Bucknell's Methods and Lightweight Rowing

Observers of women's lightweight rowing have to be wondering today what Bucknell's method of having heavyweights drop to lightweight for IRAs will mean for other programs. As I mentioned before, I was told that last year's Bucknell light eight had problems with weight. Bucknell's solution, apparently, was to race them as heavyweights and only require them to drop weight three times during the season (presumably timed for lulls in the competitive schedule).

I find two serious problems with this. First, Bucknell, which could lead the lightweight community, has instead chosen to use the lightweight community. While other programs spend the time and money necessary to create separate programs and race schedules separate from their heavies, Bucknell does none of that and simply goes pot hunting at IRAs. It's obvious, but worth saying, that if every other lightweight crew did what Bucknell does, there would be no lightweight league and no IRA championship. There would be no Dad Vail, Windermere, Knecht Cup, Crew Classic, ECAC (oops, that's already gone with Bucknell racing only heavyweights there), or Sprints lightweight events. While other programs put their blood, sweat, and money where their mouths are, Bucknell apparently sees the lightweight category as simply another way to burnish resumes.

Bucknell's manipulation of the category is further highlighted by the fact that last year, when the student newspaper was writing about the "light eight," the coaches asked the paper not to refer to them as lightweights, but to call them the "2V." Is this a program that supports lightweight rowing?

The second problem with the Bucknell method, is that the strategy of dropping heavyweights for key lightweight races is exactly the kind of thing for which the category is criticized and which the NCAA finds unsavory. Clearly the leaders of the lightweight category also find this unsettling. Last year, when I repeated the false rumor that in 2004 Wisconsin dropped two heavyweights into the light eight for IRAs, it was met with instantaneous and emphatic denial from the Badgers. UCF, although actually racing a lightweight schedule, was faced with the same opportunity as Bucknell to pull down some of their heavies into the light eight, but chose not to. For better or worse, the coaches there made the decision to allow their rowers to race in only one category. With Bucknell, however, we have a national champion who may not even field a lightweight eight next year. Will they have enough lightweights and near-lightweights to field a full eight? Will they be fast? If not, will they enter anyway in support of the category or will they take their ball and go home?

Let me quote instructions that went out from the CRCA lightweight committee with last year's new weigh-in rules:

The goal of the weigh-in documentation is to ensure that crews racing at the collegiate lightweight women's National Championship have been racing as lightweights with consistency throughout the season.

Clearly this procedure failed this year, and one must wonder if it needs to
be revised for next year.

While we're at it, let's dispose of the silly notion, put forth both last year and this, that Bucknell somehow makes faster lightweights by racing them as heavyweights. Any athlete would know this is spurious - it doesn't matter what your opponent is, it matters how fast your opponent is. Perhaps those making the argument are suggesting that no lightweights exist fast enough to challenge Bucknell, yet that was obviously not true last year, and this year when Bucknell raced the Princeton lights, a crew that just pushed them to the limit, they raced heavyweights. Is that supporting the category?

Bucknell is at a crossroads; it can become a leader of lightweight women's rowing or it can continue to ride on the back of the programs that actually do support and maintain the sport.

What's it gonna be?

Lightweight Rankings

As alert readers have noted, the lightweight women's Coaches' Poll has been released. I don't think there are any real surprises among the top 10, with the top five being Princeton, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Radcliffe, and UCF. Bucknell comes in at 6th, and this highlights a difference between the poll and what I try to do on FITD. On FITD I try to rank crews as they race through the season. For that reason I can't slot in a crew that hasn't raced other boats in the top 10, like Bucknell. The poll, as I understand it, is really a current view of how the coaches think the season will end up. Although we don't know if Bucknell will race the IRA, if they do we all suspect the boat will be fast. Hence, they get ranked in the coaches' poll, but not here.

