M. Crew looks forward to Frostbite on the Schuylkill

After weeks of racing against the United States and foreign national teams in some of the world's largest regattas, the Penn men's crew team will end its fall season in an appropriate manner -- at home, against mostly local crews, in a small regatta. The Frostbite Regatta and the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta -- this Saturday and Sunday, respectively -- mark the end of the Quakers' short, fall crew season. Collegiate rowing's fall season is different from its official spring season in that no dual meets are held. Instead, crews participate in larger races, often involving high school and national-team crews. Also different is the season's racing format; instead of racing head-to-head for 2000 meters, boats race against the clock in longer three to four mile races. These two final regattas, however, are exceptions. The Frostbite Regatta runs on the Schuylkill's normal 2000 meter course, with crews racing in a head-to-head format. Both Penn's heavyweight and lightweight teams will participate in the event. "It's a good challenge," Penn heavyweight coach Stan Bergman said. "We're glad to have another chance for the guys to have fun racing." The heavyweights will be entering fours and eights only. Due to favorable scheduling, they will attempt to enter many athletes in more than one race. "We're going to try a few different combinations," Bergman said. "Every guy should get a chance to race twice." Penn's lightweights will also be racing most of its athletes two times. However, the team will not be varying each boat's lineup between races. "We made changes after the Head of the Schuylkill," Penn lightweight coach Bruce Konopka said. "So we will keep them throughout the weekend." Also unlike their heavyweight counterparts, the lights will be entering in the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta this Sunday. The race, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is named after a Marietta oarsman who died in a car accident. Proceeds from entry fees are put into a fund which gives a college scholarship to a high school rower each year. Unlike the Frostbite, the Braxton Regatta is only 1500 meters long, a distance typically used in East Coast high school racing. The Quakers will again be racing only fours and eights, but for this regatta the varsity will row in the heavyweight event. This is because of restrictions placed on crews in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. Even for fall regattas, this weekend's racing is considered relaxed. Competition will be mostly local, the course will be shared with high schoolers and the pressure will be off. But you can bet that Penn's oarsman will be pulling as if their competition was again national teams.