The Triton men’s crew team shows promise for the 2004 season, boasting a roster large enough for two varsity boats and a novice boat full of both veteran and fresh talent.
“”We’re happy to have two varsity eights [boats] this year with two or three freshmen rowing in them,”” senior team captain Clint Wayland said. “”We were lucky to get a lot of good recruits.””
The first test of the team’s strength will be on Feb. 28 at Newport Harbor in a dual meet with UC Irvine, but the Tritons are keeping the entire season in mind as they train with still more than a month to go until the opener.
First-year head coach Mark Davis is helping the squad prepare for a successful season from the start.
“”The team has a series of goals that they have developed as a team,”” Davis said. “”First, to win the City Championship.””
The April 18 City Championship regatta features UCSD, San Diego State and University of San Diego boats racing in Mission Bay. In the past, San Diego State has had consistently powerful boats at the event, but recent problems within the organization have stunted the power of their varsity eight.
“”The next goal is to make it to the grand finals in the San Diego Crew Classic,”” Davis said.
The two-day Crew Classic will be held on Apr. 3 and Apr. 4 in Mission Bay and holds some fierce competition for UCSD.
“”The Crew Classic is one of the biggest regattas in the country,”” Wayland said. “”It features 300 boats from some of the best rowing schools racing over two days.””
Achieving the team goal of grand finals at the two-day event may be the single greatest challenge for this team. The grand final is the final heat of the regatta in which the top six boats in a field of 21 advance to compete for the title.
“”The last team goal for the season is to medal at the conference championships,”” Davis said.
At the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships on May 1 and May 2, UCSD will be hunting the UC Davis team, which won last year’s WIRA event. Other competition at the regatta will include Orange Coast College and local rivals SDSU and USD.
“”I think last year we finished 10th at WIRA in a field of 18 or 20,”” Davis said.
In addition to the three “”outcome”” goals, the team has developed six goals to maintain throughout the season, all which contribute to solid preparation needed for developing endurance for the upcoming season.
The team is anxious for the return of Eric Hardeman, who was injured for most of last season.
“”He’s really turned around and spent time preparing over the off-season,”” Wayland said. “”He’s doing well.””
Davis also noted the importance of leadership for his team this season.
Coxswains sophomores Shannon Oliver and Zack Moseman will be guiding the Triton eights this spring.
“”I think itas especially important to remember the coxswains in this sport, too,”” Davis said. “”They are the ones responsible for motivation, steering and basically making sure that the boat doesn’t crash.””
