2007 Season Preview - University of Central Florida

I make a lot of guesses (educated, I hope) and assumptions (as some of you have pointed out with disdain) when I post here, and last year's UCF preview was no different. I wrote, "UCF will be a team to watch this spring... I have no doubt that UCF will belong at IRAs this year and I expect they'll be ready to put on a good show." I sure do love when a crew makes me look smart; it happens so rarely! If anything UCF showed that I might not have been optimistic enough. In a hyper-competitive field last year, the Golden Knights made the IRA grand final and finished fifth. UCF actually made the grand final in 2004 but, just to give you an idea of how much the category changed in two years, they finished sixth that year, 37 seconds behind champion Wisconsin. Last year in fifth place they were only 12 seconds back.

Well, this is a new year and we're about to see if UCF can sustain their momentum or if they'll be a one-hit wonder. A quick look at the roster suggests that six rowers and the coxswain from last year's IRA boat will be back to begin the season on March 3rd (yes, that's in 2 weeks!). On the 3rd, UCF heads to Winter Park for the Metro Cup which I think amounts to a dual with Rollins. Two weeks later, on the 17th, is the Rollins Tri-Meet back in Winter Park. Last year the lights raced Jacksonville and Georgia heavyweights, beating both. On the 24th is the Petrakis Cup, a race which I think is all heavyweights. Given that it looks like UCF's only home race of the season, the lights will probably get in some racing.

[Update: A reader posted a comment saying that 6 UCF lightweights and a coxswain will be racing with the heavyweights this season, leaving only 2 rowers to return from the IRA boat. If this holds true throughout the season, that will be quite depressing. Question: will cannibalizing a fast lightweight boat that has a chance for a national championship result in slow lightweights and moderately faster, but still not nationally competitive, heavyweights? As long as the heavyweights don't make the NCAAs, the lightweights can move into the light eight for IRAs (if they go to NCAAs, those lightweights cannot race again). This will make that boat faster, but not as fast as it could be if it were together all season. The NCAA strikes again.]

April opens with a race I'm already excited about - UCF, Princeton, and MIT at Princeton. (Radcliffe is also listed on the UCF schedule, but I think they're racing elsewhere.) This race is followed a week later by a trip out to California for the Windermere Classic. The schedule isn't clear, but I assume the lights are going and they'll meet up with at least Princeton and Stanford. The month finishes with the SIRA Championships, a regatta with a light four event but no light eight. For UCF I think this is a heavyweight evolution, as is May's South/Central Regionals. UCF's next real lightweight race will come at IRAs.

Although it's not alone, UCF plays a bit of a risky game by forgoing Knecht for Windermere. It will only see Princeton, MIT, and Stanford before racing at IRAs. The Windermere/Knecht conflict causes the Knecht field to split this year and, although I like to see regattas with all of the contenders racing, I think Windermere is a much better venue for high quality lightweight racing. Winderemere treats competitors like royalty, while at Knecht sometimes you feel like a parking problem. I also think that fast non-west coast crews racing at Windermere helps to grow the sport in the west. The downside, of course, is that it's a long and expensive trip for east coast crews.

Although I only occasionally get a look inside the programs I cover here, some of them seem to have a specific personality. For me, UCF is one of those. I don't think any crew has more fun rowing than UCF. Maybe I'm dead wrong and every practice ends with a cat fight, but I doubt it. When I see UCF on paper, on screen, or on the water, I'm Here for the Party! pops into my head. I can't say why, but it does. The thing is, it's only a party if you're winning.

Yeah, I think UCF is here for the party.

(Disclaimer: FITD does not endorse the sentiments expressed in this song...)

(Calendar updated)