With their spring season not set to begin until April and last Saturday’s regatta just an exhibition, meaningless in the standings, the rowers on the Boston University men’s crew team entered the indoor race simply for a tune-up for their muscles and minds. It just happened to be against hundreds of world-class athletes from around the globe in the World Indoor Rowing Championships.
Some tune-up.
The annual indoor event, commonly referred to as the CRASH-Bs (Charles River All-Star Has-Beens), was held at BU’s Agganis Arena for the first time in its history and featured thousands of competitors, male and female, amateur and pro, including rowers from the U.S. National Team and, of course, the Terriers.
BU was represented by 19 rowers — 18 in the Men’s Open and one in the Men’s Lightweight — and fared very well, placing eight rowers in the top-50 of the Men’s Open, including two of the top four collegiate rowers.
“I was very pleased,” said BU coach Rodney Pratt. “Almost to a man, we improved on [our times on] the same test we did a couple weeks before.”
In fact, 16 of the 19 Terrier rowers improved on the times they registered 15 days earlier under the CRASH-B format — a 2,000 meter race on an indoor rowing machine called an ergometer, where six minutes is considered a good race, according to Pratt.
Senior co-captain Florian Mennigen placed the highest for the Terriers, coming in 10th out of 234 rowers and third out of college entrants in the Men’s Open. Mennigen (5:56.50) edged out several outstanding competitors from professional teams across the world, including U.S. National Team member Matt Hughes, who finished 0.1 seconds behind him.
“Flo was on the German [Under-23] sculling team,” Pratt said. “He’s a top-level athlete. He’s done well for us.”
Finishing next in the college entrants and 13th overall was Jens Robatzek. The BU junior finished at 5:58.40.
“He too had been on the German junior team in the World Championships before he came here,” Pratt said of Robatzek. “He has really good physiology, he’s a good athlete. He’s probably a little behind his best time right now, too.”
Six more BU rowers finished in the top 50 overall, including senior Fergus Hodgson, who finished at 6.10.00, good for 30th place, 17th collegiately. Junior Jozef Klassan came in at the 34 spot at 6.11.30 and freshman Klem Meindert came in 41st with 6.12.90.
Sophomores Andreas Brinck (6.14.50) and Ian Adams (6.14.80) also had strong showings, placing 44th and 46th, respectively. Senior Anthony Mullin slipped into the top-50 in the 49 spot at 6.15.80.
In the Men’s Lightweight division, the Terriers’ lone competitor, senior co-captain William Daly, placed 20th in a field of 121 with a time of 6:25.80.
“Will has been a solid piece for us,” Pratt said of Daly, who’s listed at 165 pounds. “I was pleased with his performance. He’s a very efficient rower for his weight.”
Despite the great finishes of Daly and the Terriers in the Men’s Open, Pratt maintained that this is just an opportunity for his team to work on getting in shape for the outdoor season, which starts April 8 at Northeastern University.
“Everyone always wants to do better, and we’re getting better every time we do a test,” Pratt said. “We’re working on our physiology and moving toward working on the water and training with an oar.”
“We’ve got a solid team,” Pratt continued. “Rowing a boat takes a lot of chemistry, it’s not just filling units into the seats and going. It takes a lot of effort to make it look effortless. Anyone who looks at rowing thinks it’s nice and easy has never sat in a boat.”
Sitting in a boat is something the Terriers themselves haven’t had much of a chance to do this season. Because of the harsh New England weather, Pratt said his team has been confined to an average of two practices a week outdoors and none this week because of the exceptional cold.
“If it wasn’t frozen out there or just plain miserable, we’d be out there rowing,” he said. “As soon as we can get out there, we’ll be out there every day. We’re not going to go out there and just try to survive — we want to get something done. When you’re in 32 degree water, it’s cold. Your feet get cold, your hands get cold. When you get splashed it freezes.”
So for now the Terriers are stuck indoors, training with ergometers and waiting for the callous winter frost to thaw.
“We always would prefer to be in the water, everyone wants to row,” Pratt said. “[The ergometers] work on the rowing motion though, training the muscles and the body, and getting it ready to actually row.”
Pratt said his team is making progress, and by the regular season he hopes they’ll be ready.
“It’s like an exam, who’s ever ready for it?” Pratt said. “You just go in and take it.”
While the majority of BU students soak up rays on illustrious beaches, guzzle booze at cabana bars, sip Bloody Mary’s on wicker furniture or just go home, the men’s crew team will make the trek to South Carolina for another tune-up at Clemson University.
And from then until the spring season starts?
“We’ll get a lot of rowing done.”
