By Lila Epstein, Senior Staff ||
The men and women’s rowing teams kicked off the racing component of their Spring season with a Spring break trip to Oak Ridge, Tenn., which concluded with a race. The team also had a race on Saturday. The spring break training trip was originally supposed to be in Del., but the location had to be switched because the river was still frozen due to the especially cold Winter.
The team embarked on an intensive training schedule during the trip, with three blocks of rowing each day. The team members rowed three times a day every day and had their first race down there.
The women’s team won against Skidmore and North Park, and the men’s team came in second against two Skidmore boats.
“We got up early, we rowed, we ate we rowed, and then we ate and then rowed again,” said Maggie Provencher ’14, captain of the women’s team.
This trip was the first opportunity for the team to practice in the water rather than on erg machines. The river was frozen until the beginning of last week, and it was only possible to put in the dock this weekend.
The team continued its season with a race on Saturday in Coshoshocken, Penn. against Bryn Mawr College.
“We absolutely blew them out of the water,” said Julia Scavicchio ’14, women’s varsity coxswain. “It was a good race but pretty bad weather. It’s been bad there before, but this time it was really rough with the wind and the current. In the eight we rowed against the current, and it was the longest race. It was only supposed to be a 1500 meter race, but it took the same amount of time 2000 meters usually would.”
The team will have its next race next weekend in Geneva, New York, where Hobart and William Smith College is located.
“We’re going to be racing a lot of people we have never been up against before,” Scavicchio said. “Our coach wanted us to go outside of our usual sphere of competition. It was between this or Murphy Cup, and for Murphy Cup we already know which boats we would beat and who would beat us, so now we are stepping into new territory.”
Senior Lila Epstein is senior staff. Her email is lepstei1@fandm.edu.