Hwt. Crew looks to reclaim Childs Cup

The Penn men's heavyweight crew team will be spending the beginning of Spring Fling weekend across the Delaware in New Jersey. The Quakers open their season of Ivy League cup races at Princeton against the Tigers and Columbia. With spring sprint racing now in full swing, the Quakers will have many opportunities to race hard against other Ivy crews before facing them all again at the Eastern Sprints. After competing for the first time at the San Diego Crew Classic two weeks ago, the Quakers have spent their practice time refining their race plans to build boat speed and row with a higher level of finesse. "Ideally, we hope to perform well and learn from our race in San Diego," senior varsity rower Lew Goettner said. "We've now seen where we stand against many of the teams we'll be racing in the upcoming weeks. We know they're well within our reach, and we know what we need to focus on before we see them again." This weekend, the Red and Blue will attempt to reclaim the Childs Cup. Although the cup has been held by the Tigers for the past seven years, the Quakers head to Carnegie Lake bursting with confidence. "I know all of us in the boat are ready to race," sophomore varsity rower Paul Falcigno said. "We have been waiting for this event for a long time and we are ready to show the rest of the Ivy League that Penn is a serious contender." Penn will face its other Ivy nemeses between now and mid-May before the Red and Blue's season culminates at Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Mass., on May 21. With each cup race, the Quakers anticipate an increase in speed as well as in the number of jerseys they bring home, as a crew tradition mandates that the losing rowers give their uniforms to the victors. "There are no negative sentiments going into our season-opener because we know we have the potential to go fast," Falcigno said. "Princeton is going to be a tough race, but we are all ready to meet the challenge. Coach Bergman has trained us well, and our boat knows we can beat them." Despite their losses and injuries, the Quakers believe they are just as competitive as past victorious crews. "As long as we all perform up to our potential, we will pose a serious threat against our fellow Sprints teams," Goettner said. "From here on in, it's non-stop. We're ready to race hard and start winning."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.