The coaches seem to agree that Stanford's 2006 was an aberration and they're back. Oddly enough Marist, which I don't think will be racing a light eight this year, comes in at 15. While not ranked, Tulsa, which only raced a four, received some votes for an eight. Removing those two crews, however, still gives us 21 boats that received votes in the poll. That's a lot of boats! I know, I know, the speed varies widely among those boats, but growing numbers isn't a bad place to start. Compare that to the DII poll - and those boats have their own NCAA championship.



I think that I will turn over the rankings in my sidebar to you, the readers, competitors, and coaches. If I can have a poll here at the season start (as I did), midway through, and just before IRAs, I think that would be more meaningful than my own opinion. For this to work, we need to follow an honor code which says, vote once, vote for all ten places, and vote your head, not your heart. I think you'll do that, and that will give us the best poll in rowing. I start to run out of space, but I'll do it for fours as well, maybe a week later.


Speaking of Bucknell, last year when I questioned Bucknell's policy of not racing their light eight against lightweights (other than one race), but racing against heavyweight jayvees, I was reprimanded a bit and told they did it because there wasn't enough competition in the lightweight league. Neighbors Georgetown, Radcliffe, Princeton, et al. didn't seem to have that problem, but ok, let's go with it. Now comes this year and I'm struggling to reconcile what is happening with last year's explanation. This year Bucknell races the top ranked lightweight eight in the nation, but boats only heavyweights. Is Princeton not competition for the Bucknell lights? Then how can they be competition for the heavies? Do the lights beat the heavies? Then, Bucknell races Temple's lights, and boats a light eight. Temple is not in the top 15 of a league that Bucknell has complained offers no competition. I struggle to understand. Maybe it's this - Bucknell's lights had no competition last year so they raced heavies. Bucknell's heavies have too much competition this year so they race lights. Is that it? How then, do we explain the Temple lightweight race?

Look, I'd rather see Bucknell jump into IRAs at the end of the season than skip it. But what I'd really rather see is some lightweight leadership from the Bucknell administration. With some of the best lightweight athletes and one of the fastest boats in the country, the Bison should be an example of how to strengthen the category, not how to game the system. As once great lightweight events languish for lack of entries at the San Diego Crew Classic (life support), Dad Vail (life support), and ECAC (dead), I fear someone is using, not supporting, the category to burnish a resume.

Saturday Races

Although UCF may have suspected psychological warfare, the Golden Knights arrived in Princeton earlier in the week to a swirling snow squall. For some, it was their first glimpse of the white stuff. Unfortunately for both UCF and MIT the reception never really got warmer.

Although the results aren't yet posted, a reader wrote in to say that Princeton won the V8 race by several lengths open, followed by UCF in second, a length ahead of Princeton's 2V in third, which was a length ahead of MIT. Princeton's freshmen beat two MIT frosh boats (great situation for the Engineers to have two frosh boats), despite catching a boat stopping crab during the race. The first heat of the afternoon fours race was taken by Princeton while the second, and faster, heat was won by MIT with Princeton second and UCF third.

This was a race that had a little bit for everyone. Princeton was strong and maintained it's status as favorite. A young UCF crew beat MIT and jumps them in the rankings. MIT showed that they can still put together a formidable four, while the eight is likely suffering from that most curable of problems - early season conditioning. Princeton's 2V, meanwhile, shows that if it were a separate school, it would deserve a ranking easily in the top ten.

In Rhode Island, Radcliffe raced in the 2v event against Bucknell, URI, and BC, finishing fourth. A difficult two weekends for the Black and White as after losing to Georgetown last week, the 1V finishes 20 seconds behind a Bucknell 2V that only beat Princeton's lightweight 2V by a little more than 3 seconds. The Radcliffe frosh continued their dominating ways as they defeated URI and BC heavy freshmen. Bucknell, in what looked like a potential IRA boat, put a light eight on the water for the 3V race, which included Radcliffe's 2V. Bucknell beat the Black and White by 30 seconds (and the URI 3V by 15). It would be nice to see a Bucknell lightweight eight race someone in the top ten so we can see their speed and get them ranked.

