The recipe for success for any college sports team calls for one ingredient: a love of the game -- Or, in this case, the race.
If any team at the University knows about loving its sport, it is the men's rowing team. Though not a varsity team, men's crew has proven to be a group of capable athletes, and they are a bunch of guys who simply love to row.
"This is a fine example of amateur sports at its best," head coach Tony Kilbridge said. "The players get nothing out of it materially. They sleep four to a room, two to a bed when they go on the road."
Being a club rather than a varsity squad can be a disadvantage for any rowing team. Most clubs are not allowed to recruit and must operate on a tight budget. The Cavaliers, too, "make due with talented walk-ons" while the "highly prized recruits go places like Harvard or Princeton," according to Kilbridge.
Despite a lack of recruitment support, the team operates on a budget of $150,000, raised through endowments and dedicated fundraising. The men's crew team managed to place second in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Regatta last year, losing to North Carolina by just a third of a second.
At the national level, the Virginia squad can hold its own against many top varsity teams.
"Last year, our top boat placed 18th in the country," co-captain Dave Gardner said.
Gardner rowed for four years in high school, and despite having gone through the collegiate recruitment process, ended up at Virginia.
"It's a source of drive because we have to raise money and pay dues to the team," Gardner said. "Everyone that's on the men's team is here because they want to row."
In addition to having an experienced coach -- Kilbridge rowed for Harvard -- the players "train with the best equipment," and "have a great coaching staff and great boats," Gardner said.
Though Gardner said he is anticipating a tough season because most of the races on their schedule are away (the only home race is against Colombia after Spring Break), he and Kilbridge agreed that their main goal is to win the ECAC Regatta after suffering such a heartbreaking loss to UNC last year.
In addition, Gardner said the team wants to prove itself even more as a national threat.
"Our goal is to get to the top 15 in the country," he said.
Kilbridge said the team is on its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with nationally.
"At the national championships, we're really not in a position to win it all yet with our non-varsity status. But after the top five, we can compete with [anyone]."
Despite the unpredictability of where the men's crew team will end up this season, one thing is certain: They are willing to race out of sheer love of the sport.
The team "is an excellent example of what college sports should be about," Kilbridge said.
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