Since We Had So Much Fun With a Video Yesterday...

I thought I'd highlight a few more! At Windermere last month, Jamco interviewed a few of the participating coaches. The only lightweight coach interviewed was UCF's Andy Derrick. You can see his interview here (embedding has been disabled). Coach Derrick states that UCF is committed to building the lightweight program, and notes that this year's light eight crew is young, which holds promise for next year.

Also interviewed was Arizona State heavyweight head coach, Emily Cole. Mostly heavyweight stuff, but Coach Cole does mention the Princeton 2V when she expresses her uncertainty of what the outcome might be of her crew's race with the Tigers. (As you may recall, Princeton won, as ASU finished just ahead of the maneuvering Cal lightweights.)

Radcliffe Frosh Get Their Due; UCF, Not So Much

The Harvard Crimson published an article on the Radcliffe freshman light eight. It's a nice story with a couple of interesting points - the boat is comprised of all [six] recruits [a reader notes the article got this wrong], keeping the boat together is part of the Radcliffe way, and only one rower from the varsity eight graduates this year.

I think it's pretty significant that Radcliffe was able to bring in eight recruits this year. It obviously bodes well for the future of the program. When these freshmen mix in with the varsity next year, most of whom return, a pretty fast boat should result.

UCF, meanwhile, published a presser on the women's rowing team. In this case, however, it's really the heavyweight women's rowing team. It's a nice story about the recognition they're getting this year, but never mentions the lightweights. Not a problem if it wasn't for the fact that the heavies are treated as the whole team.

This story leads to the dark underside of the NCAA's involvement with rowing - the distorted boat priorities. Several of last year's fast lightweights have been brought into the heavyweight group. I haven't followed the heavies, but I believe one or two lights have been in the 1V. One might think that the others, who are spending time in the 2V or lower, would get released back to the lights to make a run at a national championship at IRAs. Thanks to the NCAA championship format, however, the program is forced to prioritize the heavy 2V above the light 1V, keeping the lightweight rowers out of the lightweight boat. Maybe you're thinking that it won't be a problem for IRAs since the heavies' season will be over by then? Sorry, if UCF heavies go to NCAAs, as it looks like they will, by NCAA rules those rowers who attend will not be allowed to race in another championship. It's sad to see a boat that had a real chance at challenging for a medal at IRAs torn apart simply to fill out a 2V so UCF can bring an entire team to NCAAs.

Just another example of how the NCAA works for the good of all female college athletes.

Windermere Crew Classic - Princeton Wins, But It's Stanford's Regatta

While the rest of the lightweight league warred on the East Coast, Stanford, LMU, and Cal welcomed Princeton and UCF to the West.

On Saturday morning Stanford handled LMU with an 18 second win, followed by a reprise of the Princeton victory over UCF, this time by 25 seconds. The afternoon races resulted in Stanford defeating UCF by 25 seconds, while Princeton knocked off LMU by 21. Wow! What better set-up for a Sunday Princeton-Stanford showdown could there be?

At the 500 meter mark of that Sunday showdown, the Tigers were out to a 3 second lead, and spectators could be forgiven for expecting a comfortable Princeton victory. It was not to be, however, as the Tigers only picked up another second and a half by the 1k mark, and then watched the Cardinal slowly move back. Princeton won the race, but by a mere 3 seconds, with Stanford turning in a faster final 1000 meters. It was hard to see much detail on the Web cast, but in the last 500, over which Stanford was a second faster, it looked like Princeton was struggling to get out of their puddles while Stanford maintained their length. Last year I believed it was UCF who would come roaring back from a less than ideal season the prior year, and this year I've said that it would be Stanford. It looks like I was right.

Also on Sunday, UCF and LMU, both holding 0 and 2 records at the regatta, met for the final lightweight eight showdown. In a race led by UCF the whole way, the Golden Knights defeated LMU by 10 seconds. Both of these crews came into Windermere and ran into buzz saws in the forms of Princeton and Stanford. They rowed well, but the Tigers and Cardinal were just too strong. In LMU's case, they competed against three of the top crews in lightweight rowing and acquitted themselves well.

