Rowing Races Miami at Home Saturday
4/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After a successful weekend of racing at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the University of Alabama Rowing team returns home this Saturday to take on Miami (Fla.) on the Black Warrior River.
"Miami is like a lot of the crews we saw at SIRA,"Crimson Tide head coach Larry Davis said. "They're a little quicker than we are on paper and we're definitely going to have to our 'A' race to be successful."
Things will get underway on the river with the First Varsity race going off at 9 a.m. That will be followed by a combined Second Varsity 8 and Novice 8 race with four boats going at once and the meet will finish off with the Varsity 4s race.
Conditions promise to be more conducive to fast rowing as well as watching the action from the shore than the Tide's first home meet last month.
"It's supposed to be a little windy on Saturday, but much warmer than our first (home) race this season," Davis said. "All in all I think it will be a great day on the river."
In addition to the action on the water the Whiskey River Band will be playing at River Road Park, located at the intersection of Jack Warner Parkway and McCorvey Drive. There will also be giveaways as well as a celebration of the Crimson Tide's first senior class.
"Our seniors this year have been such a large part of our success," Davis said. "They were with us on the club team, helping raise the money and investing the time in effort in getting us to the point where they University felt rowing was a viable sport on this campus. And this year, I'm really pleased with how we've rowed and our seniors have been a large part of that."
This weekend's meet is the last racing of the season before Alabama travels to Philadelphia, Penn. May 11-12 for the Dad Vail College Championships.
"If we go out and execute well this weekend it bodes well for the Dad Vail," Davis said. "If we're in the running with Miami, we'll be in good shape for Philadelphia."