With such a dominating freshman boat and a varsity that is struggling a bit, it wouldn't be surprising to see a freshman or two move up to the varsity. It would be unfortunate for that freshman crew, but it's all about the V8.

Duals this weekend

Two more Sprints schools swing into action this weekend as Radcliffe travels to Georgetown and Princeton welcomes Bucknell.

On Saturday Radcliffe and Georgetown battle over the Class of 2004 Cup. And I do mean battle. Radcliffe is looking for revenge and Georgetown is ready to prove that 2006 was no fluke. The Harvard Crimson article I linked to previously plays right into these themes:

The Radliffe lightweights will look to avenge this late-season turn-for-the-worse in the coming weekend against those very Hoyas.

Next Saturday, the Black and White will travel to Georgetown for the first meet of its young season, and, more importantly, for its first chance at redemption.

Having failed to win an IRA national championship over the past ten years, defeats such as the ones incurred at the hands of the Hoyas and Wisconsin last year are striking setbacks.

But these challenges motivate the squad, and, with the spring season about to begin, the team is ready.

The fact is, Radcliffe is strong this year, and could very well dominate the entire league, not just Georgetown.

Then again, shall we just stop taking the Hoyas for granted right now? This was the second place team in the nation - a position earned, not given. Last year was a breakthrough season and this race will be the first opportunity for Georgetown to state, once and for all, that it was only the beginning. Second was great, once. Now it's on to the championship, and the trip begins Saturday.

On Sunday, Princeton takes on Bucknell. We don't know if it will be a lightweight or a heavyweight Bucknell boat. Rumors still persist that the Bison will only race heavyweights until the IRAs, but the last Bucknell press release stated that the "lightweights" will be racing at Princeton. I've asked Bucknell for some clarification, but I haven't yet received a response.

For the Tigers, however, it doesn't really matter if it's the heavyweights or the lightweights, because a crew that hopes to win IRAs must beat either boat. While there is almost no way to actually compare speed, I think you can make a pretty good case for saying that the lightweight IRA champion is faster than the Dad Vail heavyweight champion. Bucknell heavies were in the petites the last two years, but even if you assume they win Dad Vail this year (although it's not on their schedule), Princeton must be faster if they want to be on track for an IRA championship. This will be a nice race for Princeton and given that it's early in the season (when brute force often dominates skill), this could be a bit of a see-saw battle.

As for Bucknell's plans for the rest of the season, we'll know a little bit more when we see who races at Princeton. [Update: See comment for an interesting take on this.]

2007 Season Preview - Bucknell University

As we preview Bucknell, we enter the rarefied air of the IRA grand final. With a 6th place finish at IRAs last year, Bucknell is coming off its finest season ever. With 6 of the 8 IRA rowers returning, this spring brings both high expectations and high potential.

Bucknell gets its first taste of action on its spring training trip in Georgia, as they're scheduled to race Alabama on March 10th. Alabama does race lightweights, but it's more likely Bucknell will come out as the 2V for this race. Two weeks later, on March 24th, the Bison head to Philadelphia for the Murphy Cup which will no doubt see the lightweights racing again as a 2V boat. On March 31st Georgetown is on the schedule in Philadelphia. Georgetown's schedule isn't out yet so it's not clear if this is a heavyweight or lightweight race. If the lights go at it, this would be a fantastic early season matchup as Bucknell tests its progress while Georgetown will try to assert its dominance. I have a funny feeling this will be only heavyweights, but it would be a great opportunity for both schools to get their full squads racing together.