The Princeton 2V was also at Windermere and finally got that race against Cal's heavyweight 3V. Cal jumped out to a 6 second lead by 500 meters and only gradually lengthened it from there, ultimately winning by 20 seconds. It was a tough row for Princeton as they faced a head wind which was an advantage for Cal the Tigers could ill afford to give up.

In the Princeton 2V's second race, on Sunday, they faced the Cal lightweights and Arizona State. Sam Chang, who wrote the Windermere preview on row2k, told me that ASU brought 4 lightweight rowers and their entire heavyweight boat with them, so the boat faced by Cal and Princeton was at least half heavyweights. This was the three boat demolition derby race with Cal, in lane zero, the most likely to run into trouble. Although the race ran off schedule so the results aren't listed, spotters tell me Princeton had an open water lead by the bridge, with Cal and ASU locked in a tight battle behind. Princeton maintained and lengthened its lead, winning by a couple of lengths open, with the Cal - ASU duel uncertain. Cal had to maneuver through the bridge so they clearly had a disadvantage, but whatever the outcome, the Golden Bears raced down a heavyweight crew from ASU, a nice result for a boat that hasn't had a lot of time together this season. Princeton's 2V, meanwhile, apparently put together a good race and showed their speed.

At the end of the day, a Stanford light four dominated a Cal light four, winning by 57 seconds.

With Stanford's resurgence Princeton begins to look vulnerable and the West Coast begins to become a larger factor in lightweight rowing. Princeton flies back east knowing they have yet to find the answer, and Stanford goes home with a new confidence and the understanding that by IRAs they should be contending for a medal. This result, combined with that from Knecht, makes me rethink the relative strength of the top crews. While I still believe Princeton is capable, I think Wisconsin is once again the crew to beat and that Stanford is in the top three. Next week's Princeton-Georgetown dual will tell us more, with the Stanford, Georgetown, Wisconsin, OSU race in two weeks looming especially large.

Windermere Crew Classic Preview

Racing this weekend will be overshadowed by the Knecht Cup and, to a lesser extent, by the Windermere Crew Classic. We'll start with Windermere in Redwood Shores, California. This is a regatta at which the participants are treated like queens and kings, particularly the out-of-towners. In some cases (all?) local Windermere real estate offices pick visiting teams to cheer for and root for those crews all weekend. Those of us who have rowed on the West Coast know that it's a great place to be and I hope the region develops more lightweight teams in the coming years.

For our purposes the racing kicks off on Saturday at 1108 as Stanford takes on LMU, followed by a reprise of Princeton vs UCF. I'll start off by saying that I think Stanford will be a lot faster than most people expect. They clearly toyed with the other crews at the Crew Classic and after a pretty crummy spring last year, the Cardinal will be ready to strut their stuff. LMU has a good boat this year (I think significantly faster than other years, if they get all their best lightweights in it), but they'll have their hands full. I'm not saying this will be a blowout, but I think Stanford will take this one. Princeton and UCF just raced last week and although the Golden Knights probably got faster over the week, I don't think it's enough time to make up 20 seconds. For UCF to have a chance here the Tigers have to have a bad row and UCF needs a great row.

At 1226 Princeton's 2V is scheduled to take on the Cal heavyweight 3V. Cal's heavyweights are currently ranked 5th in the nation so although the schedule says 3V, I assume this boat can hammer. I bet Cal is talking about not embarrassing the little lightweights. This matchup was also scheduled last year, but never took place; hopefully this year is different. Prediction? I have no idea, but this could be the most intense lightweight race of the regatta. I'd love to get a picture of these two crews lined up next to each other!

Saturday evening the crews switch as Stanford takes on UCF and Princeton battles LMU. Last year UCF went west for the Pacific Coast Championships looking for revenge against a Stanford crew that just beat them at the IRA. The tables are turned this year as it's Stanford's turn to prove they're contenders. This should be one of the more exciting races at the regatta. A good win by Stanford might make some Tigers lose sleep Saturday night. First, of course, Princeton needs to get by LMU. Just as with UCF, LMU will need a great race while Princeton has a bad one to see an upset here.

