Conlan Cup Race Report

SU men's rowing head coach Dave Reischman has circulated his race report from the Conlan Cup. Here are some excerpts:

CONDITIONS:  Cross headwind in the first 1000m, 8-12 variable, and pretty good conditions in the bypass canal in front of the boathouse.

VARSITY EIGHT: Most crews will have a race during the year where they take a step backward or feel like they don't race up to their capabilities. We executed very well throughout the week and the guys were very excited to race on Saturday.  Unfortunately we were not able to execute on the race course.  It was a pretty disappointed group of guys when we met after the racing.

We were pretty even with BU and Columbia as we shifted to our 37.  The rhythm wasn't quite there as we shifted to our base rating and it didn't look like the hull had our usual surge to it. We have an emergency "rhythm check" built into our race plan in case this happens.  Senior Coxswain Mike Sparta made the call shortly after the shift pace.  The intent is to take a deep breath, relax, and create the rhythm we need to move the boat effectively.  Mike said he felt more effort go into the rowing but the timing and rhythm didn't change much.  Things deteriorated the further we moved down the course as BU and Columbia continued to move away.

SECOND VARSITY EIGHT:  BU has a lot of depth and are very strong top to bottom.  The results from their earlier races have indicated their isn't much difference in speed between their varsity and JV.   This is one of the top ranked JV's in the league and they moved out early and kept going.

Our crew has been working on consistency down the race course and the goal of their racing was to be a bit more poised and mature about how they approached the race. Against Columbia, they kept their composure in the first 1000m and they were neck and neck with them through the 1000m mark. We had ½ length with 500m to go and grabbed a few more seats as we closed out the race.  A good step in the right direction for these guys and we need to continue to make progress in this direction.

THIRD VARSITY EIGHT: This has been a tough spring for the 3V. We have had a some injuries and a lot of illness in the top two boats this spring and that has meant the 3V has had a different group of guys almost every day.  These guys have done a nice job of rolling with all the changes. We switched from a port stroked lineup to a starboard stroked lineup due to a few key guys helping the varsity and JV lineups in the middle of the previous week and the guys responded well.  They kept in contact with a very strong BU 3V crew for most of the way down the race course-just loosing contact with them in the last 500m.

FOURTH VARSITY EIGHT: Our 4V did not handle all the changes to line-ups last week quite as well the 3V.  The cross wind was strongest for this race and the conditions in the first 1000m were definitely more challenging than any of the other races.  Having said that the BU 4V and 5V were clearly less effected by the conditions than we were.  Again, crews usually have at least one race during the spring where they race out of character.  We are hoping this was the race for this crew and they will get back on track soon.

NEXT UP:  We will be entering a two week period of final exams this next week and we next take to the race course in two weeks up in Hanover, NH for the Packard Cup against Dartmouth.  We will be racing on FRIDAY, MAY 9 AT AROUND 3:00 PM IN THE AFTERNOON.  We are racing on Friday so that our seniors can get back for graduation weekend and spend time celebrating this achievement with their families.  I will send out more information on the race as we get closer.