In usual fashion, the USF crew team got off to a fast start last weekend in the California State championships. But, legends die fast and so did the Dons. They hit a brick wall at about 1200 meters and were passed by four of the six other boats in competition. USF barely managed to stay ahead of the Broncos of Santa Clara and the Gaels of St. Mary's in the last 100 meters. In the early going, the Dons held a one boat lead over eventual winner UC Davis. The USF boat cut them off, and the Dons were issued a white flag warning to make way for the other crew. There were no lane lines; consequently, it was hard for coxswain Helen O'Neil to keep a straight course. The Dons came in at 7 minutes and 23 seconds. UC Davis won the event with a time of 7 minutes and 7 seconds. "We just didn't have the killer instinct today." said junior rower Greg Kopecky. "We have to learn to row to win, and not to row not to lose," he said, explaining that the Dons have had problems putting away teams all season. USF has increased their land workouts to compensate for their poor outing. Hopefully this will increase their endurance so they will do better their next meet (TheFoghorn).