Sunday begins with the Princeton 2V taking on Arizona State. This will be some good racing experience for ASU, but I expect Princeton to take this one. At 1130 Stanford takes on Princeton followed by LMU vs UCF. If you can only make it to the race course one day, make it Sunday (ooooh, except maybe for that Princeton2V - Cal heavy 3V matchup). This is a big race for Stanford as they'll take on the current top ranked lightweight boat in the country. If Princeton lives up to its billing, it will be a difficult task for the Cardinal, but it's because of that "if" that we race. A better race than some might expect, but Princeton should win. The LMU - UCF race will be a dog fight. Easties (and Stanford) are used to LMU being a gimme, but that won't be true this year. If their top lightweight boat makes it to the starting line (and I assume it will) UCF will have a race on its hands. It's awfully early in the season to make predictions, so to me this is too close to call.

At 1230 a Stanford four takes on a Cal four. I expected Cal to be racing an eight, but injuries kept them from the Crew Classic so I'm guessing that they're not quite healed yet. That's a tough break.

I like Windermere and I like how Stanford gets East Coast crews to travel West. It's great to spread the lightweight karma around the country and get good crews racing each other no matter where they're located. That's what elite college sports are all about. It calls the bluff of those crews, located in the heart of the eastern lightweight concentration, who complain about having to race as a lower level heavyweight boat to find good races. These Windermere programs are committed to lightweight rowing and put their money and effort where their mouths are (and yes, Stanford has traveled to Knecht in the past). Speaking of which, part of Princeton's commitment to the league is bringing two boats West. I, however, would've been tempted to only take the 1V and race the 2V at Knecht. That 2V is a pretty fast boat and it would've been interesting to see what it could have done.

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 (and More) This Weekend

Radcliffe heads to Rhode Island on Saturday to meet Bucknell, Boston College, and URI. BC doesn't race lightweights and it appears URI has tossed in the towel, so I don't expect either of those teams to offer lightweight competition for Radcliffe. The information clampdown continues at Bucknell so we'll wait with bated breath to see if the Bison race a light eight or a heavy eight. Although the State Secret is still secure, I expect we'll see a heavy eight and, at this point, this is what I hope to see since a Radcliffe-Bucknell heavies race will give us a means to compare the Black and White with Princeton. Like Princeton's race last week, this will be a bit of a gimme for Radcliffe since they'll probably be racing all heavyweight boats. There will be some added pressure however, to come within Princeton's 10 seconds of the heavies. Conditions can make such a comparison wildly inaccurate, but why let that stop us?

Princeton, meanwhile, is back on the water as UCF and MIT come to visit. This is scheduled to be an all day affair with eights in the morning and fours in the afternoon, but it's not clear if that will happen and who will be in the fours. With UCF's 2006 IRA boat raided by the heavyweights (as we've discussed previously), and MIT only recently moving back onto the national stage in eights, expectations will be high for the Tigers. A stumble here would not be the way to start the lightweight season. Despite the loss of UCF lightweights, I don't exactly think the Golden Knights will be sending scrubs up north to face MIT and Princeton. The boat hasn't been tested yet against top notch lightweight competition, but that doesn't mean it's slow, only unknown. A good showing here sets the stage for the remainder of the season, which includes a Princeton re-match at Windermere. MIT has to be energized to start the season after a good fall campaign. Let's remember that this is a crew that beat Georgetown at the Head of the Charles. Clearly the Engineers have potential and despite being a bit rusty, they'll no doubt be feeling their oats on Lake Carnegie.

Two other duals to note - Lehigh races Drexel (which should be a heavyweight affair) and Cal races Santa Clara. Cal's race with Santa Clara should provide the Bears with a nice gauge of the progress they might be making against Stanford. Well, actually, all we know is that Stanford beat Santa Clara. Since they were timed scrimmage pieces, spreads were not reported.

