Smith, w. lightweight crew's first coach, leaves

For the first time in Princeton women's lightweight crew history, somebody other than Heather Smith will grace the decks of the boathouse this season.

This July, former head coach Smith announced that she would not be returning for an eighth year. The news comes as a big disappointment to women's crew as Smith was well-liked and highly successful during her tenure.

During her reign, Smith tallied a 26-4 record on her way to an unprecedented five national championships in seven years.

"When I first came to Princeton, I wasn't worried about winning championships," Smith said. "I was just worried about how I would fit in and how the new lightweight program would fit in the very short run."

Smith's immediate plans now include moving to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with her husband, where she will spend time raising her two-year-old son.

"Leaving Princeton was sad because I am going to miss the people a lot, but this was a good thing to do for my family so I'm happy to be here," Smith said. "I will certainly miss the other rowing coaches that I work with because they have lots of knowledge and are good people. And I'll miss the rowers for sure, especially the seniors."

When asked about her fondest memories of Princeton, Smith said, "One of the things I enjoyed most was just being out on Lake Carnegie and watching the crews row by and thinking it was a great way to make a living. Winning races was great fun but the most enjoyable was just watching the athletes and knowing it was for them and about them."

The athletic department has chosen Paul Rassam '97 to fill the void. As an undergraduate at the University, Rassam earned his A.B. in English. Moreover, he was part of a Tiger team that finished first at the 1995 Eastern Sprints.

Since leaving Princeton, Rassam has been well traveled. From May 1999 until April of 2000, Rassam served as a sculling coach for the Smichov Rowing Club in Prague, Czech Republic. Then, in 2000, Rassam joined the George Mason staff, where he coached the novice women for two years. In June 2002, he was announced as head coach of the Patriots.

While at George Mason, Rassam made a name for himself by continuing to build upon a program that was started just two years before he came to school.

Last season, the George Mason varsity lightweight four placed third in their division at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships as one of 57 boats in the competition.

In the final event of 2004, the varsity and novice eights advanced to the semifinals at the Dad Vail Championship Regatta. It was the first time a half dozen years the Patriots had advanced so far.

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"He seems like a great addition to the program," sophomore Tessa Berkel said. "And hopefully we will be able to work together to have a successful year."

Rassam was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon.