M. Crew ends year with IRA disappointment

The Penn men's crew teams failed to qualify for the grand finals because of subpar performances in IRA reps. Crew, simply stated, is one of the most demanding sports. For ten months, members of Penn's crew teams have been training. They have spent each succeeding week in the cycle of first breaking down their bodies, then resting for a few days and finally blasting their muscles and lungs for six long minutes on the weekend before starting the cycle again. They have logged long hours in both cold and hot weather to perfect the technique that will push them to the pinnacle of their sport. Each weekend marks a new test for their strength, coordination, and stamina. Behind all of this training is the coach who must monitor the teams' progress, and adjust training schedules accordingly to ensure that each team peaks properly. This past weekend gave Penn's crew teams and coach Stan Bergman a final chance to show that their training was successful. But the men's crew teams left the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J. a disappointed group overall. The heavyweight varsity eight had come to the Intercollegiate Rowing Championships fresh off of a blazing 5:40.9 first place Madeira Cup finish in Ithaca. After the IRA Championships, it seems as though they may have peaked one week early. "We had very good speed the week before against Cornell. The guys were really moving. And then that next three, four, five days before the IRA, we might have been on a spiral downward and not even known it," Bergman said. He seemed miffed by the slower showing at the IRA Championships, which took place for three days, from last Thursday until Saturday. "I thought we tapered properly. I've had crews that we've done the same taper and then we've gone faster, and we've had crews that didn't go as fast," he added. Despite their disappointment, Bergman and his varsity eight rowers were stoic in defeat. They didn't fault the strong heats, or having to compete in an additional race on Thursday after losing in the first heat that morning. "We drew some tough heats early, but that happens to anybody, so there's no excuses there," Bergman said. In the first heat on Thursday, Penn finished second to Brown in 5:55.2. The winner of each heat then advanced to the semifinals, which were held on Friday, and all others had to race again in reps on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, the Quakers easily advanced to the semifinals by taking first in their rep. Penn's semifinal rep on Friday was the more difficult of the two semifinal reps with the presence of eventual winner Washington, Northeastern, Brown, Wisconsin and Oregon State. Among those boats, the Quakers finished fifth, which relegated them to the petite final on Saturday. "We would row really well for one race, but not for the next," senior Marcus Dahllof said. In the grand final on Saturday, the three fastest boats from each semifinal rep raced for the collegiate championship, while those in the petite final rowed for seventh place. Penn's varsity eight with a time of 6:01.4 then defeated Northeastern and Oregon State in the petite final. In the grand final, Washington destroyed the competition in 5:51.0, more than three seconds ahead of Brown and California. For the Huskies, it marked the culmination of an undefeated season. "The IRAs were a west-coast invasion. Washington swept the eights, and California was right behind them," junior Dixon Gillis said. Penn's open four team was the only Quakers team to medal with its third place finish. For Penn, the petite final victory was just a small consolation to the varsity eight. "It was disappointing," Dahllof said. "We sort of failed to row together. We were fighting each other. Technically, we could have rowed better." The first boat was not the only Penn crew team that had difficulty in the early heats. The second varsity eight and the previously undefeated freshman eight also did not peak for the IRA Championships. But both boats also went on to win their petite finals. Bergman is looking to the second varsity and freshman eight crews for individuals to replace the four graduating rowers who were members of a gutsy team. The seniors from the first boat are captain Caspar Bentinck, Jake Watkins, Bill Belden, and Dahllof as well as coxswain Hope Varney. From the second boat, Penn will lose seniors Joe Galone, Adam Strunk and Rob Blumhof. And the third varsity boat graduates Erik Bergman and Hudson Osgood. The freshman eight will have some addition time to practice as they prepare for the Henleys in England in early July. For them, that means less rest before the annual grind continues. Penn's crew team is hoping the extra work pays off at next year's big races, especially the IRA Championships. "Some crews were on the up. I think we may have been sliding on the down-scale," Bergman said.