Back in 2012, my first year coaching at Georgia Tech, I pushed all season and entered a varsity 8.  It was the first V8 entry for Tech since 1998.  It was also eliminated in the reps on Friday afternoon. Their technical ability was average, but they just didn't have the horsepower to be really competitive.

This left us with nothing to do on Saturday, as the novice 8 had been eliminated as well.  This was my first time at the Dad Vail regatta, so I relaxed on the embankment and actually watched races.  I wasn't in the best mood about our results, despite a lot of the athletes expressing happiness they had all been able to race together.  Then the JV womens' 8 came down the course.

I wanted that race.  Everything a JV 8 represented, I wanted for my crew.  Here was a chance for younger, less experienced athletes to race against others at their skill level.  Strong programs had enough athletes in the program to put a second 8 out on the water.  There aren't that many programs like that.  Those boats are the markers of healthy, sustaining programs.  I wanted that future for Georgia Tech.

Historically, Tech hasn't focused on the open 8.  1998, 2012, 2013 and last year are the only entries I can find for a womens' 8 from Tech.  Varsity programs that can field a competitive 8 usually need a second boat to practice with.  Beyond a simple sparring partner, that second eight is the incubator for athletes that will take spots in the first 8 in the following years.  It also provides competitive drive throughout the season for members of the top boat.  They know if they underperform, there is usually someone from that JV that is happy to take their seat.  That was lacking from my first two 8s.

More importantly, a JV 8 is an opportunity for more members of my crew to race on Saturday at Dad Vail.  Consider the following numbers from last year's Dad Vail:  Half of the 32 total entries in the varsity 4+ were eliminated immediately in the time trial on Friday, including our own.   90 total athletes and coxswains were told, "Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed your time trial race, but you're done."  There were 24 entries in the pair, with six eliminated immediately.

In the JV last year?  9 entries.  Three eliminated on Friday, in one heat of 5 and the other of 4. Everyone else to the final.

Now I'm not going to try to fool anyone.  It won't be a cakewalk from the JV heats to the final on Saturday afternoon.  The boats that made that final came from good, deep programs.  The overall level of racing in the event has gotten a lot better than what I saw back in 2012, as you can see:



Even given this higher level of competition, what is the greater good for the athletes on my crew that don't earn seats in the top 8?  Facing that horde of fours and pairs?  Or racing together, as a team, in the JV?  Looking at those numbers, I want to avoid the open fours and pairs.

As always, life doesn't give me simple choices.  There is one other event that we could enter.  The lightweight 4 had only six entries last year.  They went straight to the final on Saturday.  The last time we did that boat, it went well.  Won SIRA and 4th overall at Vails after a terrible row in the rep.  You might recognize some faces in that boat.  Their race in the finals was possibly their best of the year, but they just didn't have the horsepower to catch the crews ahead of them, even with two mid 7:40 ergs in the stern pair.  We don't have lightweights with that sort of power output this year, so it's difficult to expect that sort of outcome.

So I'm really down to two choices for my second boat.  The top boat will be an 8, without question. After that, either almost everyone in a JV 8, or a light four/open four.  The open four would face a very, very tough road at boat SIRA and Vails.  Same for a pair/single combination.

This is why I've been pushing for the JV 8 so hard this year.  If that boat doesn't happen, we are going light 4/ open 4, and those boats will have a very, very tough road.  With our current injury situation, it might be a light 4 and pair with the same sort of outcomes.

The JV is supposed to be fun, a place to get better and something to make life occasionally miserable for the Varsity.  I really, really  hope we can get that sort of boat together.