Over the weekend men’s crew traveled to Massachusetts to take on Tufts, Bates and the University of New Hampshire. Both the varsity and junior varsity eights won their races, while the junior varsity four finished second.
Forget the bridges and curves of nearby Boston’s Charles River; the Malden River, where the races took place, is situated pleasantly (albeit awkwardly) in a district of industrial parks and strip malls. The course featured a slight curve about halfway (1000 meters) into the course, necessitating a staggered start for the racing crews.
The width of the river is extremely narrow; only two boats can race at a time. Each crew generally races multiple times (first against one school, then the other), and with races where crews from all four schools were competing the winning team was the one with the best time recorded for the event. The final stretch of the course opened up before a lawn where spectators could stand on the banks and cheer the crews sprinting towards the finish.
The varsity and junior varsity eights took to the water again riding high from the previous week’s wins, and both were ready to add to what is already developing into a stellar season.
The junior varsity eight took to the water first against Tufts. Starting with a slight lead as part of the stagger, the crew held firm against the initial Tufts attack, losing no seats and holding them to a three-seat advantage after the curve, which had the Tufts crew on the inside lane. At this point the junior varsity rowers began to pull away, and took their lead to the finish line, winning by 3.6 seconds with a time of 6:17.9. This race featured an outstanding effort by all members; especially coxswain Kim Davies ’07.
“Kim was the star of the race,” said Kerem Alper ’07. “She nailed the turn, then kept us straight as an arrow on an extremely narrow course.”
The second junior varsity eight race was against Bates. Wes took the race with flying colors, destroying the Bates junior varsity team by numerous boat lengths. When asked of the second race, a few rowers chuckled and grinned sheepishly, as if embarrassed to the concept of winning in that fashion. They won by 34.8 seconds, with a time of 6:23.2.
The varsity eight squad was also dominant. Though jovial and relaxed before the races, the crew was all business when the races began. The men’s varsity eight moved as a singular entity, punching, recovering, and preparing for every stroke in unison under the leadership of varsity coxswain Dave Wyant ’05. They defeated Bates in the first race by 10.6 seconds with a time of 6:12.0, and topped Tufts in the second race by 16.1 seconds with a time of 6:14.5 seconds.
Though falling to a strong University of New Hampshire crew, the third varsity four rowers showed good swing and great balance throughout the race. They were pleased with their performance, finishing with a time of 7:32.4.
The men head to Amherst this Saturday for the Little Three battle, and fans are encouraged to pick up directions from the Freeman Athletic Center and undertake the morning drive. The team is back on the water again this week as they prepare for a repeat of last weekend’s performance.
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