Chasing Boats in Princeton

As rain cascaded down on the Charles River, the women rowers' hopes of carving a niche for themselves in the world of crew was doused, and their chance to make believers out of themselves and their competition was held off until this weekend, when they travel down to New Jersey to take part in the Princeton Chase. By virtue of the Head of Charles being rained out, the regatta in Princeton is the most important race that the women will take part in this fall season.

According to captain Amy McCoy, TC '97, this preliminary season will set the tone for the upcoming spring season. "We hope to establish our presence as a force to be reckoned with in the racing season. We're strong across the board," she said. In the fall, the rowers take place in a Head Race, which is about three miles long, start-staggered, and takes about 15-17 minutes to complete.

The fall season allows the rowers to "get into the rhythm for winter training and the spring season," Kate Koplan, BR '99, explained. Throughout the autumn, they tend to work on technique and building strength. Thus far this season, the women have taken part in only one race. The seniors traveled up to the Stonehurst Regatta in Rochester, N.Y., where they took second place overall, finishing behind the University of Wisconsin. "The boat felt strong and smooth," McCoy said. Meanwhile, the other classes raced in the Head of the Housatonic, where all boats placed well.

The Princeton Chase will take place on Sun., Nov. 10. The women will send three eight-person boats to Princeton, four four-person boats, and three two-person boats.

However, all this only prepares the team for the real season, which takes place in the spring. Coach Wendy Davis is in her final campaign with the women's crew team, and this is the first season that Yale's team will be eligible for the NCAAs. The team would like to bring home an NCAA championship for their coach after they have taken part in the Eastern sprints. According to McCoy, their toughest competition will be Brown, Princeton, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Washington.

In the spring season, the rowers travel only 2,000 meters, which is just over one mile. All boats start off at the same time and race right next to each other, and the entire race takes only about six minutes.

"We have a really strong team and have high expectations, with over three boats worth of solid rowers," Koplan said.