Heavyweight crew starts on fire out west

This weekend the men's heavyweight and lightweight crew teams opened their 2004 season against some of the nation's elite programs. While the lightweight men headed to Annapolis to take on Navy, the heavyweight rowers flew out to sunny California for the two-day Windermere Classic, where they faced Yale, Navy and California.

On Saturday, the Midshipmen proved to be too much for the lightweight Tigers to handle, dealing them their first loss of the season. The first Varsity boat fell behind about two lengths in the race and was never able to recover, losing in a time of six minutes, 11 seconds.

"We took more lumps than we gave," coach Joe Murtaugh said. "Navy was impressive and they gave us a solid thumping."

Although the second varsity boat pulled off a victory, out-stroking the Midshipmen by nearly five seconds, the other lightweight boats did not fare as well. The first freshman boat crossed the finish line about seven seconds after the Navy rowers.

"I thought all our crews rowed with a lot of heart, but it wasn't nearly fast enough," Murtaugh said. "It is clear that I need to do a better job preparing the guys for the rest of the season."

Murtaugh, however, will not have a hard time picking up the intensity and performance levels with the defending Eastern champions. They will try to improve themselves when they take on Columbia at home next Saturday.

The men's heavyweight novice boats also competed in Annapolis this weekend, as their varsity teams traveled to the Windermere Classic, just a stone's throw from the home of Raiders owner Al Davis.

The heavyweight boats fared much better against the Midshipmen than the lightweight crews did, as the first freshman boat won in an impressive 6:15.1, continuing last season's undefeated streak. The second novice boat also sailed across the finish line ahead of its opponents, completing an impressive sweep for the heavyweight freshman programs.

The heavyweight varsity crews matched the novice success, as each boat won two of their three races. The first varsity boat defeated Navy on Saturday by more than four seconds, clocking in at 5:46.7. Later that same day the oarsmen continued their winning streak, dominating Yale by nearly eight seconds.

All seemed to be going well for the Tigers, and they were on the path to affirming the US Rowing prediction of their top-three preseason ranking. However, Sunday afternoon brought the challenging California squad who, after pushing the Tigers to their fastest time of the weekend, defeated Princeton by a little more than two seconds. The Tiger boat clipped the line in 5:40.47.

The second varsity boat's weekend record seemed to imitate that of the first varsity eight, as they went 2-0 on Saturday only to lose to California Sunday morning.

The Tigers soared past Yale in 6:09.00 after beating Navy earlier in the day by seven seconds. Their only loss of the weekend, their first of the season, came at the oars of the talented California program, who completed the 2000m course more than three seconds faster than Princeton.

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While both crews were pleased with their performances on Saturday, the California loss sent disappointment echoing through the squads.

Both the heavyweight and lightweight rowers know that they have a lot of work to do. But asking that should not be too much, as the legacy and tradition of this famed program should provide plenty of motivation.