On Saturday, the men’s crew team opened their season on the Schuylkill River at the Navy Day Regatta. The Owls had two boats in the competition, finishing 14th and 18th respectively in the eight-man Head Race. While the results weren’t quite what they were hoping for, Temple came away with an optimistic outlook for the future.
“I’m not worried about effort,” coach Gavin White said. “We really worked hard. The kids really felt like the boat was a little heavy, so we changed a few things in the rigging right before the race, which you should never do but we did it anyway, so we learned a few things today.”
“I told them to keep their chins up, don’t get down, because if you get down the season’s over,” White added. White said upon entering the season that they use the fall season to lay down a lot of miles and prepare for the spring, so given that outlook White was pleased.
“We learned a lot,” senior captain Fergal Barry said. “We learned that we have a long way to go and a lot to improve upon.”
Barry said he noticed areas in which the Owls need to improve upon.
“A bit more power, and just letting the boat run a little bit more and a bit more ratio,” Barry said.
Junior Connor Murphy said he also felt the team needed to work on their power but added that this was the beginning and it’s important not to panic.
“It’s the first race of the season,” Murphy said. “We weren’t really looking to get first. It would have been nice, but it’s just a starting point to learn a little bit about our boats,”
Murphy also said the team chemistry aspect of being in the boat wasn’t there today and will come with time.
“I think spending more time in our lineups would definitely help, to learn how to row together a little better,” Murphy said. “Just spending more time together is probably better.”
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