The onset of the spring sprint season means two major changes for the Jumbos: the composition of the team and the venue for home races.
Among the four juniors abroad this semester are co-captain Amira Baker-Jud, as well as Maggie Danielson, Dianna Darsney, and Keffie Feldman. However, the void created by the loss of these seasoned rowers will be partially filled with the return of four rowers to the team during the spring. Veteran juniors Emily Hanson and Jessica McKeon return from fall semesters abroad, while sophomore Anna Lindgren-Streicher is back from taking the fall crew season off and sophomore Liz Richardson is back from a fall injury.
"I'd say getting up at the earliest hours of the morning again was probably the toughest part," McKeon said. "You have to teach your body to follow an entirely different schedule. But coming back to the team again was the best part."
As the team adjusts to the changes in the lineup, it will also have to contend with a new home race course this spring. After sharing space with Harvard on the Charles this fall, the team will now move to the Malden which isn't suitable to the longer races.
The Jumbos' first test on their new home river will be on March 30 against WPI. The course dictated by the Malden River is not straight and very narrow, fitting only two boats across. This provides tougher race conditions than some other courses and could give the team a great home course advantage.
"The first race is a big race for us because it is going to determine what our strengths and weaknesses are. It will give us a jumping-off point to work with to improve our strokes and our technique," McKeon said.
During the six regular season races scheduled, five will take place on the Malden, with three being against one other team. For the two races with more than two teams, the competition will be styled like that at the famed Henley Regatta with elimination rounds. Two teams will square off, since this is the most the Malden course will permit, and from each round, the winners will be pitted against the winners and the losers against the losers in order to determine placements.
"The Malden course is great," Clark said. "It will psych out our competition and the placement of the course means that we can even race in heavy wind which wasn't as feasible on the Charles. Also the finish line is right by the boat house, and there are lots of good places to watch."
Long-term goals include increasing strength and working on technique. These two factors play a key role in the success of a boat in the shorter, faster sprints in the spring season. More strength allows for faster starts and helps maintain a steady pace throughout the race. Proper technique makes for cleaner and more efficient strokes that make the ride a smoother, faster one.
"We lifted a lot during the winter in an effort to increase out strength," senior co-captain Shelly Nelson said. "We want to get stronger, cleaner strokes and work together better. It places the focus on the entire boat and making the boat move better as a team."
