Despite the festivities surrounding this weekend's Navy Day Regatta, the Penn men's heavyweight crew team should be comfortable with this weekend's 6,000-meter race on its home water.
Though strenuous, the competition will be similar to a rigorous practice and give Penn a chance to see whether the training has paid dividends.
"The intensity level of our practices has been very high," Penn junior Jonathan Miller said. "I'm excited for the opportunity to race at Navy Day this week."
Saturday's Navy Day Regatta marks the beginning of the fall racing season for the heavyweights. Men, women, college students, high school students and club rowing programs will come together to race a total of 67 head race events on the Schuylkill River.
The motivation to compete well is strong after a less than satisfactory spring season last year. At the men's Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges finals last year, the freshman eight paced Penn by finishing eighth. The varsity eight finished 12th.
But the Quakers are not going to let past failure taint their hope for future success.
"There is just an incredibly positive atmosphere surrounding this team," Miller said.
This positive attitude has remained strong despite a sometimes difficult preseason. Some members of the team had difficulty passing an hour-long test on the rowing machines that would qualify them to row.
But now, the Quakers are ready to begin measuring the benefits of their hard work.
The weekend's competition will allow the Quakers to begin testing this year's roster and give them a chance to try out various lineups in preparation for the spring racing season.
"Fall is a chance to try different things," Penn coach Stan Bergman said. "We see who can row best in certain seats. We check out the coxswains. We see how they perform."
Of course, the ultimate goal remains constant, despite the lower pressure nature of the fall season.
"We like to compete hard and do well," Bergman said. "It gives the guys a chance to perform in competition."
The fall season will also be an opportunity for the seniors to step into their roles as the elder statesmen of the squad.
"We are always looking to our seniors for leadership," Bergman said. "We'll especially be looking towards our captain Andy Kelly and commodore Ryan Broderick. The leadership should start there and trickle down."
The leaders will look to inspire a strong start and keep the momentum going into the spring season.
"We have to keep the level of intensity at a gear," Bergman said.
And the entire team seems determined to do just that.
"It feels like anything is possible if we just put forth the effort," Miller said. "I think everyone truly believes we can compete at a high level and win this year."
Season Preview Home course: Schuylkill River Last spring: Varsity eight 12th at EARCs Key losses: Hoby Stuart, Brian Beck Key returners: Andrew Kelly, Ryan Broderick, Michael Witalec, Nicholas Munch, Timothy Parks, John Linnehan, James Lederman Key regatta: Head of the Schuylkill, Oct. 25. This race brings many of the top schools in the Northeast.
Player to watch: Andrew Kelly The senior coxswain won a gold medal at this summer's World Rowing Championships in Milan, Italy. Kelly joined with Matt Rich and Dan Beery to defeat Australia by 3.02 seconds in the men's pair with coxswain event. He is one of three seniors from Philadelphia's Saint Joseph's Prep on the Penn heavyweight crew team this year.
