Squad rows past challenges
WOMEN’S CREW By Faith Enenbach
The women’s crew rows at the Cayuga Duals on March 31. The team approached the season with a new strategy. Shawn Steiner/The Ithacan
MEN’S CREW
The women’s crew will be looking to do more with less this season as it prepares to build on last season’s fourth-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championships. With new leadership from senior captains Elisabeth Hurley and Lindsey Hadlock, the team is approaching the season with a different strategy. Hurley said this year’s squad will be more focused on strength in numbers. “We’ve had some really strong key players who have individually been very talented, and this year we don’t have the same amount of key players, “ she said. “So what we’re doing is really trying to train as a whole and get everyone to be as fast as they can.” Head Coach Becky Robinson, who has taken the team to the NCAA Championships in each of the past 10 seasons, said this year’s team will be defined by its work ethic, unity and cohesion. After last year’s solid finish, the team is determined to succeed, Hadlock said. “The dedication from the team is amazing,” Hadlock said. “It’s definitely obtainable to go back to nationals and do well again, if not better than before.”
Bombers work against high tides
By Doug Geller It doesn’t matter that the Cayuga Inlet had a highly invasive plant growing this fall or that the majority of the men’s crew’s roster is full of underclassman with little experience on the water — the team has adopted a no-excuses mentality going into the 2012 season. With two seniors and four juniors on this year’s squad, there was a lot of pressure on the team’s underclassmen to produce early. Senior captain Per Tvetenstrand said realizing the importance of a collective effort is essential for the novice rowers to succeed. “When you’re working towards the same goal it’s more about being competitive,” he said. “It’s everyone working together and pulling towards our goal.” Unlike other crews, the Bombers do not recruit athletes out of high school to compete. Sophomore Andrew Voorhees said this advantage the opponents have gives the more diligent rowers more motivation. “I know I have a grudge against teams like Hobart, Williams and Trinity,” Voorhees said. “It’s definitely not even ground, though I like to think of us as scrappier than the other schools.”
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The men’s crew rows at the Cayuga Duals on March 31. The team was ready to work hard despite early setbacks. Shawn Steiner/The Ithacan