To the guys (and a few girls).

We have finally begun...

I want to start by telling you I am very excited about the challenges we
have ahead of us.  I will not disregard the changes that we are going
through, because I think it is always important to acknowledge stuff and
deal with it rather than to sweep things under the rug.

First, regarding last season...  Over the course of the last season, I tried
to foresee the future and develop a heavyweight and a lightweight boat which
would both be competitive at the highest of levels, and a 2nd eight which
would be competitive at the State level and ready to step to the next level
with a little more experience.  To be honest with you all, I envisioned the
boats for the spring remaining very much like the boats for the fall (except
I was hoping to get Henry a little bit of focus time and have him and AJ
switch - to complete the heavy/light separation).

For several reasons (including injuries) the make-up of the team has
changed.  I will not deny that, but I can assure you that this will be for
the better.  I always believe that change is better.  We get a chance to
re-evaluate who we are and re-dedicate ourselves to the cause.  That being
said, let me go off on a little tangent...

When I first took over coaching the guys at Saratoga, we had a group of big
guys who didn't yet understand how to invest themselves into the sport.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time teaching "investment" to the
boys...  It came, one person at a time.  After a few years, I had a solid
group of athletes who understood "investment" and, the more I had, the
easier it became for new people to learn.  This is how one goes about
building a team. You establish a solid core and the new additions will
quickly adopt the established work ethic and investment.  As we went to
split sessions, you as a group were left with the task of ensuring the
initiation of the new athletes to the expected work ethic and level of
investment.  In retrospect, I feel that I did not do as good of a job
fostering the investment as I have in the past.  I was counting on the
combined experience of the group to keep the new group of athletes moving in
the right direction.  In my estimation, the group of new additions to the
varsity squad was too large for the group to manage the inclusion without
more direct supervision.  It is also the case that not everyone will adopt
the work ethic and investment on the time schedule we would like to see.

Now, back to the present.  I began by saying that I am excited about the
challenges ahead of us.  The reason I am excited is that I believe this to
be a group that is capable of understanding the notion of investment and the
required work ethic to reach our full potential.  In order to make sure we
realize this potential, I am not planning to commit our time, energy, or
resources to any pre-defined boat for the spring.  I would like to work as
one complete varsity unit for the first 2 months of the season.  As we get
into April, we will make our first division of the team.  We will split into
groups of 16 rowers and 2 coxswains.  Then, remaining a group of focused
athletes (instead of any particular boat) we will continue training in
varied combinations and racing in whichever combination best suits the
conditions of the race.  At the State Championship regatta we will attempt
to qualify a Heavyweight Mens 8 and a lightweight mens 8 (the priority at
States will be a heavyweight mens eight because we can petition a
lightweight entry based on the results of previous years racing).  After
States, we will continue training in such a manner as to determine the
fastest possible boat in it's category.  We will finalize our decision on
the Cincinnati boat by running time trials over Memorial Day weekend.  We
will run different combinations of lightweight 8s and different combinations
of heavyweight 8s, and we will find the boat which is fastest in it's
category.