FAIRFIELD, Conn – While most of New England begins to dread the change of temperature that comes with October, the Fairfield University men's and women's rowing teams look to the seasonal transition as a passage to their 2022-23 season. The two programs will take to the water for their first competition this weekend with the start of the Head of the Housatonic.

Director of Rowing David Patterson will now get to see how both teams will react to competition beyond their teammates. The Fall season allows his rowers to take stock and see where they rank in the local, regional, and national competitions that await the Stags over the next four weeks.

"The fall season for us is all about developing our rowing skills in preparation for the traditional spring season with some races thrown in for good measure," Coach Patterson said. "The great thing about our teams are the student-athletes want to race and perform well against local, regional, and conference rivals. While we don't distract ourselves from our mission to compete at peak in May by prepping for fall races, the team will give everything they have to perform. It's all part of the Stags Compete DNA."

Like any program, the preseason offers many challenges for an athletic program and the men's and women's rowing programs are no different. In addition to the rigors of student-athletes getting back on track academically after the summer break, the rowing teams also face physical challenges.

"There have been challenges like inconsistent weather which had us bounce between land training and getting out on the water," Coach Patterson explained. "Everyone has had to deal with the incumbent challenges of settling into a new year at school. While most eyes are on the first years adjusting to this new life landscape, September invariably brings a certain degree of adversity to individuals and the collective. But that also calls all of us to other important commitments we make to each other."

That commitment lends itself to being ready for the weekend competitions that the men's and women's rowing teams face during the Fall campaign. The schedule starts with the annual trek to the Head of the Housatonic which is slated for this Saturday in Shelton and represents the teams' first chance to show their competitive prowess.

"The Fall schedule for the most part is fun at the race weekends as a way to spice up the volume of training we try to accomplish through the week," Coach Patterson said. "The Head of the Housatonic is a competitive baptism of fire against national powerhouses Brown and Yale. Northeastern is a perennial champion of the CAA while Boston University is defending Patriot League champions. Wellesley wont he Division III national championship. The men will be looking to have strong races in the fours and the novice eight. Last year we were adventurous going into the IRA eights category. No question it will be a challenging competitive environment."

The Fall schedule also includes the programs making their annual trip to the Head of the Charles which provides the Stags with an opportunity to gauge how they stack up against some of the most competitive programs in the country.

"Head of the Charles is simply an iconic festival or rowing and we are fortunate to have two entries for the women and one of the men," Coach Patterson said "As we go to the start line for these races, the primary aim for us is to gain automatic entry for the following year's race."

The schedule also highlights to regional events that gives both programs the opportunity to make their mark in late October and early November with the hope that the momentum will carry through into the training and eventual competition that comes in the Spring.

"For the final two races, we compete at the NYRA Fall Invitational and the Fall Mets," Coach Patterson said. "Last year, the women came away with a team trophy at the NYRA event which gave Marist due notice that we are going to be challenging at the MAAC Championship. It is a fact that if you beat Marist at the MAACs than you are MAAC champions since they historically either win or place second. While the crews attend these last two events, the format of racing mirrors what we do in the spring so these events are certainly a useful performance gauge to establish what we need to do in the winter months."

With such a promising outlook on the horizon, both the men's and women's rowing teams have shown a great deal of enthusiasm that is also noticed and shared by the coaching staff.

"There is definitely a different vibe to both teams this year," Coach Patterson said. "The men seem to be having fun with the sheer volume of guys on the team boating four eights of student-athletes. The women are finding a calm groove and are establishing this ability to work for each other without getting distracted by the challenges."

Challenges occur during a season whether or not a team is ready for them. Based on their camaraderie and work ethic, it appears the men's and women's rowing teams are ready to face those challenges and turn them into success beginning with the Fall season.