Award Plaque next for W. Crew

At this stage of the season, the fundamentals are in place for the Penn women's crew teams. Spring practices and competitions have helped the Quakers adjust their lineup, improve their technique and familiarize themselves with each other and with their competitors. But defeating Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend is going to take more than the basics. Penn's chances at victory will be determined by a more abstract factor -- psychological preparation. For the varsity team, optimism is crucial. The latest EAWRC coaches poll rank the Quakers 13th out of the league's 17 crews. If the Quakers hope to upset second-ranked Princeton and fifth-ranked Dartmouth this weekend, they must minimize their opponent's intimidation factor. "On paper, we shouldn't be in the their league," Penn coach Barb Kirch said. "But I'm outrageous enough to think we can compete with them." Kirch's history as a rowing coach tells her just how challenging this weekend will be. She recognizes that Princeton has been in the top two crews for as long as she can remember, and Dartmouth as well owns past success. Kirch is well-versed on the Big Green's accomplishments -- she coached them for 9 years. "When you've got a program where both the varsity and novice teams win medals at sprints, you've got a lot of depth," Kirch said. "We don't have that, but we'll do what we can." Varsity rower Diane Lincoln shared her coach's optimism. Lincoln explained that in preparing for the Award Plaque, the Quakers have been concentrating on staying relaxed and using their underdog status to work motivationally. "We're trying to keep our cool," she said. "We have nothing to lose at this point. Hopefully we will rise to the challenge and come up to their level." For the Penn novices, the competition offers a challenge into which they can channel their recent frustrations. Last weekend's one-second loss to Cornell in the Class of '89 Plate dropped the Quakers from fourth to seventh in the rankings and left them dejected, according to coach Susan Hermann. "They've definitely got a lot of fire from last week," Hermann said. But aside from motivationally, Hermann cited other ways that the loss could influence Penn's next performance, particularly in the final sprint. "Last weekend was the first time they were pushed at the end and they didn't have it," she said. "You have to learn like that. I just wish they could have learned a second faster." Judging by the standings, third-ranked Princeton will undoubtedly pose a challenge for the Quakers. But a win over the Big Green seems very plausible. Penn is currently ranked seventh while Dartmouth is 12th. Hermann agreed that defeating the Big Green is certainly within her team's grasp. But she was hesitant to rely too heavily on the rankings. "They're hard to do because different crews do well in different conditions," Hermann said. Due to Dartmouth's location, it cannot take to the water as early in the spring as some crews. Thus, they are a team that typically improves as the season progresses. But an even more convincing testament to the fact that Penn will have to perform at its peak against the Big Green is the racing times. Dartmouth has beaten many of the same crews as Penn but by a greater margin. In strategizing for the Award Plaque, each coach had a variety of technical goals for the race. But it's clear that for both teams one factor will inevitably play a part -- confidence.