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 (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell) caption:
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Hughes Extends Stay on Lake Carnegie Indefinitely In Taking Helm of Tiger Men's Lightweight Program
Bill Alden
Growing up on idyllic Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound around 30 miles north of Seattle, Greg Hughes was naturally drawn to boating and water sports.
Hughes' love of the water and athletics led him to become part of the powerful crew program at Brentwood College School which sits on the oceanfront in Mill Bay on Vancouver Island.
After a successful high school career, Hughes decided to bring his rowing talents east in 1992 to Princeton University and Lake Carnegie.
Hughes went on to become a star for the Tiger lightweight crew, helping to lead the program to national championships in 1994 and 1996. He was a two-time All-Ivy league performer, a team captain, and the 1996 co-winner of the Gordon G. Sikes Award which goes to the rower who has made the greatest contribution to the lightweight crew.
Upon graduation in 1996, Hughes nearly headed back to the Puget Sound to teach and coach at Brentwood but he ended up staying in Princeton for a one-year coaching internship. When freshman heavyweight coach Mike Teti became the U.S. national coach in 1997, Hughes replaced him and headed that crew for eight years.
Late last month, Hughes extended his stay on Lake Carnegie indefinitely as he was named to replace Joe Murtaugh as the head coach of the Princeton lightweight crew.
As Hughes looks ahead to his new role and his 15th season on Lake Carnegie, he acknowledged that Princeton has a hold on him.
"There is something about this place," said Hughes, looking down on Lake Carnegie from the conference room on the second floor of the Princeton boathouse.
"It is a special place. As beautiful as Princeton is and as ideal a facility as this is, it's the people that keep you here. If it weren't for the character of this place and the people inside it, this would just be a structure."
One of the special people that influenced Hughes the most in his development as an athlete and coach has been Murtaugh.
"We've been through a lot together," said Hughes, with his deep voice rising and his baby blue eyes flashing.
"Joe recruited me. He was my varsity coach while I was here. He was the coach of the lightweight team that I was coaching against in practice with the freshman heavyweight boat. There have been so many changes around here but Joe has always been here. He has been one of the constants for me at Princeton."
Murtaugh's constant leadership helped bring the most out of Hughes and his classmates in their outstanding run at Princeton. "As much as we had a lot of talent, we needed direction," recalled Hughes with a wry grin.
"There were a lot of personalities and attitudes that came into play. Joe was able to keep us from tearing each other apart. He was as competitive, if not more competitive than we were, and he held us to a high standard."
In Murtaugh's view, Hughes more than lived up to those high standards. "Greg made a positive impact on every boat he rowed in," said Murtaugh, who is leaving Princeton to be the primary child care provider for the baby his wife is expecting in August.
"He's the kind of guy you'd want stroking your boat in a tight race. He's relentless. He brings the same passion to his coaching. He gives his very best every day, he holds himself to the highest standards, and he expects the same of his rowers."
While it wasn't easy for Hughes to leave the heavyweight program, he did so due to his deep passion for the lightweight crew.
"It was sad to leave the heavyweight crew because they are special kids and they've worked so hard for me," said Hughes, who guided the 2003 freshman heavyweight boat to an undefeated season which included an Eastern Sprints title, an IRA national crown, and a first-place finish in the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.
"But I love the lightweight team, I'm indebted to it. I feel it has a special place in this boathouse. It's been a major part of driving the competition at the boathouse."
As he takes the helm of the lightweight program, Hughes is looking forward to being the driving force in the long-term development of his rowers.
"I want to be able now to push the level of competition at the boathouse," asserted Hughes, who has both rowed and coached for the U.S. national rowing program.
"The major difference for me will be to have the athletes for three years. As a freshman coach, every year you get a new team. You have nine months to take kids from all ranges of ability and get them to row 5:40 and compete for a championship. At the end of the year, you're saying I wish I could have one more year with these kids. Now I will get to train the kids for three years and develop a program. To see how I can build a team will be a challenge."
In Murtaugh's view, Hughes is up to that challenge. "I've had the opportunity to coach with and learn from some of the best coaches in the world," asserted Murtaugh. "I think Greg teaches, prepares, and motivates as well or better than anyone I know."
Hughes is prepared to put his motivational skills to full use as he looks to help the lightweight crew rebound from a disappointing season that saw it fail to make the Eastern Sprint grand final. "I look at the results and I know that nobody is satisfied with those results," said the wiry Hughes, who looks like he could still row a mean 2000 meters.
"But at the same time this league has changed a lot, the level of competition is so high. It comes down to who is on their game that day. We have the talent in the program to get up to that level; they were a length behind that speed. They will come back to the table again next year, they are tough kids."
And with a tough kid from the Puget Sound calling the shots, the lightweight crew should be able to make up that length and more next season.
