If the fall season can be considered the adolescent phase of their yearlong trek to Eastern Sprints, then the Penn heavyweight crew team is taking full advantage of its opportunity to experiment.
After the rhythm of the varsity eight boat fell apart a third of the way into the Head of the Charles race last weekend, it became apparent that a change in strategy was necessary for the Quakers.
"We're going to try and row at a lower rating so we don't end up spinning our wheels," junior seven-seat Jonathan Miller said.
Miller's position in the boat reveals that the Quakers are not just trying a new racing strategy, they will also be trying out a new lineup tomorrow at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, one of the biggest one-day regattas in the world. The varsity eight will race at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow.
The new lineup will compete with limited experience together, having rowed as a group since the sudden switch at Wednesday's practice. Nevertheless, expectations remain high.
"It feels like there's a lot of potential for speed," Miller said.
That potential comes from a shift in the way the lineup was determined.
Often in the fall, the varsity eight boat is comprised of the men who perform the best on "erg tests" -- those that pull the fastest scores on indoor rowing machines get put in the top boat.
However, since the issue last Saturday was not power but rather the ability to move the boat cohesively, the new lineup was determined based on pure technical skill. While they may have lost some raw power, they could gain speed.
Often, a heavier athlete can use his greater leverage to pull a faster erg score but might not be able to pull his own weight as effectively on the water.
In addition, a boat of rowers pulling together, even with less power, is going to move faster than a boat where the strength of each individual sweeper works against the motion of the others. The Quakers are trying to take advantage of that fact this weekend.
While there is no guarantee of success for the new lineup, the change will certainly be an integral part of the learning process that the Quakers are undergoing in the fall season. They are committed to exploring any and all changes necessary to win. Senior Eric Janec is even switching the side he rows on to accommodate the recent lineup change.
"It's a process," said junior John Linnehan, who recently moved up to Janec's bow seat in the varsity eight.
The Quakers' commitment to learning from their mistakes helps the rowers to maintain an optimistic attitude.
"The morale is not really down," Miller said. "We're still positive, excited. Nothing has changed due to our performance."
