In another move destined to raise howls of protest from traditionalists in the sport, the NCAA has decided to change the format of the NCAA Women's Championship from the usual, six-lane Olympic Format to four-lane racing. "We've done everything by fours with good success over the past decades," says NCAA Rowing Championships Director and former softball coach Miles Offabase. "Final Four, Frozen Four, etc. It just makes more sense to us here in Indianapolis, so we trust it'll be embraced by the coaches as well."
In order to streamline the a 20-team championship in four lane racing, the regatta commission also announced that it was abandoning side-by-side qualifiers and going strictly on times recorded during racing; thus, an entire four-team rep could advance to the semifinals by virtue of having a faster time. "The clock does not lie!" exclaimed Offabase.
Opponents are girding for a fight; from Philadelphia, rumors are flying that Ted Nash is organizing to re-form the National Women's Rowing Organization. "Sometimes you have to throw the baby out with the bath water," said Nash. "Scrap it and start over from scratch. Break a few eggs and make a better omelette."
It was not known at press time how the events would be named under the new system, but initial indications are that the events would be named on the order of "Final Four Varsity Four Final," and such like.
In related news, the NCAA has reversed course, and will henceforth award individual medals to all championship participants, not just gold-silver-bronze. The move was announced after some purists decried the departure from tradition of no longer awarding individual medals to the top three finishers in each event.
Camden area rowing organizations, who act as NCAA hosts when the regatta is held on the Cooper River in Camden, NJ, have already agreed to pool any revenues arising from the retrieval and sale of 18th-place NCAA medals flung into the Cooper after the conclusion of racing.
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