|
| 2nd Varsity at 2006 Head of Charles |
Rowing was one of Williams first sports surfacing on campus in 1869 by the efforts of what was described by the school's administration as a 'decidedly burlesque' group. Williams continued to row up until 1879 when it left the Saratoga regatta along with Harvard, Yale and Bowdoin, to protest gambling and betting on collegiate rowing.
In the 1930's two very enthusiastic school boy rowers from St. Paul's School (NH) and Kent School (CT) started rowing at Williams. Although they attracted 30 to 40 converts each year, the college was not impressed, and felt the sport would 'spell the ruin of all sports in the balmy months of the year.' In the early 1940's, attrition and the effects of World War II left the program quite literally without anyone to man the oars.
In 1968 John A. Shaw '62 returned to Williams to teach history. Shaw's energy and financial backing started williams rowing once again, but unlike the previous two attempts, it was for good.
One of the college shells is appropriately named the Pride
and Persistence.
Philosophy
Head coach Peter Wells '78 strongly believes that the essence of
Williams men's crew revolves around the will, determination, and
spirit of every team member.
"My approach is to cultivate and nurture each individual to become the best athlete he can and to help each athlete see that the exercise and experience of rowing is much more than getting into a boat for practices and races, but an experience that parallels many things in life. Everything becomes practice, building winners both on and off the water, not just for the purpose of rowing, but for allowing each individual to grow and mature through his college experience."
Training Facilities/Techniques
Williams men's crew has some of the best athletic facilities of
any college its size in the country. The John A. Shaw boathouse,
located 21 miles south of the campus on Onota lake in Pittsfield,
MA, has more than 25 Vespoli, Schoenbrod and Kaschper Eights,
Fours, Pairs and Singles dedicated to the program.
Onota Lake, two miles long, is one of the cleanest rowing bodies of water in the country and considered a Berkshire treasure, surrounded by lofty mountains rich in fall and spring color.
|
| Ephs win 2006 Little 3 race |
On campus, the crew training facility provides a 10-person indoor rowing tank in Chandler Athletic Center and has Concept-II and Gamut rowing ergometers. The rowing tank is located directly underneath the Fitness Center, which was recently expanded to two levels and features free weights, Nautilus, Stairmaster and Lifecycle machines.
The men's crew rows fall and spring and takes full advantage of the natural resources surrounding Williamstown in terms of mountain trails for hill workouts. Regular team competitions and training occur year round in the form of running races, triathlons, ergometer pieces, cross country ski races, mountain climbs, field hockey tournaments, one-on-one basketball, a two-week fitness stint with the wrestling team, yoga and aerobic sessions.
In September and October there are two or three head races.
winter training runs from November to march. Two weeks in Myrtle
beach, SC and the Occoquan Sprints in Virginia prepare the Ephs for
the spring season. The spring season includes competition with
Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College,
Georgetown, George Washington, Hamilton, Hobart, Holy Cross,
Ithaca, UMass-Amherst, Miami (FL), Middlebury, MIT, New Hampshire,
Temple, Trinity, Tufts, Tulane, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Virginia,
and Wesleyan. The New England Rowing Championships, NESCAC
Championships, ECAC Championships and the Henley Regatta are season
highlights.
|
|
In October of 2007 several Ephs participated in rowing 53
miles |
