When the varsity finished its workout, we excitedly (and carefully) stepped into the boat, were pushed off the dock with serious warnings from the varsity oarsmen, and headed downstream. After a few minutes on the paddle and some practice starts and settles, we turned the boat around and headed back toward the boathouse.

Cocky freshmen that we were, we thought we should play a prank on the varsity. We stopped a short distance below the Thompson Boathouse dock. I called for a start and ten and settle for ten and pointed the new shell directly at the huge cement barges parked slightly upstream of the boathouse dock. As we came speeding by the downstream portion of the dock, the reaction of the varsity oarsmen quickly changed from wonder to incredulity to panic – their brand new boat was about to be destroyed and there was nothing they could do. What the hell were those dumbass freshmen doing? I finished the count, “… eight … nine … ten” as we sped by the middle of the dock and barked, “Weigh enough …. easy all.” We glided smoothly to within two lengths of the nearest monster barge, then I shouted “Drop ‘em, hold all!” The boat shuddered to an abrupt stop, a full length short of the barge. Tragedy averted. We turned the boat around and, smiles on our faces, returned to the dock, confident that we had shown our stuff.

A few days later, in the new shell, we did defeat Marietta in the Dad Vail final. Unfortunately, the Fordham freshmen managed to edge us out for first place.