This past weekend's Head of the Charles Regatta produced mixed results for the Tufts crew program. The largest two-day head race in the world attracted top rowers from around the globe to compete in the three-mile event.
The men's team finished in a disappointing 64th out of 68 in the Club Eight competitions on Saturday. Tufts' time was 17:13.46; over two minutes behind the first place boat of Marin BC. The boat raced without star coxswain Jeff Lindy, who will not be allowed to race until the spring due to his silver-medal performance in the world summer competition. He was an emotional and mental leader of the team, and his presence is definitely missed on the race course.
Lindy's role is being filled by sophomore Anne Andrews, who coxswained for the men at the Head of the Charles this weekend. The team felt that Andrews did an adequate job in her role and was not the cause for the poor performance.
"Anne was steering the straightest course," sophomore Max Bernstein said. "She did the best to keep us in the race."
What seemed to be the downfall of the men's boat, ironically, was an incident involving homecoming rival, Williams College. Midway through the race, the men's boat was moving well until a Tufts oar collided with an oar from Williams' boat. By official rules, the contact of oars between boats results in a penalty, and the questionable call resulted in a one-minute penalty against Tufts.
"It's unfortunate that we got into a bit of a war with homecoming rival Williams," Bernstein said. "We had the power and technique to do well." The one-minute penalty severely hampered an otherwise decent performance by the men. Without the penalty, the men would have placed well into the low, a much more typical finish for the program.
The men still enjoyed the weekend, however, and do not hold any grudges. "[There is] no bitterness, it was a great experience for everyone. We were happy that we could be a part of it," Bernstein said.
The women's crew team, on the other hand, placed a tremendous 14th out of 72 boats in the women's Club Eight with a finishing time of 18:25.25, a mere minute behind the first place Riverside BC. This was the women's best performance in the last eight years at this event.
"[It was] a terrific performance," Gary Caldwell, women's coach and head of the crew program at Tufts, said. "To finish as high as 14th is the kind of thing I was hoping for."
The women's Lightweight Eight finished a less impressive 58th out of 72. The women, however, were not discouraged, noting the difficulty of the field. "There was really tough competition," Caldwell said.
This performance caps off a season of vast improvement for the women's program. "In that kind of competitive field we have met our expectations for the fall," Caldwell said.
The women crew team also held a ceremony honoring Nancy DiBiaggio, President John DiBiaggio's wife. She was honored with a plaque and a new boat was named in her honor.
This weekend's performance was atypical for a men's team that had been racing well throughout the fall season. Shaking off the notion that this would be a rebuilding season, the men had finished sixth in the Head of the Textile Regatta and third in the New Hampshire Championship.
"In our three races this fall we were able to get a great look at competing New England schools," Bernstein said. "We stand a great chance in succeeding in the New England Tournament [in the Spring]." Their efforts will ultimately go towards earning a placement in the Nationals at Atlanta this Spring.
With the thought of competing at Nationals coupled with its sub-par performance last weekend, the team will enter winter training motivated to increase team speed and strength. The Jumbos will be rowing on the water through mid November and then will move to primarily indoor training. They will use a simulated rowing machine called an erg in order to train for the spring racing season as well as weight training six times a week. Lindy will also become eligible to compete in the spring race season, an addition that will give the team a huge boost.
