Race Report from Poughkeepsie

Via Coach Kris Sanford:
We took one 8 down to Poughkeepsie this past weekend to race in the Poughkeepsie Regatta commemorating the history of the IRA regatta. It was a very unique event and I am very happy we could be a part of it. The boat was chosen based upon a 6k erg test and a pair trial.

We travelled down to the race site on Friday. Our van broke down 40 miles outside of Syracuse, but with the expert driving of assistant coach Pete Magee and help of the folks at the athletic department, we ended up being only about an hour behind. Rowing is always a challenge on the Hudson and practice was no exception. Although we did not have much boat traffic, the wind picked up pretty quickly and we had to cut our practice short due to the chop. It was great to get on the course though – it was a 4 mile course and really a coxswain race so it was good to get out there and see it.

That evening, we attended a dinner alongside the river where they played old films of the IRA’s. My dad was the guest speaker and gave a great history of the days of glory when the boats were lined up side by side and started with a cannon! People at the start knew who won the race because they had a rocket that they shot up with colored smoke with the school colors who won. It was a great event and the athletes saw a glimpse of the history of the sport. Poughkeepsie was also celebrating the opening of the longest footpath across water in the world (very, very cool!) and so after dinner we were able to watch a lantern and fireworks show.

When we showed up to race on Saturday, the water was flat and perfect for racing. We were the first race to go off so we got the best water, although the chop had picked up considerably by the time we started. The officials lined us up side by side in the middle of the river mimicking the old IRA style and said go. The lane assignments were as follows – 1 – Vassar, 2 – Army, 3 – Marist, 4- Cornell, 5 – Syracuse, 6 – Penn, 7 – Columbia. We were first off the line followed very closely by Cornell. The first two miles of the race were great – we rowed at 31 ½ (as did Cornell) even though we have not rowed there yet this year. We went stroke for stroke with Cornell for the first 2 miles. Everyone else fell way behind. To have the opportunity to race so closely with someone for so long is priceless – both boats were fierce and showed great courage. At the two mile mark, Cornell began to move out on us and slowly walked away. We finished 2nd behind them and well ahead (at least a minute) of everyone else. I was pleased with the first half of the race. The 2nd half of the race was not bad – Cornell just moved and we did not rally. A barge went by and we did not handle the wakes very well. I also believe that Cornell was rowing more efficiently than us and so we paid the price of the first 2 miles in the 2nd half of the race. The team is very excited to see Cornell and others again in 3 weeks at the Princeton Chase when we have a few more weeks of practice under their belts.

I was very skeptical of this race going into it as we had only been on the water for 2 weeks and 4 miles is really long (25 minutes in fact!) for so early in the season. But after having been there, I am really happy we went. The team learned some valuable lessons, got some racing under them, and saw a great glimpse of rowing history that they were not aware of.

To date, the team has been doing really well this fall. We are addressing 2 issues that I believe are our weaknesses – technical efficiency and fitness. In the past, we have trained approximately 14 – 15 hours a week. We have increased that to a full 20 hours a week. Everyone does two practices a day M – Th, one on Friday and Saturday. A typical week’s schedule looks like this:

M – W Row 6:30 – 8:30 AM, 1 – 1.5 hour scheduled erg in the afternoon
T – Th Row 6 – 7:30 AM, lift weights 8 – 9 on campus, 1 hour run in the afternoon
F – 4 -6PM row
S – 8 – 11 row

Everyone is working really hard, not complaining, and really buying into what we all believe is going to take us to the next level.

On the technical front, I have brought in my dad to help coach the varsity M – Th mornings. This has been so helpful as another coach allows actual coaching to take place instead of just practice management!! Coaching just 1 or 2 eights is very manageable and people are getting lots of individual technical attention. This will definitely pay off come spring.

Things are going really well for us and momentum is huge. The work we are doing is going to pay off and the athletes really buy into that. The NCAA also recently voted to go to automatic qualifiers for the NCAA championships which means that we have a direct way into the championship through the Big East Championship. This format begins in 2011.

It is a great time to be a part of this program whether you are a current or past rower. I encourage you to get out and see us on the water at one of our racing venues – we love the support and it will bring back great memories of your days on the water!