Men's Lightweights Face Big Weekend

Why do we have to race Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale in the same weekend?

The members of Harvard's men's lightweights crew must still be scratching their heads over that very question.

Harvard's lights travel to new Haven for Harvard-Yale-Princeton regatta today and then return to Cambridge to face undefeated Dartmouth in the rescheduled Biglin Bowl tomorrow.

"We're expecting Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale to be blazingly fast," captain John Roberts said. "We are going to have race at a higher level. They are not going to fold under the same kind of pressure [that our past opponents folded under]."

All three boats are formidable Ivy foes. Yale and Dartmouth are ahead of Harvard in the coaches poll. Even though it placed second to Dartmouth at Augusta, Princeton's boat is no slouch either.

"We are going to have to be ready to row or superior rhythm all the way through the race," Roberts said. "We are not expecting--or even hoping--to open it up as early as we did against Navy [last weekend]."

In short, it is not going to be easy to knock of three highly-rated teams in one weekend.

The lightweights can thank Mother Nature for their overloaded weekend of racing.

The Crimson was supposed to race Dartmouth on April 17, but harsh weather forces postponement of the race.

"Dartmouth is always up for the Harvard race," Roberts said. "We are probably very similar in terms of strength and experience," Roberts said.

Dartmouth--undefeated this season--has never won the Biglin Bowl Regatta.

In 39 years of competition, Harvard has won 34 times and MIT (who no longer competes) has won it five times.

Harvard men's heavyweights take on Northeastern in the Charlie Smith Cup on the Charles. Harvard leads the series 11-2.

Even though the Huskies have recorded losses to BU, Brown and Yale so far this season, captain Didzis Voldins and the rest of heavyweights are not overlooking them.

"Yale defeated Northeastern by only three seats," Voldins explained. "When a crew has a good race, even if it loses, it can be a big confidence booster. Those kinds of races can makes a boat feel a lot stronger than it really is."

Second-ranked Harvard plans to use a breakneck pace in the early going to thwart some of the North-eastern confidence. In past races the Crimson has allowed the other crew to take the early lead. Voldins vows that things won't happen that way today.

"In past, our starts have been mediocre," Voldins said. "We have to avoid letting their confidence grow in the beginning of the race. We have to be aggressive form stroke one."

In women's action, the Radcliffe lightweight and heavyweight crews both face Boston University heavyweight boats on the Charles.

The heavies will take on BU's first varsity heavyweights and the lights will face BU's third varsity heavyweights.

"BU has beaten all the crews we've beaten and lost to all the crews we've lost to," heavyweight captain Tilde Hajek said. "We want to win this race and reclaim the title of fastest [female] crew on the Charles River."