Eleven members of the WPI men's crew team travelled to northern Georgia two weeks ago for a week of spring training on the waters of Lake Sidney Lanier. Lake Lanier is located 60 miles north of Atlanta on the Chattahoochee River. This year was the second year the rowing team has visited the lake, site of the rowing and kayaking venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The spring trip is typically the first time the team rows on the water after a long winter of strength and endurance training in the team's Alumni gym facilities.
While in Georgia, the team used two four-man boats lent by the Lake Lanier Rowing Club and by Loyola College of Maryland, whose rowing team was training at Lake Lanier during the same week as WPI. The WPI team was able to practice twice a day during the week, until injuries began to incapacitate some of the rowers. Nevertheless, the varsity team has a potentially very competitive boat ready for the spring racing season, which begins the 28th of March on the Charles River, in Boston. In the meantime, the team will be practicing six mornings a week, from the WPI boathouse on Lake Quinsigamond.
Accompanying the varsity and novice rowers were acting varsity coach Heather Cullen and assistant novice coach, Philip Tongue '99. Cullen ascended from novice to varsity coach after long-time coach F. David Ploss '71 resigned last November, citing employment obligations. The team is currently seeking a replacement coach for the coming fall season. Some sources indicate that the university has also been considering making crew a varsity sport.