Men's crew claims depth is key to success

While the rest of the Tufts community sleeps, the men's varsity crew team toils in the tiny crew room almost everyday at 7 a.m.

For this, the crew receives almost no recognition since its regattas are held miles away from campus, and fellow students rarely attend. But the lack of attention doesn't seem to the work ethic of these athletes.

Boats do not go as fast as the best athletes can row. On the contrary, one slow rower can hold the entire boat back. Therefore, everybody is fighting for a spot on the boat, and continually working to not be the weakest seat.

"Unlike many other sports, the most important athletes are those that are the least strong," coach Gary Caldwell said. "A boat is only as fast as the sum of its parts, so our most important rowers are those who are currently the least strong; but are going to put in the time and energy to raise the bar for themselves and the team."

The team is deep this year, so the competition for the top seats should be intense. The season's early practices are exceptionally charged, with everybody trying to reach his highest potential.

The 7 a.m. sessions do not merely serve the individual desire to excel. Instead, they build the chemistry that is necessary for boats to succeed.

"It's critical to have eight guys who hang it all out on the line and trust each other to do the same," senior coach James Burke said. "Chemistry among the guys is always critical in rowing."

For leadership, the varsity will look to senior Jon Goulet and junior captain Robbie Goldstein.

"Goulet has an absolutely ridiculous amount of motivation," freshman Tim Pineau said. "It's rare that you find someone who's willing to work that hard, but if you do, they are going to be on the crew team."

Goulet, Goldstein and their fellow upperclassmen should set the bar high for a team that has many young rowers. The freshmen on the team look to be contributors this season, as most are expected to fill important seats.

"We have a great mix of experience, youth, energy and focus," Caldwell said. "Every guy on the team is pulling to earn their seat every day."