Spring Update from the Men's Team

By Ben Pfeiffer, Team President

"Sunny and 70." For several years now it has been the favorite slogan of team members eagerly anticipating the annual training trip to Augusta, GA. But this year "Sunny and 70" took on some special significance as March 8th rolled around and it was starting to look like we were going to be the Bucknell Men's Erg Team. In the past, the weather in Augusta hadn't always lived up to the hype. But this year, perhaps because our collective will simply would not permit the cold and rain to follow us South, the weather was spectacular.

After a 17 hour bus trip, with several pre-dawn hours spent cruising around Elberton, GA looking for the women's training facility, the men finally arrived at the Budget Inn on Saturday morning and promptly went right to sleep. But after a good nap and our first meal of the week at Pullman, it was time to rig and row. Rarely have the varsity men been as fired up as the novice men upon arrival in Augusta, but the water-deprived upperclassmen hit the Savannah with a vengeance, and made the week count.

In addition to time spent rowing, lifting and running to meals, team members found time to hit the movie theater, go bowling, catch some rays on the asphalt beach at the Budget Inn and get some interesting haircuts. Mullets and mohawks (standard and wraparound, Mr. T variety) were the favorites.

At the end of the week our luck with the weather ran out. The rain never really stopped during the day spent racing on Lake Russell at SERCS, hosted by UGA. But even the bad weather and the limited water time couldn't stop the Bucknell men from laying the smack down in their first Spring racing opportunity. The men's varsity pair took first place with huge open water.

The lightweight men's varsity eight didn't get a chance to row in a lightweight event, but advanced to the finals and finished 4th in heavyweight event anyway. And the novice men, despite a questionable start, finished 3rd in the event final, fractions of a second behind 2nd place, and fellow Dad Vail competitor, Merchant Marine Academy. As a group, the men's and women's programs took 3rd place overall.

Upon returning to Bucknell on the 16th, the men were forced to wait another two weeks to get back on the water. But this past Saturday, the flooding Susquehanna dropped far enough for the team to get some quality time in the King. On Sunday, the new Hudson arrived, and once rigging is completed, the boat should go out on its inaugural row sometime on Wednesday or Thursday, and will be raced for the first time this Sunday at the Occoquan Sprints. Updates will be forthcoming.

Also, check out the Men's team web page at: http://www.orgs.bucknell.edu/crew/