With new boats, good weather conditions, and a little bit of luck, the Andover Girls Varsity Crew Team showed great strength against Exeter and Tabor last weekend. Andover’s G1 won its race by over four lengths of open water, and although G2 placed second, it was happy with its efforts. Both crews are ready to face Exeter in a week at Interschols. Before the races began, Andover christened its newest addition to its fleet. Until this point in the season, G1 has been racing in a nameless boat, but last weekend it was christened the “Robert A. Moss,” after Andover’s much loved French teacher and longtime crew coach. Mr. Moss, who now coaches G3, was recognized for his leadership, support, and wisdom. After its ceremonial christening, the new boat dominated over all competition in its first race. Andover and Exeter were about even 500 meters into the race, but at that point Exeter “caught a crab” – a blade went backwards in to the water, stopping the boat, and Exeter was forced to stop and regroup, giving Andover a huge lead. G1 held on to its lead throughout the duration of the race and finished almost twenty seconds ahead of Exeter, leaving Tabor in the dust. Coach Green said, “When Exeter caught the crab, we were about a quarter of a length up. It was shaping up to be a good, close race.” Andover had beaten Exeter previously in the season, but the two crews are relatively well-matched. Had the race continued without interruption, it would have been interesting to see the outcome. Hee-Jin Chang ’05 said, “While we were still with Exeter, it was a close race, and we were doing well. Once Exeter stopped, though, it was hard to keep that kind of power up. I had wanted this race to be intense, but there’s always Interschols.” Andover’s G2 finished two seconds behind Exeter. It, too, had beaten Exeter earlier in the season, but could not pull together for this match-up. Andover had trouble at the start, allowing Exeter to gain a short lead. Andover held on to Exeter throughout the middle of the race, and significantly shortened Exeter’s lead during the last 500 meters, but was not able to pull through for a win. One of G2’s greatest weaknesses as a crew is its tendency to let things beyond its control affect the way it competes. On Saturday, the competing Tabor crew had an accident within the first 30 seconds of competition, and the race was restarted. Combined with the fact that G2 switched boats two days before the race, the team feels that G2 may have let elements beyond its control take over its race. If it is to be a factor at Interschols, the crew needs to learn to work through that kind of adversity. Andover faces NMH away this weekend and will head to Interschols in two weeks.
