Boys' Crew Look to Rising Stars and New Coach for Leadership

One year after taking home the title of New Eng- land Champions, boys’ varsity crew takes to the river this season looking to build upon last year’s outstand- ing performance. With a strong field of returners and a solid winter of preparation behind them, the team is confident they can do just that.“The teams is as strong, if not stronger, than the team last year, and as a whole, the varsity team will weigh a lot less,” senior coxswain Nikhil Chuchra said. “When it comes to rowing, weight versus power means a lot, and having a light boat with fast erg times is a big positive. Things are looking up at this point.”B1 (boat one) will have four returning members, seniors Lakin Vitton, Sam Helms, JB Baker and upper Benj Cohen. Chuchra, who served as coxswain primar- ily for B2 last year, will take over on B1, and senior Julian Drury, who rowed for B2 last year, will join B1 and share the role of captain with Helms.“Julian and Sam have filled their roles as captainswith both poise and experience,” Chuchra said. “They have already helped everyone get better.”Over spring break, 19 varsity members of the team travelled down to Boston to row out of CRI (Community Rowing) for eight practices, where they focused primarily on their technique in the water. This training was especially useful for the team since the Exeter River currently remains frozen, while fellow schools’ rivers, such as the Merrimack River and the Charles River, are already available for practice.On the coaching side, Big Red gains a new head coach, English instructor Tyler Caldwell, who helped the team last year as an assistant to former coachAlbert Leger. Having rowed on Harvard’s lightweight team for four years, Caldwell brings experience and insight on the finer points of technique for the team, which will be key in propelling Exeter past their strong rivals, BC High, Kent, Tabor and Andover.PEA’s first race will take place on April 19, 2014 at Quinsigamond Community College, where the boys will take on Simsbury, St. John’s and Andover.