After Georgetown comes a race at Princeton on April Fool's Day. Last year Bucknell had an excellent race on Lake Carnegie which turned out to be a good measure of the Bison's potential. I suspect Princeton will be ready for this race this year. The next weekend Bucknell heads to Rhode Island to race URI and Boston College. If URI can put out a light eight this would be another nice opportunity to get both teams racing together, but that seems unlikely. The next two weekends are William Smith at home and Princeton/Penn/Dartmouth at Princeton. These are heavyweight races and any lightweight action will be as a 2V boat. On April 28th a race against Penn State and Susquehanna at home is listed, followed by the Patriot League Championship on the 29th. I doubt the same boats will be racing both events so we'll probably see the lights racing as a 2V boat again at Patriots.

On May 5th are ECAC Metros. I still don't know the difference between ECACs and ECAC Metros, but I think we can guess that Bucknell will race again as a 2V boat. The IRAs come along at the end of the month.

In a schedule loaded with heavyweight races and frequent relegation to 2V status, The Bison get in at least one excellent lightweight race against top competition at Princeton, and possibly a second against Georgetown in Philadelphia. Other than the Princeton race, however, we learn little about Bucknell until IRAs. This year will be more informative than last, however, because we know how the boat did against 2V competition last year compared to how it eventually fared at IRAs. A noticeable absence on this schedule is Dad Vails, although Bucknell typically raced as a 2V, preferring to shoot for a JV heavyweight medal rather than a varsity lightweight medal. This absence is interesting, however, because there is no other race on the schedule for Dad Vail weekend.

Bucknell has made great strides over the past several years. In only its second year at IRAs (its first was 2004), the Bison made the grand final and beat the eventual silver medalists in the heat. In my season preview last year, I said that "I also expect Bucknell to make a run at IRAs." Of course, making a run this year is a given and as long as there is no loss of focus on the lightweights, I think the Bison should be challenging for a medal. (Calendar updated.)

(For the voyeur in you, take a look at some Bucknell erg times. Some of the lightweights raced as heavies.)

Bucknell's Sculling

In Bucknell's first Coach's Corner installment, Coach Stephen Kish discusses his fall sculling program. The Bison scull two weeks, followed by a week of sweep in fours. Maybe we can call this the holistic approach to rowing, but whatever we call it, I think it's great. Sculling, which by it's nature is done in small boats, teaches a rower boat feel and the importance of technique. If you can't scull well, no amount of hammering the catch will make up for it. While pure hammers may get away with their gymnastic rowing style for a time in an eight, when a championship is on the line, gymnasts lose. Sculling teaches you how not to be a gymnast. Lightweights in particular should want to scull because summer and post-collegiate rowing for lightweights is all sculling.

Bucknell Media Guide

Bucknell's media guide is out and there are some good things happening there. There is an exception, which I've discussed before, and it rears it's head in the guide. Assistant coach Sera Coppolino is lauded for bringing the Second Varsity Eight to new heights last season. Second Varsity is Bucknell speak for varsity lightweights. In one paragraph we go, without explanation, from reading about the 2V heavy(?) eight racing the Princeton lights to the lightweight eight turning in its best ever performance at IRAs. Later in the guide we learn that the 2V "transitioned from its regular-season status to the lightweight eight in order to compete at the IRA National Championship." I guess there are no regular season lightweights? You'd have to read FITD to know what the heck they're talking about. Well, I had my rant about that last season so let's move on to the good stuff, because there's plenty. Bucknell did have a great season last year and Coach Coppolino gets some well deserved kudos.

The Guide also tells us that Bucknell began sculling last year and will do so again this year. They added 10 sculling boats last fall! This is a great move for Bucknell, as it would be for any program because it is so beneficial for technique development. It's particularly good for lightweights since any post-collegiate rowing will be sculling. There are actually regattas to race sculling boats in the fall so it's a great time to break them out.

The Guide also includes an athlete journal which is written by Caitlin Doolin, last year's stroke of the light eight. Oops, sorry. The journal is about Dad Vails so that would be pre-transition and she would have only been in the 2V.

Bucknell has seven lightweight recruits entering this fall and they are expected to have "an immediate impact on the Varsity Lightweight Eight." (I guess these rowers were recruited for the lightweight 1V, not the heavyweight 2V?)

