Crew team rowing in big time

[LINK] Matt Winkeljohn, AJC

It was a big deal a few weeks ago when Georgia Tech's lightweight eight-man boat rowed its way to a gold medal at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, avenging its only loss of the season, to St. Joseph's. Yet the Yellow Jackets' crew this week will be a huge underdog and love it.

Dad Vail was the national championship for club and non-funded teams. From Thursday to Saturday, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., will include the big dogs, including three-time defending champion Harvard and other schools with funded rowing programs.