To go back to UCF for a minute, a reader commented a few weeks ago that the the UCF lightweights that were taken by the heavyweight squad "are not being allowed to return for IRA's." If true, none of UCF's IRA crew will be rowing lightweight this year. As far as I know, the NCAA would allow these rowers to return unless the heavies went to the NCAA championship. Perhaps this is the coach's decision? Or, perhaps the heavies are so certain of a NCAA invite that they just assume the lights can't return. After coming close to an IRA medal last year, it's got to be difficult to spend a season toiling in the heavyweight 2V (a few are no doubt in the 1V) simply so the team can win the consolation prize at regattas (also known as the team championship). Once again we can thank the NCAA for creating the absurdity that causes 2V and 3V four events to be favored over a 1V lightweight event.

More on UCF Last Weekend

A reader makes a good point, and one which I completely missed, when (s)he comments that in beating the Villanova heavies at the Rollins Invitational, UCF beat a crew that beat Radcliffe, Georgetown, and MIT at the Princeton Chase. Now, before I hear all of the reasons why this doesn't matter, I'll give you a few myself. UCF probably has had a lot more water time than Villanova, since I assume Villanova is in Florida on its spring break trip. Villanova is also probably some time away from determining their optimal lineup. Radcliffe has done poorly the last couple of years at the Chase, making that race a poor indicator of their spring speed. I'm sure you can all think of another reason or two as well.

Despite all of the caveats, we're still left with the inescapable fact that UCF beat the same team that beat Radcliffe, Georgetown, and MIT in the fall. It may prove nothing, or it may be a harbinger of things to come. Either way, Windermere is looking like a lot more fun.

Metro Cup Results

UCF opened it's season yesterday with wins over Rollins in the novice eight, V4, and V8. Rollins won the novice four. The closest race was the V4 which [pitted a Rollins heavyweight boat against] also had the most experienced UCF rowers. It looks like the Rollins four will be worth watching. This race gets new UCF head coach Andy Derrick off to a good start. [Thanks for the clarifying comments.]

In a Friday press release announcing this weekend's lineups and a recap of last year, UCF again ignores the lightweights' fine season to focus on the heavyweights. A look at the lineups shows that the giant sucking sound heard in Orlando earlier this year was the heavyweight team pulling lightweights into their boats (as noted earlier by a reader). I certainly hope the UCF lights aren't about to be Villanovaed (Villanova won the lightweight national championship in 1998, focused on heavies shortly thereafter, and has never impacted the national scene in either category again). It looks like most of the lightweights were in boats other than the V8, which makes a casual observer wonder if they're there mainly to fill out seats for seat racing. (I know, those rowers are capable of making the boat, and one or two no doubt will, but...) I wonder what Coach Derrick could do if he was able to make use of every lightweight on the UCF team for an entire season. Could he win a national championship?

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)

A Miss (Diss?) from UCF

Head UCF Coach Leeanne Crain was interviewed today on the UCF athletics Web site and, while there was much talk of UCF's appearance in the top 20 last season, there was nary a mention of the lightweights top five finish. Look, I understand that the rowing world often revolves around rowers who are "big women and proud of it and proud that we’re strong and we love to eat," but the UCF heavies just grazed the bottom of the top twenty during the season last year while the lightweights finished the season fifth in the country. Yes, a peek at the top 20 is a nice achievement for the heavies, but so is a solid 5th for the lights.

(Gosh I love that "love to eat" quote! It's only January and I've already found a way to use it.)

Lightweights Rowing as Heavyweights Until IRAs

In response to the UCF schedule post, a reader commented that "these races mean little since their best rowers will compete in their
1v and 2v htwt. boats until that racing season is complete." Other readers pointed out that the races mean quite a bit to those lightweights racing in them, not least because 2V athletes have a chance to show what they can do in 1V races. Nonetheless, the first reader makes a good point when (s)he asks if "this practice is good for lightweight womens rowing as a whole?"