Bucknell's lightweights are coming off a great 2006 season and are the most successful program in the Bucknell boathouse. They've got good recruits coming in who will add speed to last year's young V8. One thing this Guide tells us is that the Bison aren't standing still.

O Bucknell Where Art Thou?

Some readers have noted the absence of Bucknell from the lightweight eight event at Dad Vails. Bucknell‚'s light eight was there, of course, but it was competing as a junior varsity eight as it has nearly all season. When Bucknell announced a strong group of lightweight recruits for the Class of 2009, it looked like the school was poised to become a leader in women's lightweight rowing. Dad Vail, unfortunately, showed that its priorities remain firmly with the heavyweights. No one can say if the Bisons would have won the light eight if they entered, but my guess is they would have at least been second and certainly would have given Dayton a run for their money. (No use comparing times, because I don't think Dayton was pushed as hard as Bucknell in their respective finals.) In my view then, Bucknell chose to trade at least a varsity lightweight silver medal for a junior varsity heavyweight silver medal. That says it all, doesn't it?

I suspect that Bucknell has some good reasons for racing the lights as junior varsity, but I have at least two major objections to this practice. The first is that it makes the lightweights second-class citizens. Literally, it makes them second varsity citizens. The Bucknell lightweight eight is one of the fastest light eights in the country. The talented athletes in that boat are not second anythings, they're first varsity lightweights. They're not cute little heavyweights. Jordan Bice not withstanding, they may very well be the best athletes on the Bucknell squad, yet every week they have to tell their parents and friends they are the junior varsity. This is demeaning to lightweight rowing.

Secondly, this practice makes US lightweight rowing look weaker and less robust than it actually is. The more boats racing lightweight every week, the stronger the category becomes. It's self-perpetuating. As more programs see more lightweight competition, they're more likely to field lightweight boats. Conversely, if schools see less competition, they're less likely to race lightweights. Granted, Bucknell is only one school, but because it's a fast boat it would add a lot to the quality of the field. Yes, the Bisons will be there at IRAs, but that's not enough. If you're going to have a light eight, race a light eight.

Let me try to anticipate a couple of reasons for Bucknell's practice. First, would be the desire to win the Patriot League, which doesn't have a light eight. Clearly that's an important goal at Bucknell, one they accomplished this year, but which only requires one race as a JV boat. I can't believe that racing the Wisconsin, Radcliffe, or Georgetown lights wouldn't prepare them for racing junior varsity at Patriots. Another reason may be the desire to win the points trophy at Dad Vail. My contention is that no one cares about points trophies except coaches, athletic directors, and the NCAA. Points trophies only give the V8 winners more to brag about, or give the V8 losers a reason to say, "Yeah, but..." Unfortunately, the fact that ADs care makes it difficult for coaches to ignore them.

I see a big missed opportunity here. The Bucknell coaches have done an outstanding job developing that program into a national contender. There are excellent athletes in the program that would be a credit to any other crew in the country. Right now, today, the school can take a leadership position in women's lightweight rowing, or it can continue to let others do the heavy lifting. As an example, UCF, while not perfect, has chosen to lead. They race their lightweights as lightweights throughout the season, even taking them across the country to race when the heavies are somewhere else. Yes, they still pull lightweights into the heavyweight boat if they can make it faster, but they see their lightweights as first varsity athletes, not little second varsity heavyweights.

There are no doubt many other schools racing lightweights as junior varsity, but because of the high quality of Bucknell's lights, they are the most visible. They're scheduled to race IRAs and they'll be fast. My wish is that after that regatta they go back to the Patriot League, show them how a program can become national contenders with a little focus, and talk the other schools into starting lightweight programs. The athletes have shown themselves to be lightweight racers, now it's time for Bucknell to show itself to be a lightweight advocate.

