After months of erging, Elis go outside and win

By Sara Sani

COURTESY RICHARD WILDMAN A lack of tough competition hasn't kept the men's lightweight crew team from pushing hard.

It's 5 a.m. and your alarm goes off. Your body pleads with you to stay under your warm comforter a little longer,
but still you drag yourself out of bed. No, you don't have to finish up a history paper or do last-minute studying for your linguistics midterm, so why get up at this hour? It's time for your morning crew workout. You pile on some clothes and begin your trek to Payne (or is it Pain?) Whitney.

When you arrive, you descend into the basement and make your way to the rowing tanks. The rooms are quiet and cool, but soon they'll be filled with echoing grunts, and the air will be hot and thick. You look with dread at the iron wheels on the ergs in front of you, knowing you'll have to row and turn those heavy wheels until you're totally exhausted. You sit down at the erg and begin rowing, alone. You don't work with your teammates here; there's no one to hide behind. A black box at the end of the erg will tell you and your coach exactly how hard you've been pushing yourself, so you go all out, giving every ounce
of strength and energy you have, not wanting to disappoint
either person.

Why do rowers put themselves through this masochistic ritual? Because they love racing, competition, and cooperation. Indoor workouts are a necessary evil for the crew team. They get the athletes in the best shape possible for racing in the spring. "You can win or lose a season based on how hard you train in the winter," Yale's varsity lightweight coxswain Charlie Lozner, SM '99 said. It goes without saying that the Yale rowers want to win. They're "ambitious" and "really motivated," according to captain Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, BK '99. It's these qualities that get them through the indoor training and into the spring season, when the fun begins. "It's definitely a relief to get out onto the water," Gonzalez-Lomas said.

The transition from the steamy erg rooms to balmy Mission Bay in California, where the season began, was definitely a welcome one. The Bulldogs' excellent fitness and enthusiasm to be on the water were evident as the team easily captured the Secretary of the Navy Trophy at the San Diego Crew Classic. In both their preliminary heat and the final race, the Elis got out to an early lead, which they never relinquished. In the finals, they cruised to victory in a time of 6:34.4, nine seconds ahead of their closest competitor, Penn.

While the rowers were pleased with their performance, they would have welcomed more of a challenge. "We're looking forward to some harder races," Lozner said. The squad was disappointed that Harvard was unable to attend. So far, the team has yet to compete in a close race this season. At last weekend's Joy Cup against MIT and Boston College, the Bulldogs again won by a large margin, finishing 10 seconds in front of Boston College.

The Eli oarsmen have tried to stay focused and have gone into each race with an aggressive attitude, regardless of the opponent, in order get ready for the harder match-ups. "You have to attack every race the same way to stay prepared," Gonzalez-Lomas said. "It's important not to go in flat or emotionless." There are only six races before the Ivy Championships and nationals, so the team has to gain experience from every race. This is especially important for this year's young team; the varsity boat has only one senior and four sophomores.

Youth has brought some advantages. "[The younger rowers] are willing to work hard and don't have any expectations or prejudices," Gonzalez-Lomas said. They're naive in a good way--they really want to win." It's that kind of attitude and dedication that the Elis will need to attain their goal of winning a national championship. "We realize that it's not going to happen overnight," Gonzalez-Lomas said.

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