The women will race two eights and the men one, though some races will necessitate that they race fours as well.
The crew teams are practicing for three 5k races this season. The first of the season will be the Hartford Riverfront Regatta, to be held Oct. 14 in Hartford. The Head of the Charles, a world-class race, will be held Oct. 24 in Boston.
The selection of schools for the Head of the Charles is done by a lottery, and this year only the Amherst men were selected to compete. "We were kind of disappointed [that the women were not selected to attend]," said women's team member Dana Currier '02. The Head of the Fish, held in Saratoga, NY on Oct. 27, will be the last race of the season.
While spring season races consist of sprint races and build-up to the New England Championship, the fall season races work differently. The teams focus on improving from one race to the next. But that doesn't mean that they view it simply as practice.
"By virtue of the fact that we know that there is a spring season on the horizon, we use the fall season as a gauge for what work can be done to improve in the spring," said men's Co-captain Baker Franke '02, "But that doesn't mean that we don't take ourselves seriously in the fall. We take every race seriously."
The biggest news for Amherst crew is the acquisition of a new boat. The women's team will receive a new Vespoli Millennium boat, donated by Henry Dunbar, a former coach at Amherst. When Dunbar's wife passed away recently, he decided to donate the boat in her memory.
At halftime at the Amherst Homecoming Football game against Wesleyan University on Oct. 20, the eight-person boat will be brought out onto the football field and dedicated to his wife.
The team hopes to improve both their skill and depth through a grueling practice schedule and attention to guiding new members of the team.
There are a number of new rowers, primarily freshmen, who make up the novice team. Their first year rowing crew will be spent learning how to row under instruction from separate coaches. The only race they will compete in will be the season-culminating Head of the Fish.
The varsity teams hold two-and-a-half hour practices six days a week. The practices are held at the Amherst boathouse down on the Connecticut River right under the Coolidge Bridge.
The women's varsity team will be led by Co-captains Emma Trask '02 and Nora Sullivan '02, who anticipate great success for this season. "We're really excited because we have a larger team than the ones we've had for many years," said Currier. "We hope to be more competitive. We've never had the opportunity to row in such good equipment. Everyone is really positive about what we can accomplish this season."
Franke and Emmet O'Hanlon '03 will act as the co-captains for the men's team. Returning varsity rowers include Pavel Chernyshov '03, Dave Choffnes '02, Matt Gordon '03 and Ari Reichstein '03. Although a number of varsity rowers were lost last year due to graduation, the men have high expectations. "Everyone is stepping up, and it adds a level of excitement to the season," said Franke.