World record holder Davis Kitchel '95 relinquishes facts about himself the same way most people relinquish teeth at the dentist: reluctantly and painfully.
Asked if his ergometer time is good, Kitchel, who represented the United States at the World Lightweight Rowing Championships last summer, replied in his quiet, self-effacing manner "um, yes, um, well ... it's a world record."
The Erg is a mechanical rowing simulator used extensively in training by oarsmen.
Kitchel has twice broken the world record he set a year ago over the simulated 2,500-meter piece. Kitchel's current personal record of 7:39.7 is more than seven seconds faster than any man has ever rowed.
Varsity Rowing Coach Dick Grossman said "everyone in the world trains on the same machine. The concept two ergometer is the standard. There are races held all over the world for this machine. To be the best in that is very significant."
But the record barely makes the list of Kitchel's proudest accomplishments.
"I'm proud of it, but I don't want it to define who I am," he said.
Rather, Kitchel says he is more proud of his team efforts.
"You are rowing with seven other people. It is sort of individual, but you have to make your performance mesh with everyone else," he said.
His proudest moment "was probably winning [Eastern] Sprints in '93. Dartmouth had a lightweight program that had never won Sprints. It was great to be the first to do that," he said.
Also on the list is the first preseason victory over Harvard in 52 years and winning the Sprints in 1994.
Also, making the U.S. national team as one of the six best port lightweights in the country is not bad either, Kitchel said..
At the World Championships in Indianapolis last September, Davis and his teammates started strong.
"We won the first heat, we beat some really strong crews, like the Germans and the Spanish. That put us directly in the final," Kitchel said.
Poor planning and poor conditions lead the U.S. team to a fifth place finish.
According to Grossman, Kitchel "made that boat as an outsider trying to break in among people who were training as part of the national team all year."
"He was the only college undergraduate in that boat," Grossman said.
"The average age is 27 or 28. They are mostly former college rowers who row for clubs. I was one of the youngest, and I'm pretty old," said Kitchel, who is 26.
After graduating from Hanover High School, Kitchel, decided to postpone college so he could travel.
"I took a NOLS outdoor leadership] course. I went to Australia and New Zealand. I wanted to learn to scuba dive on the great Barrier Reef," Kitchel said.
Four years later, Kitchel matriculated in Baker Library as a member of the class of 1995. He had never rowed before.
"I was recruited to run track and cross country. Just before I suited up for my first race, I decided I wanted to try something else."
"It was great. A completely new sport. I'd gotten myself into a rut, and it wasn't fun for me anymore," he said.
And though Grossman praised his technical ability, calling him "the best pure athlete I've worked with in 20 years," Kitchel modestly claims his technique has always been far from perfect.
"I must have been a terrible sight to look at ... I still see myself as somewhat of a novice; people I row against have been rowing nine or ten years."
Perhaps Kitchel will someday be able to consider himself a veteran, as his most immediate plans after graduation are to keep rowing.
"My future goal is to be the US single skuller [at the Olympics]," he said. But, he cautioned, "I think I'll take a year off and not try to do too much too soon. I'm not that old yet."
