Crew Teams Come Alive at Princeton

After a strong showing at the Princeton Chase last weekend, the Columbia rowing squads will have much to look forward to as they glide into the winter months.

Following a mediocre start in their first race of the season two weeks ago, the men’s heavyweight team showed increased intensity and finished fourth out of a field of 43 boats.

“You pull hard and don’t get distracted by the other crews around you,” senior Jason Novick said. “You keep your head in the game and stay consistent.”

The Lions crossed the finish line for the three-mile race in 13:24.347, just milliseconds behind third place Boston University (13:24.203). The host of the race, Princeton, easily won, finishing ten seconds ahead of Yale and twenty seconds ahead of Boston and Columbia.

“Coach [Scott] Alwin’s favorite word is attack,” Novick said. “You pull hard and you row fast.”

The Columbia “B” boat finished in a respectable 20th place; aside from finishing ahead of some schools’ “A” boats, the Lions were the fourth “B” boat to complete the race.

It was also a good weekend for the women’s crew team as the Lions eights placed 25th and 27th in their 2007 fall debut. While their placement was not the best, the team appears to be headed in the right direction as the field was made up of 45 boats.

The Lions’ final appearance this fall will take place on November 11 when the freshmen teams will make their Columbia debut at the Princeton’s Belly of the Carnegie race.

“One thing that was successful about the weekend is that we were mature and aggressive about how we went about it,” Novick said. “But success is measured, it’s all relative.”