Bucknell to Princeton - We're Walking on You

A Bucknell rower's journal revels in life as the underdog while highlighting a closing speed gap between the Bisons and Princeton. It looks like Bucknell gained a lot of confidence from their race against Princeton last weekend, which pointed out a shrinking gap between the top three crews and the rest of the top ten. Bucknell will not be racing at the Knecht Cup so they won't know if they can shrink that gap further this weekend.

Bucknell's Erg Armageddon

The results of Bucknell's Erg Armageddon are out - check out the lightweight times. I know it's old school of me to say this, but whenever you look at erg scores just remember, ergs don't float.

2006 Season Preview - Bucknell University

The next season preview should be UCSB, but their coach tells me they won't be racing lightweights this season. Instead, rather than skip a spot, I'll cover a team that didn't have much national impact last year, but which I expect to have some this year - Bucknell.

Bucknell opens their season March 25 at the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia. Last year there was only a lightweight four event, although I suspect that some lightweight programs entered the heavyweight events. The lightweights, then, may have a chance to race there. This regatta is followed by a home race against Penn State, but the lightweights won't be there. It's too bad that doesn't work out because Penn State made some noise in the fall, winning the Head of the Occoquan and the Philly Frostbite. The competition may have been a bit suspect there, but a Bucknell/Penn State lightweight eight race would be a good early season race. Instead, though, the Bucknell lightweights travel to Princeton. That's a tough way to start the season. The Bisons are getting serious about lightweight rowing and this is one way to find out where they stand. I wouldn't be surprised to see close race here. Early in the season crews come along at different rates, often trying to peak at different times, and with differing goals for early races. (No one's goal, however, is to lose.) By the way, the schedule doesn't list the freshmen as traveling to Princeton. The Bucknell frosh boat that did so well at the Head of the Schuylkill contained mostly lightweights so a frosh lightweight race at Princeton could provide a surprise.

On April 8 is the Lake Wheeler Invitational. Last year this regatta had a light four race, but that was it. I can't tell if the lightweights are going to this or not. The next likely race for lightweights will be a home race with Buffalo. Last year Buffalo raced both a lightweight four and a lightweight eight so this should be more competition. At the end of the month is the Patriot League Championships, which do not have lightweight events. It's not clear to me why, though, since both Bucknell and Lehigh will be there, as will Holy Cross which considers racing lightweights every now and then.

May brings the Championship Season with Dad Vails, followed by IRAs in June. In UCF's absence, I expect Bucknell and Dayton to duke it out at Dad Vail. I may revise that opinion if someone like URI shows up, or Lehigh or OSU shows some real speed, but that's the way I see it right now. I also expect Bucknell to make a run at IRAs.

Bucknell is Serious

Bucknell raced 7 frosh eights at the Head of the Schuylkill! The top eight, which finished 8th, contained all five lightweight recruits, suggesting that it was a lightweight boat. An impressive result since they beat other Bucknell boats that contained some of the 12 recruited heavyweights. It's not clear if the V8 was all heavyweights or if it contained some lightweights.

If Bucknell can boat 7 frosh eights, they must have healthy lightweight and heavyweight freshmen teams. These guys will be a power in the spring, certainly in freshman events if not in varsity as well.

Bucknell is Building Its Lightweight Program

Bucknell Women's Rowing Announces 20-Person Recruiting Class

Five of the 20 members of the Class of '09 are lightweights. Bucknell has had a very successful lightweight program over the last few years, winning at Dad Vail in 2003 and placing second in 2004. In typical fashion, when the eight won in 2003, the headline of the news release on the Bucknell athletic Web site reads, "Bucknell Women's Crew Places Second at Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia." The heavy eight, of course, placed second, while the lightweights just, well, won a gold medal! Bucknell had no lightweights at Dad Vail in 2005. I wonder what happened? Especially odd since they recruited lightweights this year. No matter, it looks like they're building the program now. I don't know why more schools like Bucknell don't boat lightweight crews. They're much more likely to find athletic lightweights than athletic heavyweights and the lightweight field is more open making serious success more attainable.