The Week that Was: Week 3
10/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After having the prior week off from competition while the Tide sent one varsity 8+ crew to the Head of the Charles, 20 members of the varsity were eager to get back to work last weekend at the Head of the Tennessee.
For that group, it was the second of three trips to Tennessee this fall, though the venue changed from Chattanooga - site of their first race this season at the Chattanooga Head Race and the Tide's fall season finale next weekend Head of the Hooch Regatta - to Oak Ridge, Tenn. And while Alabama has raced in Oak Ridge before, it was a brand new course this time around for all the teams in attendance.
Despite racing a relatively balanced lineup, the Tide varsity took bronze in the 8+ and were particularly sharp in the 4+ race, taking first, second and third. Alabama head coach Larry Davis is hoping the progress his young varsity squad has made over the last month will continue to pay dividends at the Hooch.
While the majority of last Saturday's novice lineup was the same from their first regatta in Huntsville, Ala. the week before, three members of the squad did make their Crimson Tide debut Saturday in Oak Ridge. Karis Browder rowed as part of the novice 8+ "A" boat that took gold while coxswain Jessica Hearn and Casey LoScudo wore the crimson and white of Alabama for the first time in the "B" boat.
The first two weekends the novices have hit the competition course this season, it has been in just 8+ races, with no small amount of success with two gold medal performances and a bronze in four races. The Tide's lone non-medal performance was actually fast enough to take gold at the Head of the Tennessee, but two 10-second penalties for missing buoys dropped them to fourth place. Next weekend though, the novices will break out the 4s as well as the 8s in Chattanooga.
