The rowing team is currently enjoying its most successful spring season in several years. With 46 rowers—the largest roster in recent memory—the team has won 15 out of the 24 races it has competed in since spring break.
"This is the strongest group we've got," said Head Coach Gil Birney. "The athletes themselves are really talented. It's a great combination of really good conditioning and great chemistry."
The team competed last weekend against Amherst and Middlebury at the Big Three Regatta, held in Hadley, Mass. Two men's varsity boats and a woman's varsity boat won their races, while three boats took second place and an additional two finished third.
The addition of about 30 new rowers from the first year and sophomore classes has nearly tripled the team's size this year. Along with 16 varsity rowers, four varsity coxswains, and five novice boats, the team brought aboard Doug Welling, who manages the Maine Running Company in Brunswick, to be an assistant coach.
Captain Caroline Ciocca '12 said that the novices have changed the team's dynamics considerably.
"The team has been the most successful in my time here, across the board," said Ciocca. "We have a huge freshman contingent, and they bring a lot of enthusiasm to it all."
Andersen also credited the team's improvement to a new fitness plan begun during winter training.
"Doug Welling gave us a holistic plan of lifting and cardio," said Andersen. "People did a good job of following it, and the results are very gratifying considering all the hours."
The team's spring regattas have showcased the improvements made in this past season alone. After the annual training session at Camp Bob, in South Carolina, the team raced in Worcester, Mass., on March 31, winning seven out of the eight races. The following weekend, also in Worcester, Bowdoin took first in five of the eight events. Over those two weeks, all eight Bowdoin boats took first or second in every race they competed in.
"It's a team sport, so it's hard to say one or a couple individuals that really stand out because we try and foster an environment where everyone works together," said Ciocca. "It's about creating all-star boats."
The team still has a few more races to compete in before the season is over. On Sunday, the rowers will be competing against Colby and Bates in the Presidents Cup, with the New England championship two weeks later and another regatta in between.
"Success breeds success," said Birney. "I think if we can have a really good championship row, with the second varsity men and the first varsity women as contenders for the gold, we can get the kind of results that are appealing to competitive athletes."