The bright sunny days this spring have been great for more than just the folks suffering a severe case of cabin fever after a cold, icy winter.
They've also offered the Marietta Tiger Navy plenty of chances to get out on the water where the sport is enjoyed rather than being cooped up indoors on the ergs.
For the Marietta boys those extra days of sunshine to spend on the river have been especially nice.
That's because this year's team is full of young, talented rowers in the freshman and sophomore classes after the graduation of 10 seniors off last year's crew.
"We're getting a lot of water time which will be very beneficial," said Marietta boys' crew coach Eric Dowler.
An incoming freshman class of 14 athletes along with about a dozen from last year accounts for the majority of the Tiger boys out for crew. All those young rowers bring an energy and enthusiasm to the sport that compliments their talent and has Dowler optimistic about the upcoming season.
"I have very high expectations for this year," Dowler said.
Having a surplus of young rowers is a great sign for the Tiger Navy because it helps to build the depth of the program this year and in the future as those young rowers learn the sport.
Marietta has just two seniors out for boys' crew but while his team may be young Dowler has no doubts his team will be ready for the season.
"It's a small class but the right people have stepped up to be leaders," Dowler praised.
With 35 athletes on the roster the Tigers figure to fill plenty of boats including a varsity 8, jv 8 and novice 8 then follow that up with a lot of the four-man boats using many of the same athletes. Like the Marietta boys, the Tiger girls crew team is also looking to fill boats from the varsity 8 to the novice 4, often having girls in two races as they make use of the 30 athletes they have out for crew.
The athleticism and hard work put in during the offseason allows the Tigers to do that with great success.
"The girls have been working hard," praised first year Marietta girls' crew coach Sara Armstrong.
Unlike the Marietta boys, which are laden with novice rowers, the Lady Tigers are blessed with experience in the upper classman.
Experienced rowers outnumber newcomers nearly 2-to-1 and should help make the overall team even stronger, especially in the bigger boats.
"I think our 8s are going to be really strong," Armstrong said.
Though the Lady Tigers have plenty of experience on the water those veterans are making certain to welcome the new rowers with open arms and have developed a tight knit as a team.
"The girls seem to have bonded really well. That will do a lot for them working the boats together," Armstrong said.
The Tiger Navy will open its season at home with a tri-meet against Parkersburg and Parkersburg South Saturday.
Saturday is the only home regatta for the Tiger Navy this year as the annual Lindamood Cup won't take place due to scheduling conflicts with the Easter holiday and Marietta College. The Lindamood will resume next season.
After their season opener the Tiger Navy will head towards the tough part of the schedule with regattas including the Cincinnati Invitational April 11, the Ohio Governors Cup April 25 and the Pittsburgh Scholastic Sprints May 3. "We have some very good scheduled races this year throughout the Midwest," Dowler said.
