By Sara Shaker, News Correspondent
After one of the best seasons the Northeastern men’s rowing team has seen in decades, the rowers and coaches hope to do even better this year. Last season, the team had a great championship segment, and were invited to the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in London, where they placed second in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate.
Doing as well as last season is going to be difficult, according to head coach John Pojednic.
“We are trying to encourage the athletes to ’break the mold’ and strive for greatness without necessarily resting upon any methods they, or we, have used in the past,” he said.
With a new set of faces comes the challenge of adjusting to a whole new team. According to captain Justin Jones, who has been nominated for the USRowing Fan’s Choice Collegiate Athlete of the Year, and Pojednic, the freshman class is handling the adjustment well.
“[The freshmen] have the benefit of good leadership and mentorship from their upperclass teammates which helps make the transition more comfortable,” Pojednic said. “[They] have blended pretty nicely into the team.”
The coaches are dedicated to figuring out what makes the team flow, expecting some surprises and changes along the way.
The team may have had a break since the Henley Regatta in July, but they did not stop working.
“We were all extremely excited to work in September,” Jones said. “The work-load is definitely more intense than it’s been in the past fall seasons.”
But the team was ready to handle it, coming back to school in good shape to get right into training.
For rowing, the fall season does not see much immediate competition, however, this time is critical for success in the spring.
“You build the rowing strokes you’re going to take when you’re racing 2000 meters in the spring through the long, hard hours put in during the fall and winter,” Jones said.
“We are just very lucky, our athletes are very motivated and seem to really enjoy training hard and competing with each other,” Pojednic said. “They are making good progress.”
The immediate action in the fall that the rowing team will see is the Head of the Charles Regatta. According to Pojednic, not only is it the largest rowing regatta in the world, but it is the most highly spectated rowing race in the world. College crews compete against clubs, national teams and Olympic teams from all over the world.
This year, the Huskies have four 8s entered in the regatta, which is four boats of eight rowers each. Most college teams enter only one boat.
“This is a real privilege for a college program,” Pojednic said, “But we feel it’s appropriate given the depth and strength of our team.”
“This race is one of the ‘perks’ of choosing Northeastern. I’m certain all of our crews will perform very well and have a lot of fun racing throughout the course of the regatta. It’s not often that rowers compete in front of a cheering crowd through every stroke of a three-mile race.”
Not only does the event bring great competition with an enthused crowd, but it also offers a weekend where the rowing community comes together.
“The Head of the Charles is one of the most enjoyable racing experiences a rower can have,” Jones said. “It’s one of the few times a year where athletes of all ages and skill levels are brought together over their love of the sport. The fact that it’s on our home course only makes it better.
“It’s also important because it brings together all of our family, friends and alumni that support us so much. My expectation is that the team, as a whole, will race its potential across every boat class.”
The team trains six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with about 10 total sessions per week, according to Jones. Six of these sessions are on the water, “focusing on boat speed, as well as applying power correctly,” Jones said.
In addition, the rowers have a strength session at Cabot Center and a strength session at the Northeastern’s Henderson Boathouse. Once a week they go for a hard run and twice a week they practice on rowing ergometers.
“These guys put in a long hard day and they are learning lessons that will help them be successful in life,” Pojednic said.
With the success of last season fresh in the minds of the rowing faithful, the expectations for Northeastern are arguably the highest they have been in 40 years. The Huskies finished the 2012-13 campaign at 6-1, their only loss coming to Harvard in the 2013 Smith Cup. The Varsity 8s finished third at Eastern Sprints, qualifying the team for IRA Nationals. After pulling within ¾ of a length of eventual IRA champion University of Washington, the Varsity crew placed fourth overall, missing the medal stand by a mere two-tenths of a second and finishing less than a half-second out of second place.
Following IRAs, the Huskies made a triumphant return to the Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, UK. Following two early victories over the Great Britain Under-23 team and a crew from Turkey, the Huskies fell just feet short to Great Britain, the number two national-team crew in the final of The Ladies’ Challenge Plate. In addition to the varsity team’s runner-up finish, the spare pair of Erik Wessel and Steve Komadowski won the Henley spare pairs tandem race.
“Last year was a good, fun year, but it is in the past, and the only way to improve is to win these high-stakes races,” Jones said.
Students and fans can check out the Northeastern men’s rowing team, and join the thousands of fans along the Charles River at the Head of the Charles Regatta, on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20.
“We are extremely appreciative of all of the support we receive, and we look forward to the racing season,” Jones said.
To vote for captain Justin Jones as the USRowing Fan’s Choice Collegiate Athlete of the Year, fans can visit http://www.row2k.com.
