With three races on both the Men's and Women's crews first semester schedule, the fall season is a time for the crew to come together as a team. Hard work now could put both teams in position to achieve great success in the spring season. Both crews return a strong core of rowers to be joined by newcomers in both the novice and varsity programs.
The men's crew will be led this fall by junior tri-captain Jeff Vanderkruik and senior tri-captain John Papp. Senior tri-captain Ben Harburg, who is on leave until November, will rejoin the team for winter training to complete the crew's leadership triumvirate.
Following a testing session that consisted of a two-mile run, a two-kilometer erg workout, and time in the weight room on Tuesday, the team is starting to figure out what its strengths should be this season. Papp pointed to sophomores Ian Davis and Max Hurd along with first years Artie Zeckendorf and Jake Mandel as underclassmen to watch this fall.
Among the upperclassmen expected to continue as strong contributors to the team this fall are senior Eugene Fayerberg and junior Anthony Dennis. Papp acknowledged that while the team tested well in a workout setting, a crew's success still boils down to the water.
"It's hard to tell how a rowing team will do purely based on test results, since a large factor is how well the team fits together on the water," the senior tri-captain said. "However, based solely on test scores, I'd say we are off to a good start."
Vanderkruik knows that a key in the fall to year-long success is for the team to establish a consistent pace once it hits the water.
"I believe that a main goal for this season and the rest of the year is to find our rhythm as a team," Vanderkruik said. "We get along extraordinarily, but we are very different individuals, and the only way all of our hard work is going to pay off in full is for us to unite as a team on the water, as well as off."
With plenty of opportunity to hone its skill in the fall regattas, the men's crew is hoping the spring's ECAC regatta will be the site of its greatest achievement.
The Women's crew expects immediate success in the fall, with the hopes of laying a strong foundation for its main season in the spring. Following a 2005 spring season that included a fifth place finish in the petite eight at the NCAA Div. III Women's Rowing Championships in the team's first appearance at the event, there is reason to anticipate more of the same this year.
This year's team will be led by senior co-captains Daniela Fairchild and Jacqueline Stone. According to Fairchild, there is already plenty to be happy about in the team's early training.
"[An early-season lifting session] further cemented for me the fact that our team will be extremely strong this year," Fairchild said.
Among the other returnees this fall is Martha Dietz, a senior who was among the team members to make the trip to Rancho Cordova, Calif. The team is optimistic that Dietz, who was hindered by injury throughout the 2004-05 campaign, will be completely healthy and ready to go this fall.
"[Dietz] was troubled by a knee injury all last year," Fairchild said. "But [she] is completely healthy now and should make an even bigger impact on the team."
Also returning to the Women's crew this fall is junior Kristine Shoemaker, a third-year who the team is thrilled to have at Tufts for the entire year rather than losing her to a study abroad program.
"[Shoemaker] is a powerhouse on the team," Fairchild said. "And we're ecstatic to get her back."
As in most years, members of last year's novice crew will make the step up to the varsity level. The women's novice eight showed that all of its members were prepared to make the step forward if necessary by capping its 2005 spring season with a second place finish at the ECAC National Invitation Championships behind rival Colby. Senior Betsy Ricker was one of the leaders of the novice boat and is expected to make the jump to varsity this fall.
"Over the past few years, our program has produced successful novice boats, which, in turn, has now led to amazing potential at the varsity level," Fairchild said.
Both the Men's and Women's crews open the season at the Textile River Regatta in Lowell on October 2, and all eyes are on the Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge over the third weekend of October.
