The men's crew team kicked off their season this past weekend in Boston at the Head of the Charles. The Badgers finished fifth in the Championship Fours and 19th in the Championship Eights.
Head Coach Chris Clark said he was pleased with the overall performance of the team this weekend.
\The first day was pretty much what I expected,"" Clark said. ""I'd say for our team and where they are, exept for a couple of top teams, we're close to everybody, so that's good.""
The team has no returning varsity members, creating a challenge for the new young team.
""It's a young team,""Clark said. ""I think we had 10 or 11 seniors last year so it's all young guys.""
The team has multiple goals this year, but Clark stressed having more boats in the national championships.
""The first thing is putting boats in the finals in the national championships------that's the number-one objective,"" Clark said. ""It's a very simple goal but it's real reflective of the depth of the team.
Clark wants to continue to push the team, yet wants them to still relax.
""It's amazing to watch young guys, they force it all the time, and when you're forcing it, you make a lot of mistakes, but that just means you're trying so hard,"" Clark said. ""This is exactly the kind of team we have, which I like, but it's a little anxiety-producing because they never really relax ... its the hardest part about this sport.""
The team is back in action in Iowa this weekend at the Head of the Iowa meet in Iowa City, Iowa. Clark sees this regional as a ""competition that just turns out to be about who amongst our team rises up. It's more of an inner school thing.""