This past Saturday, the men's crew team hosted Middlebury College under near-flawless rowing conditions on the Malden River. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, their men's varsity eight was unable to take advantage of the beautiful weather, losing to the Panthers' varsity squad, 6:09.320 to 6:27.326. The loss marked the Jumbos' sixth in as many tries this spring season. Meanwhile, the novice eight continued its successful season with a 6:33.593 to 7:05.852 victory.
The Jumbos did not have much time to dwell on their loss, as they were back at it the next day on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. It was the first event of the season in which the team raced more than one boat at a time; the men's novice eight racing an "A" and a "B" boat.
The novice "A" team finished in second place with a time of 6:22.2, only four seconds behind the winning team from WPI, while the "B" team came in fourth out of four with a time of 6:57.5. In the varsity eight race earlier in the day, the Jumbos finished last out of four teams, behind WPI, RIT and Skidmore - in that order - with a time of 6:24.21.
On Saturday, the boats had been staggered to account for the bend in the Malden course, while on Sunday they were lined up bow ball to bow ball as a volunteer on a floating dock held the shells until the race began. Still, the change in structure didn't have much effect on the Jumbos.
"Apart from the convenience of the 10 minute commute to our boathouse, the team is equally comfortable home or away," sophomore Jeremy Rosenblatt said.
As they have all season, the varsity rowers remained levelheaded after the losses, knowing that they are taking steps in the right direction.
"Crew is really a race against yourself, a sport in which your biggest competitor is the voice inside your head telling you that you're tired, you're sore and that you can't possibly pull another clean stroke," sophomore Lex Clary said. "As far as that competition goes, our boys have proven that they have as much guts as any other crew, if not more."
The Jumbos will now focus on the New England Rowing Championships (NERCs), which will take place May 5 on Lake Quinsigamond. Last year, many of the current varsity rowers were a part of the novice team that made it to the finals. This year, NERCs will take place during the last weekend before finals at Tufts, though the team has become used to such conflicts.
"We've all gotten used to balancing academics and rowing," Clary said. "Academics are always the priority, and our coach knows this and actually stresses it. We know how to be efficient with our time, and I know our guys will be competitive both on exams and on the water."
Some of the rowers even believe there will be benefits to the crew and school seasons reaching a simultaneous peak.
"Rowing during finals is a great way to stay efficient," Rosenblatt added. "It adds structure to your day. I think most of our guys are looking forward to the outlet from studying."
With only a couple of regattas remaining, the varsity squad has set a goal of breaking 6:20 by the end of the year.
"I think it is very doable," Clary said. "Our times will drop by improving the set, being more consistent in the middle 1,000-meter, getting hands away quickly and cleanly and staying together as a crew. We'll be really hammering the technical aspects in these last weeks of the season, and we look to be a competitive, efficient crew come NERCs and ECACs."
