by Dan Royles
Following California Lightweight Crew’s benchmark season last spring that saw the varsity men at IRAs, the varsity women in the grand final at San Diego Crew Classic, and the novice men’s four undefeated in the spring, the West Coast club sports powerhouse returns for the 2003-2004 season stronger than ever and hungry for competition.
Both varsity squads have enough returning rowers to ensure that competition for spots in the top eight will be fierce, but coaches and athletes alike are particularly excited about the number of novices that have joined up so far. It looks as though both novice squads will field at least two eights, with the possibility of a third eight for the novice women- a strength in numbers unprecedented in recent years. In fact, the California Lightweights have seen so much interest at the novice level this year that the number of rowers has nearly outstripped the number of available boats.
Novice men’s coach Igor Pesenson is particularly excited about the influx of first-time rowers: "We are now settled at nearly fifty novice men and women- by far the largest novice team we’ve ever had. With a fifty percent increase in the size of the novice men’s squad this year, we’re looking at some intense competition down the line."
The varsity women’s squad, on the other hand, seeks some intense competition of their own in the very immediate future. On October 18 the lightweight women will go head-to-head (no pun intended) with some of the biggest names in women’s collegiate lightweight crew, including Princeton, Stanford, Radcliffe, and Wisconsin at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. Club vice president Renee Johnson looks forward to the opportunity. "Going to Boston should be an incredible experience; we are going to be immersed in the sport and face off against the best crews in the country- it promises to be challenging and exciting for our team."
Women’s head coach Rich Wendling is undaunted for his squad’s prospects in his second year of coaching at the University of California. "We are coming off of the team's most successful season. We are working harder, more focused, and more determined than ever. It's going to be an exciting year to watch this team compete."
Club president Greg Moe has similar expectations of his own squad, the varsity men. "We are still a young team, but with six returning varsity rowers, I believe we have the experience needed to take our speed to the next level."
Each of those six returning varsity rowers traveled to Camden, New Jersey last June to compete at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships to represent the California Lightweights at a national level for the first time since 1987. Varsity men’s captain Matt Montgomery stressed the significance of such an opportunity. "The most important thing we took away from our experience at nationals last year was competing against crews that are among the most highly regarded in the world of collegiate lightweight rowing; we now know where the bar is if we really want to compete nationally."
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