Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Foundation For Success In Place For Men's Lights, Who Open v. Georgetown
March 26, 2015 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
There have been a couple of foundations that have sharply impacted the Princeton men's lightweights entering the 2015 season.
The most obvious one, and the least helpful, was the foundation of ice that took over Lake Carnegie throughout the month of February and half of this month. It wasn't until March 15 when the Tigers were finally able to row on its home course.
But there was another foundation that had been laid over the last year, and head coach Marty Crotty believes that it will help set Princeton up for another push towards a Sprints and IRA title.
Part of that foundation came from the success over the last 12 months, which included a historic sweep of the H-Y-P regatta, a bronze medal finish at Sprints and a second straight victory at the Head of the Charles.
“The Charles win really validated the work they put in over the summer,” Crotty said. “We have such a big team of guys that are going all over the globe during the summer. But if you agree and commit to doing something as a team, good things can happen.”
Another part of the foundation comes from the younger rowers who were put through the “School of Bill,” Crotty's term for the work that his rowers put in under assistant coach Bill Manning, the veteran coach who will enter his second season on the Princeton staff. Manning served 15 years as the top assistant coach under legendary Harvard heavyweight head coach Harry Parker.
“About 95% of the time, the young guys were getting coached by Bill, and the success of the 2V and 3V boats was a validation of the stuff he instituted last year,” Crotty said of his two boats that combined to 16-1 during the 2014 season. “He instituted some benchmarks that he felt you would need to achieve different levels of success. From Day 1 this year, there has been a continuation of those traits, and they have spread throughout the team.
“They have even spread to me, and my vernacular,” Crotty added.
With a solid amount of returners from the varsity eight to go along with all of the young talent, Crotty thinks the gap of talent between his top three boats is as narrow as it has been during his six years as head coach. That leads to greater competition throughout the boathouse, and should lead to another deep set of boats this season.
But what about the varsity eight?
That boat should get faster as the spring progresses because of the lack of water time this spring, and Crotty has shown that he isn't afraid to tinker with his lineup until he finds something he is comfortable with. He does have a strong aide in senior captain Casey Ward, an anchor on his top boat.
“He is a master organizer who keeps the guys in line,” Crotty said. “He's very reasonable, and he keeps an even keel himself. He is consistent in his work, and that is the kind of top leader you need for younger guys. You can't have somebody who has many bad days, because others will find excuses to follow.”
Ward and his teammates know they are in the mix among the top men's lightweight programs, especially following its brilliant performance at the Charles. They saw what Cornell did last season, making only small changes to a boat that went from off the medal stand in 2013 to an undefeated national champion one year later.
Such is the parity within the sport, when the right mix of talent, chemistry and work ethic — with some good luck in the health department sprinkled in — can turn championship dreams into reality.
We're a couple months of growth from knowing if that will be the case for this Princeton team, but Crotty likes the foundation already in place.
SATURDAY RACING SCHEDULE
Heavyweight Men vs. Georgetown
8:00 AM - First Varsity
8:15 AM - Second Varsity
8:30 AM - Third/Fourth/Fifth Varsity
Open Women vs. Brown & Michigan
9:00 AM - B Four
9:20 AM - Third Varsity
9:40 AM - A Four
10:00 AM - Second Varsity
10:20 AM - First Varsity - Class of 1987 Trophy
Lightweight Men vs. Georgetown
11:00 AM - Fourth Varsity
11:15 AM - Third Varsity
11:30 AM - Second Varsity
11:45 AM - First Varsity - Fosburgh Cup
Lightweight Women at San Diego Crew Classic
Saturday preliminary, Sunday final
Cameron Howie has been part of the highs and lows of the last 12 months for the Princeton men's lightweight rowing team. He was in the varsity eight when it reclaimed the Goldthwait Cup from Harvard, when it medaled at Sprints and when it won a second straight Head of the Charles. But he was also there when they finished off the medal stand at IRAs, and during other tough losses during the season.
Now an upperclassman, Howie is looking for more — and even better — positive memories from the upcoming season, and he took some time to discuss the journey.
1) How special was being part of the winning Head of the Charles boat, and how much did that help sending you into the winter break with positive momentum?
Winning the Charles for the second year in a row was an incredible experience and a great team effort. It was awesome to see the hard work from the fall pay off in both the first and second boat, and especially encouraging that so many freshmen were a part of the victory. Although winning the Charles has motivated the team going forward, we realize that it is just a stepping stone on the way to achieving the ultimate goal of winning Sprints and IRAs in May.
2) Your 2V was the top 2V finisher at the Charles, and it also earned silver at Sprints last year, so how good is the competition for seats right now for your program?
The competition within our team has always been fierce, and the lineups will likely be changing up until the week before Sprints. We have a lot of depth right now, starting from the first full senior class that we've had in a while, right down to a very solid group of freshmen. I fully believe that with the talent on our team, we have the opportunity to win a gold medal in every boat class on May 17th in Worcester.
3) What was your biggest personal goal over the offseason, and were you satisfied with the progress?
This year, I personally wanted to improve as much as I could technically, rather than focus on gaining strength and endurance. Marty, Bill, and Alex have all been incredible in emphasizing technical points over the long winter, and I definitely feel that it has paid off. Even though my focus may not have been on erg scores, the training plan that the coaches have set out has improved them anyways.
4) The brutal winter has certainly impacted your ability to get on the water, but have you been happy with the team's progress during the preseason?
Although this winter has been disappointingly long, our coaches have done everything possible keep us moving forward while we've waited on the weather improving. Shoutout to Coaches Mann and Shald for taking it to the ice over the past couple weeks!
5) How important has Casey Ward been as your captain this season, and what are his biggest strengths as a leader?
Casey is a fantastic motivator, and his ability to bring the team together toward a common goal. He's also done a great job in integrating the freshmen and walk-ons. Our team wouldn't be what it is without him. He's a peach!
6) What have been your early impressions of the freshman class, both in talent and work ethic?
The class of 2018 has been amazing so far. Not only are they an incredibly strong class both on the water, and on the erg, but they're also a great group just to have on the team. Their work ethic has been outstanding, and it's very clear how much they want our team to succeed. Despite being the youngest people on the team, many of them have stepped up as leaders, something that not many freshmen are able to do. They will be vital to our team as we look to take home gold this year.