Anyone who's read much of FITD knows that I would far and away prefer that the UCF lightweights race as lightweights all year, bringing a higher level of competition to the non-championship, in-season races. Unfortunately, though, if I were the UCF coach, I'm sure I would also race the better lightweights in the heavyweight 1V. I'd like to think I wouldn't use them in the 2V, however. In programs such as UCF, without separate lightweight teams, the heavyweights will always take precedence. The reasons are many, but they begin with the importance of the women's heavyweights in the eyes of athletic directors. Because of Title IX and NCAA support, for athletic directors, heavyweight women will always be a top priority, taking precedence over the men as well. This priority is further strengthened by the perception that there is no competition among lightweight women and therefore a championship means less. Just this summer, a heavyweight Georgetown male rower (now graduated) told me how the Georgetown lightweights were talking about their national ranking last season, which he said was four at the time. His response was, "Yeah, out of six!" Erroneous perceptions like this die hard.



This attitude of heavyweight priority is also the prime reason why heavyweight coaches in general, and the CRCA specifically, do not support lightweight women. They say they do, of course, but it's not true, because they believe separate lightweight programs would only draw resources away from the heavies. (If you have doubts, re-read my exchange with the CRCA president, Andy Teitelbaum.) The troublesome aspect of this is not that heavyweight coaches don't support lightweights, it's that they're not honest about it. If they laid out their concerns, perhaps they could be addressed and the sport would be better off. Phony support helps no one. (I've been criticized for this position before, and I'm sure I will again, but no one has yet shown me how heavyweight women's coaches, with the possible exception of Jim Dietz, work for the betterment of lightweight women.)



In a perfect world, the field would be deep enough to make IRAs an invitation only event for lightweight women and the preceding season would mean something. That's wishful thinking, however, because even for the heavyweights, only two regattas are important. A lightweight crew could lose every race during the season, but win IRAs and still be national champions. For heavyweights, they only have to win their regional race and then NCAAs and they too, are national champions. There should be some penalty for poor results during the season (or not racing at all).



I don't mean to imply that UCF will do poorly without their top two or three rowers, because I don't think that's the case at all. That squad is deep enough to still do very well. Others, however, are not. In some ways, though, this is like complaining about the weather - there isn't a whole lot that can be done right now. The priority must be to grow the sport. Until more boats are racing lightweight, we can't expect to be selective. In the past couple of years the category has grown tremendously, mostly in competitiveness, but also in size. The sport would be helped if UCF raced its top lightweight rowers all season as lightweights, but I understand the pressures to do otherwise. It hurts the IRA boat because it would be faster if it was together all season, but it often takes most of the season to find the right combination anyway. At least they do race lightweights during the season.



This all points to one thing - I can't think of anything in women's lightweight rowing right now more important than growth.





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UCF Releases Spring Schedule

The spring season is beginning to come into focus as UCF releases its spring schedule. Two races stand out - an April 7th race in Boston against Radcliffe, MIT, and Princeton and the Windermere Classic the following weekend on April 14th. Things tend to solidify closer to the season as other online schedules disagree with UCF's, but given that UCF has put out a press release, I'll assume they have the best information.



This is good racing for UCF as it gives them a couple of early opportunities to see their main competition before IRAs, with enough time in between to make some changes if need be. With this announcement too, it looks like Windermere may become the new Knecht Cup. At one time I thought Villanova might change the Knecht date but with Easter on April 8th and the A10 championships on April 21st, I'd say it's pretty much set. I wish UCF would also head north to Dad Vails since there aren't a lot of lightweights racing in the South/Central Regionals the same weekend. Nonetheless, you've got to hand it to the Golden Knights, they're going on the attack.





