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"The Front Line?"- 2000 By JOHN A. GILBERT
Every school that qualified for nationals is already a winner and this competition amounts to selecting the best of the best. The veterans know that it takes a balanced effort and a cool head to become the national champion, and it remains to be seen which school will have the correct balance of skill and luck to win the competition this year. In the end, I believe that the key to victory lies in a team's ability to cope with human dynamics, and that trait becomes more and more difficult to master as the pressure begins to build. The level of play will be very high this year and the competition will place stringent demands on everyone involved. So how does this year’s field stack up? Well, that’s very difficult to say because teams can change dramatically from year to year. But, since I've been asked so many times for my input, here goes. -- What do I know anyway? Clemson’s goal will be to retain their national title and they certainly will be among the top five this year. Their display was very strong at the regional level and they will be looking to improve their presentation for nationals. UAH will be in the top five too, looking for their 5th national win. They have the most experience in the field, have a very powerful technological delivery, and their women’s teams dominated at the regional level. Oklahoma State and the University of Washington are looking for top honors this year and both schools have left large portions of their boats exposed to increase the chances of winning the best product. They also won their regional competitions by a sizable margin. Watch for them in the races because their teams will be toward the front. The Southeast Regional competition mirrored the nationals with some times faster than those recorded in recent years. Watch for the Florida Institute of Technology in the display and presentation categories. They have a very dedicated faculty advisor and one of the best paddling coaches in the world. The University of Florida will be very strong in the races, especially during the slalom portion of the men’s distance. Their newly recruited faculty advisor hails from the University of Washington, and their team members include some of the best marathon paddlers in the world. Never underestimate the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. They have taken top honors before, always have a good product, and will be strong in the water. Since they were one of only two schools bold enough to post last year's design report on the Master Builders' web site, you can be sure that their new design report will be even better. Chances are that they will be assuming the role of an aggressive innovator in the other events too. The Michigan State men’s team promises to be fast on the straight and may pose a formidable challenge in the men’s distance race to my favorite for winning that event, the University of Florida. Michigan State has a very strong overall performance record, an extremely dedicated faculty advisor, and the prestige of being a national champion in 1990. Next to UAH, Michigan has the most national experience and, if they have strengthened their team, may challenge for the lead. There are a number of other schools who could place top five, even upset the field and win, or influence the final outcome by scoring major points in one or more categories. Drexel, New Orleans, and UW-Madison will be looking to move up this year and are likely to have a strong showing. UC-Davis beat four time national champion UC-Berkeley, so they could pose a threat to the top tier. The Universite Laval, Western Kentucky University, and Rhode Island have all been at nationals before and will be looking to improve their placements too. Laval is very polished and rumor has it that they have made some technical breakthroughs this year. The other teams rounding out the field hail from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Catholic University of America, Cornell University, Kansas State University, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, Rowan University, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio, U.S. Air Force Academy, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Some of them have been at nationals before while a few are making their debuts. Any one of them could break out of the pack to challenge Clemson for the title. Goodness knows, they all will certainly try. It's not like we haven't seen upsets before. In 1997, for example, FIT came to nationals for the first time as the Southeast region's runner up and sailed past UAH and everyone else to win the national title. The University of Florida is planning to do that to us this year, and they have the added advantage of having national experience as the Southeast's representative in 1995. Enough said. Let's cut to the quick and get to the bottom line. Barring an upset, my best guess is that the top five teams will come from among the eight schools highlighted in the first few paragraphs. One never knows though, and the rest of the field will want to prove me wrong - dead wrong. But if you do, you can be certain that your school will be among my top picks next year! I close by wishing all of the national qualifiers the best of luck at this year's competition. Please take a moment to come over and say hello to me and Team UAH. Let's not forget that this may be a very serious competition, but it is not a war. More importantly, if your team falls a little short of your expectations, don't do what we almost did on the beach in 1992. Just remember what I say to my team nowadays -- "Giving up is not an option!" I look forward to seeing you all soon in Colorado. |
