After months of arduously training for the spring season, it seems as if all that hard work paid off in the women's crew season's first contest back in competitive waters. Both the first and second varsity boats defeated Wellesley this past weekend.
Nearly every race between the boats was decided by mere seconds. The Blue's competitive performance was proof that the program is on the rise after a few slow seasons.
"Wellesley has a young team," senior co-captain Sara Douglass said. "They don't have a lot of seniors, but they've got a group of juniors and sophomores. We were surprised with exactly how strong they were. We'll see them later on in the season, which is good because now we know how they race."
Wellesley's strength was proven in the battle between the two first varsity boats - a gritty, back-and-forth dual. In the first varsity eights, Tufts nearly lost its lead in the middle of their 2,000-meter long race but held on to win with a time of 7:15.70 to 7:21.40.
The Jumbos got an early lead on the Blue, but around the third 500-meter section of the race, a problem area for the team in the past, Wellesley started to make a comeback.
"Typically the third 500 [meters are] our weakest part of the race - it's the hardest part in the 2,000," Douglass said. "It takes real determination and sheer brute force to get through it. You have to have the ability to put your physical capacity to work at a time you're the most mentally strained."
This wake-up call caused Tufts to step up its intensity, and the rowers went from their consistent pace of 34 strokes per minute to a pace of 38 strokes per minute in the final 500 meters, which are known as the "spring" portion of the course. During that stretch, Tufts overtook Wellesley by enough to finish the race in open water.
"To finish in open was just awesome to see," senior co-captain Caitlin Gallagher said. "You just have to have the nerve to keep going. The pain sets in two minutes into the race and you've got five minutes to go - the team didn't back down and didn't quit."
The race between the second varsity boats was even more thrilling, with Tufts winning by a very slim margin of 7:22.50 to 7:23.60.
The race started off similarly, with Tufts jumping out to the lead early. Once again Wellesley came back, taking a one-seat lead on the Jumbos boat midway through. But the Jumbos rose to the challenge and clawed their way back to narrowly edge out the Blue.
"The 2V people I talked to said it was the closest race they have ever seen," Gallagher said. "In the sprint it was coxswain to coxswain. It was amazing to see."
In another close contest, the third varsity boat just barely lost to Wellesley's third varsity by a time of 7:36.10 to 7:37.60. Once again, the Jumbos rowed to an early lead, but this time Wellesley completed the final-500 comeback, overtaking the Tufts boat by a fairly large margin. The Jumbos tried to mount a comeback of their own but just fell short. Wellesley's novice eight also defeated Tufts 7:48.0 to 7:53.30.
While the Blue provided incredibly stiff competition, the Jumbos look at this weekend as the perfect way to start off a season.
"We really couldn't have asked for a better race," Douglass said. "We were challenged in nearly every meter which is a great way to start a season - we have a strong start and it also shows what we need to work on."
It also showed the team that they should not be greatly concerned about their two novice coxswains, as both started off their first competitive season quite well. Junior Jocelyn Pinkerton coxed the second varsity boat while sophomore Ana Chiu coxed the third varsity.
"Both of them learned a lot from the experiences - they kind of took the race into their own hands and shined," Gallagher said.
"Jocelyn steered a nearly perfect race and made sure every stroke was used efficiently," Douglass added. "Ana has rowed before so she knows what a rower likes to hear and what motivates them, so she did great as well."
Another performance of note was that of freshman Kaylee Maykranz who stood out in the first varsity boat.
"We have a really strong freshman sitting at stroke," Douglass said. "She sets a great rhythm and it felt good."
This weekend will pit Tufts against age-old rival UVM as well as Mount Holyoke and Tulane. It will be a test of endurance considering that each boat will have to compete in more than one 2,000-meter race in the course of a day.
"It's a pretty physically exhausting weekend but it will be a good experience and will make us stronger in the long run," Douglass said.
