Double the Skill and Success

Three weeks ago, a group of Yale rowers stood on the banks of Lake Waramaug, ready to cheer on their teammates in the heavyweight women's varsity eight race at the Eastern Sprints.

When the announcer said that Princeton was leading Radcliffe by a deck after 200 meters, one of the Bulldogs said with resignation, "That means absolutely nothing. [Radcliffe] has the McCaggs."

Betsy and Mary McCagg, also known as "the twins," have been on the Radcliffe varsity crew for four years and have been a big factor in the Black and White's undefeated record and number-one ranking this season.

As the "engine room" of the eight--the producers of the power that moves the shell along quickly--the McCaggs think of themselves as "the solid force behind Radcliff--the heart of the team." With their 6-ft., 2-in. frames, it is easy to see why.

"They're great," Radcliffe Coach Liz O'Leary says. "They've really come into their own as athletes. It's exciting to see where they are now and see their potential down the road as they pursue their national team goals."

Both Mary and Betsy have been invited to try out for the U.S. national team this summer, and both have aspirations to compete in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

The McCaggs became involved in crew during high school, where they also played varsity volleyball and basketball.

"The basketball coach in high school tried to pit us against each other and we really didn't like to compete that way," Mary says. "In crew we can work together and compete together."

As junior national rowers in high school, Mary and Betsy won in the pair, a four and an eight, in addition to traveling to Europe twice with the U.S. junior national team.

Although they do many things together, Betsy and Mary define themselves as very separate people.

"Mary's this geek Psych person [a Psychology major] who's really directed, and I'm really spacey," says Betsy, who is an English major. "People think of us as 'the McCaggs' or 'the twins,' and it's weird."

"We get sick of people not being able to tell us apart," says Mary, whose new hairstyle has done much to curtail the confusion this year. "Now people are starting to treat us like two separate people instead of two halves of a whole."

Yet together, the towering duo have done much to lend an air of power and invulnerability to the heavyweight eight, in addition to forming a strong core of Radcliffe's program over the years.

"At the Sprints when we all were nervous about being number one and having every other crew out to beat us, Liz and J.T. [Captain Juliet Thompson] said, 'Why don't you two walk around together and scare people, let them know that this is what they'll have to row against?'" Betsy says. "The intimidation works, and it's cool."

"Radcliffe crew has really enriched the major part of my college experience," Mary says. "It's nice to get close to a group of people I wouldn't have met elsewhere. It's helped me to find my own place in the University, my own niche."

Mary hopes to go into child psychology eventually and earn a Masters as she trains with the Boston Rowing Club, while Betsy thinks she may do something with writing, advertising or magazines.

Right now however, they are concentrating on their rowing.

"We'll probably try and row and hide for as long as we can from the real world," Betsy says.

"I hope I see them on the cover of U.S. Rowing magazine with gold medals around their necks years down the road," O'Leary says.

If the twins keep the hard work up, then O'Leary's hope should become a reality some time around 1992.