There will be a notable difference between when Chris Jarvis and Dan Walsh met for the first time and when they will meet next; that is, when the two former Northeastern crew members descend on Athens to take part in the 2004 Olympics for Canada and the United States, respectively.
Three years ago, when 21-year-old St. Catharines, Ontario native Jarvis joined the varsity boat as a sophomore, much was uncertain. The team had a new head coach: the youngest (and still youngest) among the 15 Eastern Sprint teams. It had a roster rich with underclassmen and was coming off a less-than-successful 2000 campaign, losing to Boston University by a :07 margin and finishing sixth in the Eastern Spints and 12th at the IRA Championships.
But there were some constants. Take, for instance, the boisterous and unmistakable figure cut by 6- foot, 7-inch 210-pound senior Dan Walsh.
And, according to coach John Pojednic (now 28 years old), that made all the difference.
“Dan was certainly a leader on the water if not during the pre-race talks. Dan was just a guy that was ready to do anything I said; that’s the main reason that year went so well,” he said of the athlete twice honored as NU’s Outstanding Varsity Oarsman (a feat accomplished by only one other alumni, Tim Wooge in 1995 and 1997). “He was the guy that everyone would want to race with. He was very aggressive, trained hard all year long and did everything by the book. Everyone on the team knew without question he was the most prepared [member of the team].”
The accomplishments of the 2001 Varsity Eight (third in the Eastern Sprints, sixth in the IRA) have reaped benefits beyond their years, Pojednic said.
“I would say that I was probably young and na