Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Despite poor weather, Minutewomen rowing take control

UMass Athletics
UMass Athletics

The Massachusetts women’s rowing team was not to be denied this past Saturday afternoon. Although the weather was poor and the competition fierce, the Minutewomen easily took control and swept all three races against Colgate to earn a dominant victory.

“Despite the rough conditions, I thought both boats raced pretty well,” said UMass coach Jim Dietz. “Normally, the Connecticut River is flat and very conducive to rowing. On Saturday, the wind was blowing big time and there were white caps, so it was very rough water.”

The Lightweight Varsity Eight was largely a competition between the two entered Minutewomen boats. The first sped across the finish line in five minutes, seven seconds, with the second nipping at their heels in 5:08. The third party in the race, the Colgate boat, had issues almost directly out of the gate that put them a few seconds back. The boat had hit a boat-stopping crab, a dip in the waves that slammed them to a halt just 600 meters from the starting line. After regaining their composure and momentum, the Raiders came across in 5:18.

“We changed the lineup [of the Varsity Eight boat], kind of changed the rhythm of the boat, and it just got a lot more aggressive effect out of it,” said Dietz. “We moved up [Kaitlyn MacKenzie] to the stroke seat from the second boat, and we moved [Michaela Streitfield] into the seventh seat.”

There was no major interference from the elements in the Varsity Four competition, but it was still controlled by the Minutewomen. The Varsity Four squad won the race in 5:40. The win continued the squad’s recent run of success as last weekend they won the Yankee Cup against Rhode Island.

The secondary Four boat came across the finish line just a few seconds after in 5:43, while Colgate’s boat brought up the rear in 5:49.

The Minutewomen completed the sweep in the Novice Eight race. As the Colgate counterparts clocked in at 5:18. UMass’ Novice Eight boat was just over one second faster, finishing in 5:15.5.

Entering the race, the Minutewomen were ranked eighth in the country in the USRowing Lightweight Varsity Eight rankings. Last year, the boat earned the ninth spot in each of the final three polls of the season.

This was the only home competition of the season for the Minutewomen.

Next up, the Minutewomen are on to Camden, N.J., where they will compete in the Knecht Cup against 50 schools from across the country including Wisconsin, who are currently ranked third in the Lightweight Varsity Eight and Bucknell, who is currently ranked sixth. The preliminary heats will take place on April 9, with the championship heats taking place the following day.

After that, the Minutewomen will travel to Pennsauken, N.J. for the Atlantic 10 Championships. Last time around, they came in second out of nine teams.

Ben Lambert can be reached at [email protected].

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    SriDec 26, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    We lived on a narrow boat for sevrael years and can tell you it is an experience we are glad we hadYour first port of call should be WHSmiths and start buying all the narrow boat magazines,waterways world,canal boat etc,you will find lots of little bits of info about 12v electrics,locks, maintenance,painting,places to visit and all manner of articles.Get along to the many hundreds of chandlers and boat sales marinas just to get a feel for the life and look around any boats for sale,talk to boaters they will usually give good advice and some tips.You can spend what ever you want on a boat,they come in sevrael catagories,New builds,second hand ,fit outs,ex hire craft etc,New builds are just that ,they can range from about 50k up to well over 120k and are all singing and all dancing craft.second hand will give you loads of scope being between 10k up to 75k,they are just like cars,people move on etc and need to get rid of thier old boat, fit outs are usually just a shell with an engine and the basics,floor,roof sides etc,ex hire craft are the ones that have belonged to hire companies,they are often bashed about by the renters but are usually in good trim.If you have the money get a new build from a reputable boat builder,there are hundreds around the country and unless they have something in stock you could wait for up to 6 months for the boat of your specifications,Second hand are always a good bet,you will need to get a boat safety certificate at about a3400 plus,they should take the boat out of water and do a full inspection,you get a report outlining all the bits that need attention. Buying is simple,you pay the money get insurance and off you go,its that simple,learning to handle a boat should only take an hour or so,learning all the other bits just takes longer.Locks are quite simple but go to a lock near you and just watch what happens,after watching sevrael times you will soon pick it up.When we collected our boat we had never been on one let alone steered one,we had 79 miles to get back to our mooring and 14 locks,we did it without to many problems.we had to take it over the tidal section of the river trent and read a chart but did it anyway.Make a list of what you want from your boat,number of beds,loung size etc,you will usually get a 4ftX6ft bed=double full bathroom and galley with gas bottled cooker,usually the 14 killo gas bottles.the toilet will be either a pumpout(has its own cess that you get pumped out at a marina)or the porta potti type like you get in a caravan.porta potties are more convenient.A wood burniing stove usually in the lounge which will burn coal,wood,paper etc and central heating,ours had 3 radiators.Your mooring will have to be sourced first you can get two types,a resdential mooring where you get your post delivered,you will pay council tax and a rent of up to and over a31000/annum or a berth that just allows you to moor your boat there but not live aboard,they are usually cheaper.There are so many things to find out that if I were to list them all the answer would be sevrael thousand words longJust buy the magazines and get along to some marinas and locks and talk/ask questions.Narrowboating might seam very idyililc but chopping frozen wood at 4 in the morning does take some of the glamour awayIt `s worth it though.we did it and enjoyed all the relaxing riverside drinking we did ,watching the sun go down over the fields with a glass of rum and breathing some fresh air,.All you have to do is do your homework and just DO ITIf you do become a narrowboater you will find that you become very proud of your lifestyle, very protective about it and smile to yourself when you look at all the people in their little brick boxes and realise you have found the answer to escaping the ratrace.. GOOD LUCK!

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