Since its inception, Amherst's crew team has emerged as a strong team which competes with other schools in New England, including rival Williams College. Though the team is not the best in its division, Amherst is an especially solid team considering that no level of athletic recruiting figures into the composition of the team.
The team is well equipped with some of the fastest, most expensive boats in the sport. The crew team boasts seven new "Vespoli racers" and "Millennium" series four-person and eight-person boats. The team also has its own training room in the Alumni Gymnasium that houses the ergometers-or rowing machines.
The demands of the sport are high and, as one might expect, practice is not easy. During the fall season, the team practices three to four times a week on the Connecticut River. The team's members range in experience from those people who have never set foot in a boat to those who are experienced oarsmen, some of whom have rowed through secondary school.
Nevertheless, the current roster includes about 30 diligent, hardworking oarsmen, oarswomen and coxswains, many of whom are freshmen. The oarsmen on the team believe crew is an exhilarating sport and enjoy the hard work and effort that goes into preparing for regattas. Team members especially enjoy the water and the sheer speed of the wind blowing in their faces.
Andrew Nguyen '06 describes crew as being "one of the best parts of college so far. I've loved every aspect of it-learning how to row, getting in shape, training and the adrenaline rush of the race."
"The most awesome part about crew is that you are so completely a team. When you are on the water and everything is in sync, nothing can be more satisfying," added Elise Chad '06
The team attends regattas throughout the New England area and has competed in such noteworthy regattas as the Head of the Charles, Head of the Fish and Head of the Housatonic. The team's regattas occur every weekend during the fall season and spring seasons. Races occur between teams of different schools, with each school sending four and eight boats in two divisions, heavyweight and lightweight, to compete. Depending on the race and season, regattas can be as short as 2,000 kilometers or as long as 5,000 kilometers.
The women's team competed in both the Head of the Charles and the Head of the Fish while the men's team competed in the Head of the Fish. Meanwhile, the team anxiously awaits the spring season.