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Volume CXXXI, Number 21 |
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Crew continues to win
ELIZABETH GOTT
STAFF WRITER
Facing some of the coldest conditions the team had seen
in a long time, the Bowdoin Crew Team rowed its way to success last Saturday
in Worcester, Massachusetts. After returning from Spring Break in sunny
Summerton, South Carolina, the team was not looking forward to rowing
on the cold and windy Lake Quinsigamond. But without missing a beat, the
team picked up where it left off last fall: as a strong program claiming
several key victories.
The men's side displayed strength and skill in defeating
crews from the University of Vermont and Brandeis. With three varsity
men's boats, Coach Gil Birney was excited to have such a competitive group
of rowers. His first boat, stroked by Will LoVerme '02, has been rowing
spring races together since last year, and their experience showed. With
new coxswain Ben "Benny" Needham '05, the first team rowed a
strong race and finished first in a time of 6:47. This race served as
a reunion between Loverme and Tom Scifres '03, Tyler Lange '03 and Gordon
Clarke '03, both of whom spent the fall semester abroad.
The second and third varsity men rowed impressive races
as well: Chad Pelton's second men claimed a first place finish in their
race with an impressive time of 7:00. The third men, stroked by Justin
Clarke '04 were just behind them at 7:12.
Coach Birney was also pleased with his varsity women. Though
the first women's boat is made up of three sophomores and one junior,
it showed poise and confidence as it faced perennial rival Vermont. Followed
by Alicia Smith '04, Jess Rueben '05, and Katie Chandler '04, stroke Sadie
Anderson '04 led the women to a hard-earned victory over Vermont, Assumption,
and Brandeis. Though in somewhat of a rebuilding stage, the women had
a very strong start to the season.
Not far behind the varsity women came Birney's novice women.
The boat, stroked by sophomore Allie Craig, is made up of four first-year
rowers, including Kacy Karlen '05 who joined the team just before spring
break. The boat finished in first place and far ahead of Assumption by
40 seconds. Coxswain Meredith Harris '05 said, "I'm enormously proud
of the novice women for our first win of the season. They worked incredibly
hard over the past few weeks. I know that we are all looking forward to
more success in the races ahead."
Bowdoin's novice men were also uncontested in their first
race of the season. They beat rival Assumption by nearly a minute. Birney
and his rowers attribute much of their early success to the two weeks
spent at an intensive rowing camp in South Carolina. The team practiced
twice a day in the 80-degree weather, which was quite a difference from
last year's Spring Break that was spent on the icy New Meadows River in
Brunswick. Many of them were excited to get a jump on their training.
One novice rower remarked, "Our commitment to early season training,
particularly our time spent rowing in South Carolina over spring break,
gave us a competitive edge over our opponents this weekend, and hopefully
will for the rest of the season." This training will become particularly
important as Bowdoin heads into the New England Fours Championship and
the Dad Vail Regatta in May. But for now, the team will focus its efforts
on a double header in Amherst, Massachusetts this Saturday, and Lowell
on Sunday.
Coming soon to a river near you: Bowdoin will take on Colby and Bates in the annual CBB President's Cup Challenge. This year's race will be held at Colby on April 21.