Rowing Returns to Racing Saturday
10/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - From their first race of the season to now, the Alabama rowing team has improved each week, a trend the Crimson Tide hopes to continue as they spend Halloween in Oakridge, Tenn., at the Secret City Head Race.
Alabama will send three varsity 8+ boats, three varsity 4+ boats, three varsity doubles, two novice 8s and one novice 4+ to the Volunteer state, with all squads in medal contention after a two-week break from competition.
The Tide's last time out, on Oct. 18, the team was split, with the novices in Huntsville for the Hobbs Island Regatta, while the varsity sent two boats to Cambridge, Mass., for the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Tide experienced great success at both events, bringing home two gold medals from Huntsville and placing third for the bronze at the legendary Head of the Charles.
"We had a good showing at the Charles which is big for us in a number of ways," head coach Larry Davis said. "I think it helps us build confidence and it let us know we're on track and doing some good things. It also helps us bring attention to ourselves, going to a major regatta like that and doing well against a lot of bigger, more established schools."
After a two-week period between their last racing weekend, the team looks to come back strong and continue its trend of medaling. And while Davis is confident that his squad will be successful in Tennessee, the work over the last two weeks has been more focused on developing the program and seeing who is willing to step it up a notch. The team spent a whole week doing seat-racing, seeing who is capable and dedicated to increasing boat speed, which will help in the long run, but might slow the Tide a touch this weekend.
"I would hope we'll pick up a fair number of medals this weekend but we may sacrifice a little bit of boat speed because we've been rowing seat-racing combinations and not combinations that are actually going to go race this weekend," Davis said. "So there's a little bit of a question mark as to how we're going to respond."
The Tide's expectations this fall have grown from trying to catch up with some of the established squads, to winning, especially this weekend.
"One of the goals we've set for ourselves (this weekend) is to win medals in every event we enter," Davis said. "And our expectations are not only singular medals in each event, but multiple medals in every event."
