Amherst competed in three 'head' races this fall, which means that the races are time-trials. Crews start approximately 15 seconds apart from one another and race for the fastest time on the course, which tends to be about four to five kilometers long. In addition to the obvious physical challenges, the time-trial races are also considered to be more mentally difficult for the rowers than head-to-head style racing, because there is no way to tell whether they are winning or losing. "In head-to-head match-ups the incentive to pull hard is right next to you, whereas in head races, the motivation to pull hard every stroke must come from within," said senior co-captain Ben Softness.
The team's top boat so far this season has been the men's four, which consists of Softness, fellow senior co-captain Matt Vanneman, Dave Imbert '06 and Chris Parkinson '07. Allyx Hadley '06 joined the team late in the fall but has since found a niche as the boat's coxswain.
The women's top four, while less experienced than the men's top boat, has also had a successful season and will not graduate a rower in May. The boat consists of junior co-captains Alex Boyle and Ilse Van Meerbeek as well as sophomores Emmy Smith and Claire Morrison and is coxswained by Juliet Tan '08.
In the first regatta of the year, hosted by the New Haven Rowing Club, the Head of the Housatonic, the men's top four grabbed a silver medal despite losing 30 seconds in course penalties when they went outside the course to avoid a group of slower crews that were impeding their progress. Although they lost to Army, a Div. I school with over 4,000 students, the team did beat nine other boats, the closest of which was nearly 30 seconds behind. The depth of Amherst's program was also evident, as three of the top six boats in the race hailed from the Fairest College, with the team's number two and three boats finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.
The women also performed admirably, with the top shell coming in fifth place, only a scant four seconds behind the second-place boat. The showing was even more admirable considering that the team had been practicing in eights rather than in fours. The women's second boat, commanded by senior co-captain Alyssa Katzenelson and sophomores Amanda Gibson, Sara Barmettler and Suzanne Bradley, came in sixth place, 28 seconds behind their teammates.
The second regatta of the year was the extremely prestigious Head of the Charles, held on Boston's Charles River. Small programs such as Amherst's are typically allowed to send just one boat each year, and they alternate between the men and women each fall. The only exception is if a boat manages to finish within five percent of the first-place time. If a team manages to accomplish that feat, the men or women garner an automatic bid for next year's race in addition to the entry that they are already allotted.
This year was the men's turn, and the team of Softness, Vanneman, Imbert, Parkinson and Hadley hit the water with a mission, and accomplished something that no other Amherst boat had every achieved. It was her first race in nearly two years, but she managed to steer impeccably, and the team finished in fifth place with a time of 18:05. For nearly half an hour, the team was unsure of the their competitors' results, and Softness was frantically trying to get in touch with the officials via his cell phone. When he finally got through he learned that team had finished just 2.58 percent off of the winning team, qualifying them for an automatic bid into next year's race, a first for the Amherst crew. Unfortunately, Parkinson will be the only member of the crew able to take advantage of the bid, but his teammates aren't jealous. "The remaining four of us aren't bitter, but rather proud to hopefully begin a tradition of fall domination," said Softness.
Last week at the Head of the Fish Regatta, the last of the fall slate, the men's four once again flexed their muscles, finishing second in a very strong field that included varsity boats from Div. I schools such as Duke University, the University of Connecticut and Boston College. The only team to best Amherst was the top team from neighboring UMass. "Amherst has had a lot of fast fours," Head Coach Bill Stekl said after the race. "This is the fastest. Now I know."
The women's top four were pretty good in their own right, finishing in fifth place, but were once again just seconds away from the third position. For all the hype of the men's four, this is the best women's boat in at least four years, and it will only improve next season, as they will not lose a single member.
The team will have a break before heading to the water again in the spring when they will have some of their most important races of the year, including the Little Three Championships and New Englands.