n I’m writing in response to Jenny Williams’ article (“Rowing flounders in weekend races,” April 21, pg. 12). First of all, I don’t think Jenny knows what she is talking about because I’m sure I’ve never seen her at a crew race. She writes, “the No. 15 Boston University women’s rowing team…” That’s No. 15 nationally ranked. Give us some credit.
What Jenny fails to highlight is that despite the loss to Brown University, which is a rowing powerhouse and continually one of the top five in the country (currently ranked No. 4), we have improved every time we have raced them. If Jenny cared to look up some facts, she would have found that last spring they beat us by 20 seconds, and before that, 30 seconds. Losing to Brown by 9 seconds this spring is an improvement, and one that can change into a win over them at Eastern Sprints.
When The Daily Free Press actually decides to give crew the little coverage it occasionally does, compared to the multiple articles on other BU teams, it doesn’t do its homework. The women’s crew team has the toughest schedule of all BU teams. Every weekend, we race the top teams in the country. Nine out of the 15 crews we race are national top-20 teams, and most hover in the top five. The ones that aren’t ranked fluctuate in and out. Just last week, BU was ranked No. 8. Can you imagine the men’s basketball team continually playing Kansas University, Duke University, University of Connecticut or Georgia Tech University? So before any other writer scribbles, “After leaving at 4:30 a.m., the women’s squad still didn’t seem awake three hours later,” I invite you all to come to a race. And be sure to be there for the boat loading, derigging, rigging and derigging again. You might want to get up at 3 a.m.
Jennifer Hays
CAS ’06
Former BU crew team member
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