Davis Men's Crew Club
Encyclopedia
The Davis Men's Crew Club is a collegiate sports club
representing the University of California, Davis
in rowing
. As a non-funded team, it is a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
(WIRA), whose participants are mostly of non-Pac-10 schools on the West Coast
. Nationwide, the team is one of the most successful collegiate rowing club
programs in the United States, making periodic appearances in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
national championships and, more recently, the Eastern College Athletic Conference
.
Founded in 1977, the Davis Men's Crew Club was established under the guidance of Rich Sundquist, a former oarsman from the University of California, Santa Barbara
. In 1980 the crew received its first own racing shell
, a wooden sweep eight, which was cut in half and driven from the East Coast on top of a van. In 1993 the crew completed the Curt Rocca Boathouse, which was to replace a smaller boathouse
built earlier on. The boathouse is still used today, shared with the UC Davis women's rowing team and located in the Port of Sacramento
.
Most rowers
and coxswain
s are walk-ons, with little to no previous experience in the sport of rowing. In the Fall returning crew members recruit students on campus, headed by two elected club recruiters. Those interested can attend practices run by the novice coach, who trains those new to the sport.
Besides the recruiters, there are many club officers that help run the program as a whole. Those within the council vote on important key issues for the team. Overall, club officers coordinate their individual responsibilities to one another to ensure all aspects of the program are running smoothly. Officer positions are voted on in an election amongst teammates at the end of each school year.
Club Officer Positions
blades, are two golden stripes in parallel and slanted diagonally. In addition, the Cal Aggie symbol with two crossed-oars behind is represented.
The official mantra of the crew is 'RYBO', an acronym for 'Row your balls off'. To avoid confrontation, members can amend it to a more family-oriented saying, such as 'Row your buns off'. RYBO is found on many of the official crew apparel, and is often included in team cheers, most commonly when a team boat launches for a race.
Racing Shell Arsenal
The club offers naming rights to those shells titled 'NoName,' for a generous donation.
Regionally, the club's rival is the Sacramento State Hornets
. However, the club considers Orange Coast College
, Gonzaga
, and UC San Diego
to be rivals as well, especially since these schools are members of WIRA. In the varsity eight grand final at the 2007 WIRA championship regatta
, Davis finished first at 6:03.8, barely ahead of Gonzaga’s 6:04.3 and UC San Diego’s 6:05.7.
WIRA Events Won, by Year
Despite the club's successes in WIRA, every season the team works toward a long-term goal to become more competitive amongst the top schools in the nation, who are almost always fully funded. Recently, in the 2007 Spring season, Davis's top varsity eight raced against the 3rd level varsity eight of the University of California, Berkeley
, a program that consistently places in the top 5 in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
's national championships.
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
representing the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
in rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
. As a non-funded team, it is a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association is an American collegiate conference that only sponsors rowing.-Men's Rowing Members:*Arizona State University*California State University, Humboldt*California State University, Long Beach...
(WIRA), whose participants are mostly of non-Pac-10 schools on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Nationwide, the team is one of the most successful collegiate rowing club
Rowing club
A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of Rowing. Rowing clubs are usually located near a body of water, whether natural or artificial, that is large enough for manoeuvering of the shells . Clubs usually have racks to store boats and a dock to put them in the water...
programs in the United States, making periodic appearances in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
national championships and, more recently, the Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
.
Origins
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. In 1980 the crew received its first own racing shell
Racing shell
In watercraft, a racing shell is an extremely narrow, and often disproportionately long, rowing boat specifically designed for racing or exercise. It is outfitted with long oars, outriggers to hold the oarlocks away from the boat, and sliding seats...
, a wooden sweep eight, which was cut in half and driven from the East Coast on top of a van. In 1993 the crew completed the Curt Rocca Boathouse, which was to replace a smaller boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
built earlier on. The boathouse is still used today, shared with the UC Davis women's rowing team and located in the Port of Sacramento
Port of Sacramento
The Port of Sacramento is an inland port located northeast of San Francisco, and is centered in one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. Cargo ships access the Port of Sacramento through San Francisco Bay and passage up the Sacramento River and the Sacramento deep water channel...
.
Organization
As a registered student organization of the university, the team's operations and administrative decisions are managed by its student membership in cooperation with the UC Davis Intramural Sports and Sports Club Office. Council club officers vote on a variety of decisions, from hiring coaches to managing team finances. As a club sport at UC Davis, the program receives minimal funding for a crew team. The majority of the club's income comes from membership dues, fundraising, and alumni donations.Most rowers
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
s are walk-ons, with little to no previous experience in the sport of rowing. In the Fall returning crew members recruit students on campus, headed by two elected club recruiters. Those interested can attend practices run by the novice coach, who trains those new to the sport.
Besides the recruiters, there are many club officers that help run the program as a whole. Those within the council vote on important key issues for the team. Overall, club officers coordinate their individual responsibilities to one another to ensure all aspects of the program are running smoothly. Officer positions are voted on in an election amongst teammates at the end of each school year.
Club Officer Positions
- Council
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Fundraiser
- Sports Club Council Representative
- Non-Council
- Haberdasher
- Historian
- Recruiters
- Erg Managers
- Boathouse Manager
- Web Page Manager
- Safety Representative
Team Tradition
Since the club represents UC Davis, the team colors are blue and gold. The official logo insignia of the crew, seen on official racing uniforms and on the face of the oarOar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
blades, are two golden stripes in parallel and slanted diagonally. In addition, the Cal Aggie symbol with two crossed-oars behind is represented.
The official mantra of the crew is 'RYBO', an acronym for 'Row your balls off'. To avoid confrontation, members can amend it to a more family-oriented saying, such as 'Row your buns off'. RYBO is found on many of the official crew apparel, and is often included in team cheers, most commonly when a team boat launches for a race.
Racing Shell Arsenal
- Coxed Eights (8+)
- NoName Vespoli 8 (new)
- E3
- Crew of '78
- Sean Thomas McGinity II
- Morry Lax
- Marc A. Sawyer
- NoName Vespoli 8 (old)
- Dragster
- '59
- Coxed Fours (4+)
- NoName Hudson 4
- The Snyder
- Accelerator
- Liberator
- Pair/Doubles (2x/-)
- NoName Pocock
- Czerner
- The Zip
The club offers naming rights to those shells titled 'NoName,' for a generous donation.
Rivalry
Sacramento State Men's Rowing Team
The Sacramento State Men's Rowing Team is a collegiate sports club representing the Sacramento State University in rowing. The program is a club sport, not affiliated with the university athletic department and is governed by elected club officers...
. However, the club considers Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...
, Gonzaga
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Gonzaga University is a member of the West Coast Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
, and UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego Tritons
The UCSD Tritons are the athletic sports team for the University of California, San Diego . UC San Diego has 23 varsity sports teams and offers student participation in a wide range of sports including swimming, water polo, soccer, volleyball, crew, track and field, fencing, basketball, golf, cross...
to be rivals as well, especially since these schools are members of WIRA. In the varsity eight grand final at the 2007 WIRA championship regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
, Davis finished first at 6:03.8, barely ahead of Gonzaga’s 6:04.3 and UC San Diego’s 6:05.7.
WIRA Events Won, by Year
| Varsity Eight | Junior Varsity 8 | Novice Eight | 2nd Novice Eight | Novice Four | Light Eight | Light Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 2001 2003 2005 2007 |
1998 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 |
1991 1993 1999 2004 |
1992 2000 2003 |
2011 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 2004 |
1991 |
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, a program that consistently places in the top 5 in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
's national championships.