Entering the race, both Tufts boats saw the opportunity to put into practice months of offseason preparation that consisted of early morning training and a trip to Florida. Given free reign to put out maximum effort in a competitive environment, the team was looking to test its limits early in the season.
“We went into the race not only to compete against Hamilton, but also to compete against ourselves," junior Jon Williams, who rowed in the second varsity boat, said. "The goal was to row 2,000 meters more efficiently than we had ever before and really set the tone for the beginning of the season.”
In the second varsity race, Tufts won in fairly comfortable fashion, besting Hamilton 6:26.8 - 7:00.00. The time was a solid indicator for the squad and only 22 seconds off the time rowed by the first varsity boat. For the rowers, it was an optimistic sign for what they hope will be a strong spring season.
“We had a real promising race out there," Williams said. "We were very smooth and efficient in our strokes, which has been our main focus of practice. It was really nice seeing that translate to boat speed during the race.”
The race between the top varsity boats would be much closer. Since the course in Malden features a slight bend, the Jumbos, having the inner lane, started out staggered behind the Continentals. The race was close coming through the curve, yet Tufts was able to pull ahead and win by 5.8 seconds, 6:14.5 - 6:20.3, over Hamilton.
Given the layout of the course and the jitters that come with starting on the inside, senior Christopher Rickard, who competed in the first varsity race, was impressed with how the boat handled the situation.
"The best thing we did was keep our composure," Rickard said. "We stayed with our race plan and ultimately took the lead [after the bend] and won.”
Still, there were a few mishaps that the team could not overlook. The rowers struggled to stay consistently in sync and row as smoothly as they had hoped.
“We didn’t row the cleanest race we could’ve," Rickard said. "When we got out of the water, we all knew we could row a much better race than we did.”
While these struggles partially overshadowed the joy of the early-season victory, they were a reminder that the team is still at the stage of the season where hiccups and miscues are to be expected, as it looks to hammer out problems before the big races approach.
The win did, however, give the team confidence, which has been rising since Wanner's hire. Despite only being with the program for a short time, the attitude from the team has been overwhelmingly positive toward the new coach. The former head coach of Middlebury's men's and women's teams and a native of Cambridge, Wanner has helped fuel strong competitiveness throughout the team.
"The one thing Noel has made very clear is that it is not about seniority, and it's not about where you come from," Williams siad. "It's about right here and now. It is his mentality to put the best eight people in the boat at that moment, whether that is a freshman that has been exceeding his expectations [or] someone who has been on the team for years who has really taken strides in improvement."
The Jumbos will return to the Shoemaker boathouse for two different races. On Saturday, April 11, Tufts will compete against a triumvirate of New England opponents (Wesleyan, Bates and the University of New Hampshire) and then take on Amherst the next day. After shaking off the rust against Hamilton, the team hopes to continue making steady, incremental improvements as the temperature does the same.
“This weekend is going to be a lot more competitive, and we are confident that we will have a very competitive and fast race," Rickard said. "We are excited about that.”
