The mens and womens crew teams are coming off of strong fall campaigns and gearing up for the spring, where they will look to continue their improvement from the fall and parlay that success into impressive showings in the coming months.
The mens team had three regattas in the fall and improved during every event, beginning with the Textile River Regatta on the Merrimack River where they finished with a time of 20:08.146, good enough for sixth place out of 13 boats. The Jumbos also competed in the Snake Regatta, where they placed 10th out of 27 boats, and in the Quinsigamond Fall Novice Championships, where they finished fifth out of 12, two results that add to the promise for the season to come.
Our team has done an incredible amount of work already this fall and winter, senior captain Kyle Flood said. With this continuing effort as a team I think we will have an outstanding season, no matter which way each race goes.
The Jumbos first regatta will be held April 6 against Tulane, but Tufts will spend its spring break in Deland, Fl. preparing physically and mentally for the coming regattas.
The practice during spring break is an important part of building boat speed for the races that start the first week of April, Flood said. The break gives us both the opportunities to spend more time off the water and on the water together. Time on the water will give us time to hone in on the intricacies of rowing together on the water. Time off the water during break is great for recovering and relaxing together.
The teams first month of the season is jam-packed with competition, including regattas against Hamilton, Bates, Wellesley, Wesleyan and Middlebury, with the Jumbos competing nearly every weekend of the spring.
The big transition of utilizing the strength weve built as a team in winter training and transforming it to boat speed is the pivotal part of the first month of the spring season, Flood added.
On the womens side, the Jumbos are fresh off of a fall season that included a first place finish at the Quinsigamond Fall Novice Championships, a showing that is a testament to the strength of the program from top to bottom. This result, as well as the spring break training in Florida, should prime the varsity for a successful season.
Im excited to see what direction we will go, junior co-captain Caroline Ricard said. Our biggest strength this year is the depth of the program. Unlike previous years, weve got at least 16 solid rowers to make up the first and second varsity eights, so it will be exciting to see the lineup closer to competition.
And although only the varsity will be making the trip south next week, the novices have been improving all year and are becoming integral parts of the team.
I am most looking forward to watching our walk-on novices progress, Ricard added. It amazes me how they can know nothing coming into the fall season, and be able to synch up an eight as well as they do in the spring.
With high expectattions, the Jumbos will be putting an emphasis on finishing races strong throughout the year, an area that has troubled them in the past.
Last year we struggled with keeping the boat alive in the third 500 [meters], Ricard said. Most boats experience this mid-race lag, but I am confident our fabulous coxswain, [senior] Audrey Abrell, has a plan up her sleeve to keep the boat light in this grueling penultimate quarter.
The women will look to exercise that plan as they open up on April 6 against Tulane on the Malden River.
