After all the comedians and science guys left last weekend, the RIT crew alumni stayed an extra day to celebrate their 15th anniversary and compete in the Genesee Regatta. The hours before the race were full of the crew alumni sharing great stories and talking trash. One story, which took place on the Genesee River about three years ago, was shared by Dan Pintar, Computer Engineering alumnus of 2007: “Queens University’s boat was in front of us, and since we were passing them on a turn, they had to yield to us [according to the rules]. But they didn't yield, so both of our inside oars clashed, but the outside oars were still rowing, so our boats started to crash into each other. Then one of their rowers tried to hit our coxswain [the person who gives commands to the rowers], in the head. So out of frustration, I tried to get their boat away from us by using my oar, but I accidentally put a hole in their boat. Then Queens University was penalized for not yielding.” Pintar bragged about how he “got away with it” as the other rowers laughed nearby.
When the teams started getting ready for the Men's 8-person race (M8), the trash talk began. Dan Knorr, second year Computer Engineering major and member of the men's Varsity-8A boat, jokingly proclaimed, “The alumni don't stand a chance against us.” Pintar responded, “The A boat is fast this year, but we'll cream the B boat.” Similar comments were made as the teams finished setting up. But just when the race was about to begin, the team dropped the insults and they all wished each other good luck.
One by one the racers pushed off on the very unusually warm, sunny day for Rochester. Many alumni were on the sides cheering as the teams started off with their coxswains yelling commands in the front. The 8A boat started with a bang, trying to show up the alumni. The alumni boat started off slow and steady, but keeping good form throughout the entire race. The 8B boat, not to be outdone by either the A boat or the alumni boat, also pushed off quickly. The A and B boats both tried to keep the pace they started with but were unable, and started to get sloppy towards the end. The alumni stuck with their slow but steady strategy throughout the entire race. The A boat finished with a time of 16:09 minutes, B boat finished at 18:97 minutes, and the alumni finished at 19:09.
After the teams got out of the water, they talked about the race for a while. Pintar proudly proclaimed, “we may not have a won, but we definitely looked a hell of a lot better than you guys!” This brought out laughter to everyone standing around. “The race was fun”, Peter Scholtz, Mechanical Engineering alumnus of 2005, said, “but it doesn't bother me that we lost. Crew was a like a second family to me back in college. It's great to just see those people again, and meet the new kids on the team.”
While the race didn't leave anyone with much bragging rights, the team didn't really seem to mind. “Crew has helped me land jobs, make great friends, and have a lot of fun. How we [perform] doesn't really matter too much,” said Pintar.
