Kirch turns to JV rowers to speed W. Crew

Bringing the confidence from last weekend's victory over Syracuse and an improved lineup to the Class of '89 Plate this weekend, the women's varsity crew team will look to continue their success against Rutgers and Cornell at home on the Schuylkill. According to coach Barb Kirch, the win over the Orangemen showed the Quakers how effective they can be if they "challenge crews the whole way." Kirch explained that prior to the victory, Penn had been struggling with making counter moves during intense competitions. Rower Diane Licoln also testified to the recent improvements in this area. "We were more aggressive in the middle of the race [last weekend] than we've been," she said. "And once we got ahead we stayed there and didn't give in." The Orange Challenge Cup also gave two junior varsity rowers the chance to prove themselves. Filling in for sick varsity rowers, their contribution made for a faster time than the varsity's previous one in San Diego, thus prompting a change in the lineup. "I was really impressed that they had the courage to step it up when asked," Kirch said. "Someone earned a seat [for this weekend]" Kirch declined to name the rower moving into the number one boat or the rower she is replacing. Also competing this weekend, the Quakers' undefeated novice team may face its greatest challenge of the season thus far, according to coach Susan Hermann. But Hermann stressed that due to the nature of the sport, you can never truly predict how tough competitors will be. "With the right combination or one skill, everything can change," she said. "You never know, especially with novices." According to Hermann, two major factors will affect the Quakers' performance -- synchronization throughout the race and an effective sprint toward the finish. "Togetherness is what makes the boat go fast," Hermann said. She added that the Quakers have been working to develop a "sharper, cleaner catch," which is the group's initiation of each stroke, preferably in unison. Since the novices have won all previous contests by a substantial margin, their speed over the final stretch has been irrelevant. Hermann is expecting this weekend to be different, though, and hopes the Quakers will rise to the occasion should they be challenged in the final minute. The Quakers' other undefeated team, the Varsity Four, may not race in the '89 Plate due to the order of events. Thus far, Penn's top rowers have been doubling in the Four and Eight but focusing primarily on the Eight. "The Four is pretty much the icing on the cake," Lincoln said. "We're having fun with it, but it's not that important." Should the event take place prior to the Eight this weekend, though, Kirch said Penn will not enter so as to save the rowers' energy. "The Eight is our program's priority until sprints," Kirch said.