Technorati Tags: rowing

New UCF Coach

A reader previously commented that UCF hired Andy Derrick as the new lightweight coach. After a bit of snooping I located a bio, but I wasn't positive it was the same person, mainly because I thought he'd be in the Air Force right now. Now, a reader (the same one?) has confirmed this as Coach Derrick's bio from his days at Washington. [Update: See the UCF announcement here.] I must say, given how dorky most of us rowers look, he did a great job of looking like one of Ty Willingham's linebackers (maybe because he played football in high school?). He won at least three medals at IRAs, including a gold as a freshman, and won the Ladies Challenge Plate at Henley. Clearly he knows what it takes to go fast. Corrie McGrath had coached the lightweights so I wonder if she's left UCF or if Coach Derrick is an additional coach. Either way, UCF is maintaining an emphasis on lightweight rowing. As I've said before, I think this program can serve as a model for other schools that want to develop lightweights. UCF has shown that with some focus, talent, and hard work, you can find yourself in the upper echelon of lightweight rowing. For many schools, the toughest thing to find of the three is focus.

New Lightweight Coach at UCF

A reader posted a comment saying that UCF has just hired a new lightweight coach, Andy Derrick. I'll post more when the announcement comes out (i.e. when I know I'm thinking of the right person).

UCF Coach Re-Ups

UCF head coach Leeanne Crain signed a new three year contract last week. I don't know how directly involved she is with the UCF lightweights, but they've certainly made a name for themselves since she arrived in 2003. There's no mention in the announcement of an intent to hire an assistant (lightweight?) coach, as has been rumored. We'll have to wait and see on that one. There was mention, however, of plans for a new boathouse and practice facility. UCF continues to show that it's serious about women's rowing.

Another sign of the impending fall racing season - Radcliffe announced that it will hold it's crew information meeting on September 13th.

Only 9 weeks until the Head of the Charles.

UCF Rumor

A reader posted a comment that said, "UCF is looking for a new coach." I have no confirmation of this and I don't know anything more than that, including whether this might be a lightweight coach or a coach for the entire program (heavies and lights). If it's the latter, I happen to know of a former Wisconsin lightweight coach who attended UCF as an undergraduate and is available...

As a sign of how close the season is, UCF has already announced their informational meeting.

[Update: See comments for the latest.]

UCF Beefs Up Its Eight

As predicted, UCF has brought three lightweight rowers into its lightweight eight who rowed heavyweight all season. Two come in as the stern pair. This move, along with the lineup shift, is calculated to bring more speed to the boat than it had during the regular season, a season notable for its successes. This will be a fast IRA field!

Meanwhile, In California...

UCF has fired the last shots across the bows of Georgetown, Wisconsin, Radcliffe, and Princeton before IRAs, beating Stanford by 8 seconds at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships. This UCF crew is a freight train barreling through the night and when the sun comes up over The Cooper River in three weeks I wouldn't want to be in its way. I'm not right that often, but I've been on the UCF bandwagon since the start of the year and every time they race they prove me right. They were 1 second behind Georgetown at Knecht and given that Georgetown is pulling themselves into spitting distance of the top three, UCF must be getting there too.

Pacific Coast Rowing Championships

The PCRC schedule just came out and the V8 field includes Stanford, UCF, Sacramento State, and Cal. At first blush this looks like a race between Stanford and UCF. Stanford just beat UCF in the heat at IRAs last year and the Golden Knights definitely have revenge on their mind. Not to mention the fact that when a crew travels across the country it intends to come home victorious. Stanford will have its arms full with UCF and better have one of their best rows if they expect to win. UCF may just be too strong. Sacramento State has had some real success in fours, beating Stanford earlier in the year, so they may put together a fast eight, and Cal would like nothing more than to finally beat the Cardinal. At worst this will be a good two boat race, while they may all take it to the wire.

UCF Boatings at Knecht

I thought UCF might bring all available lightweights into competition for the light eight for Knecht, but apparently they haven't. The three lightweights who have been racing heavyweight this season are listed as competing at the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship this weekend. This means that the Knecht UCF boat may not be its top light eight. Even if the current eight women are the fastest light eight, they'll gain more speed with the other rowers competing for seats. By IRAs I'm pretty sure UCF will have its fastest boat on the water. (I wonder if the heavyweight rowing lightweights have been keeping up their weigh-in paperz?)