Princeton University Athletics
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Henley Training Paying Dividends For #3 Heavies, Who Seek 49th Childs Cup
April 07, 2016 | Heavyweight Rowing
NATIONAL POLL
Sophomore Will Chance received an invaluable opportunity of added training with his Princeton teammates last summer, and he is feeling the benefits of them this spring.
Following Princeton's Rowe Cup victory at the 2015 Eastern Sprints, the PURA made the unprecedented decision to send its top three boats to the Royal Henley Regatta. While the weekend itself provided a lifetime of memories, the decision allowed more than 20 returning Princetonians a chance to grow together on Lake Carnegie.
“Having the extra month of training after IRAs was invaluable,” said Chance, a member of the 2V both last season and through the first two weeks of 2016. “We did some long hard miles in the sweltering heat and were really able to come together as a team. Also, having no schoolwork or other things to distract us, we were able to focus entirely on the rowing and start making the kinds of fundamental improvements that are hard to get in the heat of racing season leading up to Sprints and IRA.”
For Chance and a handful of his classmates, it also provided some extra training following their freshman years, when they were acclimating themselves to more than a new boat, but an entirely new way of life. It has already felt different this season.
“The biggest change that I have noticed since my freshman year is an increase in comfort competing at this new level,” Chance said. “Having a full season of competitive racing under my belt has really sharpened my tools and helped me bore in and start digging for gems and other rare minerals right from the start.”
One historic gem the Tigers will dig for this weekend is the Childs Cup, the oldest trophy in all of collegiate rowing. The first regatta between Princeton, Columbia and Penn was held in 1879, and Princeton has taken the overall series lead over its current six-race win streak. Heading into Overpeck Lake this weekend, Princeton has won 48 Cups, while Penn has 44 and Columbia has 12.
The Tigers, coming off an impressive win over No. 10 Navy, head into the weekend ranked third nationally, while Penn (13) and Columbia (16) are both in the Top 20. Overpeck Lake has only hosted this race once, and Columbia pushed Princeton in a tough 1V race before falling by less than three seconds.
While victory will be the main goal for each boat Saturday morning, each Tiger boat is also looking to continue its development as it enters a treacherous stretch of races. Over the following three weeks, Princeton will see No. 5 Harvard, No. 1 Yale and No. 6 Brown, and the Tigers know they'll need something special.
“We have been able to make huge progress already in all the boats,” Chance said. “Specifically in the 2v, we have a lot of experienced guys and returners from last year that I think we can make up the right ingredients for us to whip up a heaping helping of boat-speed-pie.
“Our immediate focus in the short term is establishing the kind of base speed that, in defiance of the laws of physics, will literally make the boat rise out of the water and fly.”
RACE SCHEDULE
9:12 • 4V/5V
9:24 • 3V
9:48 • 2V
10:12 • 1V — Childs Cup