Oarswomen Ready to Ply the Charles

It rained yesterday, and it was cold, but the Crimson women's heavy weight crew took to the murky waters of the Charles at its customary hour.

The oarswomen rather enjoyed the workout; the rain calmed the water, the wind was high, and the prospect of today's season-opening showdown with MIT and Northeastern loomed large.

After a long winter of training and almost four weeks of punishing practice on the Charles, the Crimson heavyweight oarswomen finally get a chance to strut their stuff this morning at 10:40 a.m. And because of the nature of the sport, they won't really have an idea of just how good the squad is until the boat crosses the finish line.

Cool, Calm...

But hopes are high. "Compared to last year, we have more experience--the team is stronger as a whole, and we have quite a bit more potential," third-year coach Carie Graves, who is in training herself for the upcoming Olympics trials at Princeton, said yesterday.

Graves, who graduated from Wisconsin in 1976, guided last season's relatively young crew to a 2-2 record as well as a third-place finish at the Eastern sprints, behind a traditionally strong boat from Yale and her own alma mater.

Having lost only three rowers to graduation, Graves has every right to express optimism. In addition, Yale was decimated by graduation, bidding adieu to eight oarswomen.

Then again, today's race should provide a more concrete preview of the Crimson's chances.

Senior co-captains Kelly Ronan and Karen Spencer agree that the squad is enthusiastic about its potential and is eager to race.

"Our strength is in our length--we have a big crew, and our long strokes allow us to utilize our power," Spencer said yesterday, adding that "we have a tenacious catch." The "catch" refers to putting the blade of the oar into the water.

...and Collected

"Although the training can be a grind, you'd be amazed how fast the winter goes by. The only way we can tell how good we are is by racing," Ronan said.

The only other senior in the boat is powerful stroke (and two-year women's squash captain) Jenny Stone.

Juniors Anne Benton, Katie Kelley and Peggy Stevens join sophomores Tory Laughlin and Kate Butler to round out the lineup.

Junior coxswain Meg Ziegler has the sometimes unenviable task of steering, coaxing, and setting the cadence for the crew.

As Graves says, "There are two strategies for a race--one when you're ahead, the other when it's close."

This spring's Crimson oarswomen undoubtedly prefer the former; they're looking ahead to regattas where they won't have to look ahead at adversary boats.

TODAYS' GAMES

Baseball at Providence, (2), 1 p.m.

Men's lacrosse at Penn, 4 p.m.

Radcliffe heavyweight crew, junior varsity, at MIT and Northeastern, 10:20 a.m.

Radcliffe lightweight and junior varsity vs. MIT, Northeastern. Radcliffe Heavyweight Crew Meg Ziegler '81    Coxswain Jenny Stone '80  Stroke    Karen Spencer '80 4 Anne Benton '81  7    Kelly Ronan '803 Katie Kelley '81  6    Peggy Stevens '812 Tory Laughlin '82  5    Kate Butler '82 Bow