New men's crew coach looks to rebuild

This year, former rower Chris Mitchell is looking at the crew team from a different angle,

Mitchell, a 2002 Tufts graduate, became the novice crew coach for this past fall season. This spring he takes over the reins as the coach of the varsity team, replacing former coach Ben Foster, who left the squad for Hobart College. Mitchell will be splitting coaching duties with Shane Black-Macken and Tufts class of 2004 member Jim Burke.

Mitchell has brought enthusiasm to his position, and his recent graduation from the Jumbo crew program also allows him to easily relate with his rowers.

"I think it is good to have a coach who was in our shoes just a few years ago. He is able to draw from that experience to motivate us," sophomore rower John Papp said. "Chris [and Shane and Jim] give us a sort of pep talk at the end of each practice. One time Chris passed out bananas to all the guys as rewards for individual accomplishments."

While Mitchell knows how to use the appetites of college-aged men to his advantage, he also knows how to prepare them for big meets.

"We have charts, graphs, and tables of pretty much every important piece we've pulled on the walls of the erg room," Papp said.

As over half of the 30 team members are freshmen, Mitchell is concentrating on preparing the younger teams for future seasons.

"The freshmen are our priorities this year," Mitchell said. "It's a rebuilding year. We want to get them some experience so they will know what it's like to race at the collegiate level."

The most experienced freshman, Jeff Vanderkruik, looks to anchor the boat with the sole senior on the team, Jon Goulet. The other spots will be determined during Spring Break training, when the team will remain on campus.

"What's exciting for us as coaches is that the rest of the three boats are yet to be decided," Mitchell said. "Over break, we'll be working out two or three times a day to get a better sense of the rowers' abilities both individually and together."

While Mitchell is excited about the capabilities of several freshmen oarsmen, he has especially high expectations for two rowers who are new to crew.

"Freshmen Michael Abare and Nick Haslett have put in a lot of effort over the winter," Mitchell said. "I think they will certainly reap some rewards."

Along with strengthening the program this season, Mitchell's goals also include building support for the team. The squad has recently started rowing on the Malden and Mystic Rivers, and will have its first meet there on March 27.