Just before the first of the Varsity Women's Eights headed down the course at Lake Quinsigamond Sunday afternoon, an enormous and enthusiastic congregation of Williams College supporters settled themselves in front of the Awards dock. This little bit of optimistic foreshadowing set up the Men's and Women's Varsity Eights that closed racing at the ECAC finals presciently.
In the Women's race, Becky Robinson's consistently strong Ithaca team had the best time going into finals. In fact, three of the best times (Ithaca, University of New Hampshire and William Smith) came from Ithaca's heat. Williams had won their heat, but it was a full 12 seconds back from Heat 2's times.
When asked about it, Robinson looked a little skeptical, "I'm not sure that time is correct," she concluded. Not to doubt a doubter, but there is a chance the fickle wind that changed course throughout the day had something to do with it.
When finals time rolled around much later in the day, Ithaca was in choice Lane 3 real estate, but the spoilers came stealth-like from lane 1. Williams College had what Coach Justin Moore said was "one of the best starts they have produced all season", and were already moving on the field. "I knew when they had that traction, they were going to keep moving," he added. Ithaca, meanwhile, had a rough start, coming out from under the 290 bridge in fourth with flanking crews of Bates and Trinity ahead by decks after 10 strokes.
Williams had already hit a groove and were ahead of everyone; lengthened and settled by 300 meters into the race. Above the 1000 meters, Williams coach Justin Moore could be seen on his bike on N. Lake Rd, shouting support and instructions. (Or, it could have been "I think you got this one!" They did.)
Ithaca struggled a bit with getting good strokes as they settled into the body of their race, but gained their power and rhythm back as they were coming past approximately 500 to go. By then, however, the Williams Ephs were hitting every stroke with confidence... they were clicking, and Ithaca had some ground to make up.
"The large part of the strategy for the final was based on the mistakes we made in the heats," said Moore of the later afternoon final. "I don't think we handled the conditions as well as some of the other varsity crews," he says, "We let the uncontrollables control us," he says of the heats.
They figured out how to control the race when it counted, however, and they really dominated the Women's Varsity 8 final, winning with open water and seven seconds. "I knew when they hit that base rhythm that they could win this," concluded Moore. Ithaca earned a second with a quality regroup and drive, Trinity just a split second behind. Moore noted also that a slight line-up change on starboard side earlier in the week helped their speed, moving member of the engine room (5-seat Emma Peligrio-Day) to bow (!), bow to three, and three to five.
Back on the shore, where the large contingent of Williams' rowers, parents and supporters gathered near the awards dock, they got the first photo opportunity with Moore's team. As that party broke up, the Men's Varsity Eight Grand Final was gathering speed into the last 750 of racing. At that point, Michigan, Trinity and Williams were out in front of the rest of the field, with Williams perhaps a hair behind the boys from Michigan and Trinity.
Moore, still within recording range of row2k, said to himself..."they haven't started yet…" and with that comment, the bow of Williams emerged from the pack, delivering a massive sprint. Williams surged ahead of rivals Trinity and midwest talent Michigan, all boats finishing within one second.
Coach Peter Wells was overcome by the victory. This season of racing was set up by a similarly close race (as in 2008) at the Head of the Charles Collegiate Eights 2009, with Trinity chasing down Williams' throughout the cold three-plus miles. Wells had established the power of his crew over the long races, and was eager to test the crew during sprint season.
"There is no plan, Trinity and Michigan are amazing crews, it's an honor to be in their company," said Wells almost immediately after the race, (and still slightly winded from his own sprint on the hilly Quinsig shores, which is not like the easy spin on Cooper shore by any stretch). "We talked about being courageous, you're taking these strokes for all of the other eight guys on the crew," but the message, plan or not, got through to those athletes.
On his crew's solid sprint, Wells said, "We thought we had a decent start but a few of these other crews were better, but we worked a lot on our final 500 over the past three weeks," he said.
Almost exactly a month ago, Trinity had beaten Williams in a dual with their 1V and 2V. "It was a pivotal race for us," said Wells. "I had a feeling that they (the team) had been waiting for something to happen, and after that loss April 10, we talked a lot more about making things happen."
Wells' team was coming off of their back-to-back HOC wins and also a sabbatical for Wells. He felt he didn't know the team well enough yet, and in meetings over the winter, asked the athletes about their goals. "I respected their wishes and it meant total sense," he suggests. One of their goals was to win the ECAC.
After their win, and a season of managing their strategies, fitness and goals, Wells said, 'They managed their emotions and worked together for this," and on a personal note for Wells, "In my first time in 30 years of coaching I don't need to spend the summer worrying about how to change things for next year...."
The Varsity Men's Eight results had a three-boat race for first through third (Williams, Trinity, Michigan), then a three boat race for fourth through sixth (Marist, Hobart, WPI) that flushed the crowds out of the tents where they had been hiding all day.
The Weather
Regatta Director Gary Caldwell, and many other regatta directors in the east coast over the weekend, knew of the coming wind, possible rain and other water-stirring events coming his way in Worchester for the ECAC. With that in mind and with a compressed-one-day-bad-weather-schedule, referees were on watch; of the little set of rollers that grabbed crews at about 1000 meters, of the gusts of 25+ miles per hour-it was all there.
Nonetheless, the regatta proceeded apace with determination. When they got a little off their schedule early, it was made up with built-in breaks, and on one of the most miserable regatta days in May there were not issues to write home about. "I was expecting to hear 'everyone out of the pool'," quipped one official after a gust hit some novice races. It never happened. Only a massive ejector crab in a men's novice race that made a rigger "spaghetti" disturbed the schedule, that race was effectively re-run later in the day after some rigger switching on behalf of Michigan's huge contingent of rowers and coaches. Said Coach Gregg Hartsuff, (aside from this little blooper) "We had a great day; almost all of our rowers are going home with medals."
Hartsuff's team is young and vast-he says he goes out with up to nine eights at practice. Michigan will go to the ACRA championships in Oklahoma on May 22.
The team point standings had Trinity first with 122 points, demonstrating their depth and well-established talent, second was Ithaca, with 102 points and living in the medals almost all day, and then Williams with 100 points total, Michigan and University of New Hampshire rounded out the top-five teams.
See the complete results for the ECAC Championships here.
Finally, a few gems from the officials launch and coxswain seat:
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