The final weekend of the fall 2006 crew season was certainly eventful. Sunday, October 29, at the Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association (MPSRA) state championships at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, the boys varsity four team finished 15 seconds behind first-place Worcester and won the silver medal for the second straight year.
The boy’s boat was manned by Garrett Cosgrave, Jordan Schnipke, Darren Hartig, and Clarke Smith with coxswain Christie Devlin. The girl’s varsity four and eight boats also raced and achieved times of 11:06 and 11:41, respectively. Rowers included Ally Cohen, Maggie Schulz, Margo Holley, Mary Beth Childs, Ellie Kendall, Vanessa Jacobson, Mariah Katz, Ailee Katz, Kristin von Loesecke, Maija Mednieks, Allie Bollman, Kate Lee, Rita Fagan, and Jillian Saydah.
October 28, under torrential downpours, the teams finished a respectable middle-of-the-pack in the Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In spite of severe weather conditions that forced officials to shorten the course, the rowers had a great time experiencing a race that required out-of-state travel and featured the top rowers from all over the country. Christie Devlin, Darren Hartig, Jordan Schnipke, Chris Martin, Garrett Cosgrave, Ellie Kendall, Margaux Holley, Ally Cohen, Maggie Schulz, and Mary Beth Childs rowed for the girls team.
November 3, the Bare Hill Rowing Association sponsored a Friend and Fundraiser. The event was well attended with almost 100 student and local rowers, parents, past and current coaches, and rowing enthusiasts and supporters. The night featured rowing demonstrations, fun competitions, speeches and displays. One highlight of the program was a demonstration of the scaled-down version of the annual Ice Out Derby equipment created by Don Girard. The equipment features a device that measures the exact time the ice on Bare Hill Pond melts, signaling the start of the spring season water training.
Also on display were a list of prior Bromfield rowers now competing at the college level, prior state competition medals, and the history of Bromfield rowing, including the initial girls teams coached by Harvard resident Ann Taylor. Erg competitions pitting rowers against other rowers, parents and friends were especially intense. Andy Andersen, a regular columnist with The Independent Rowing News, was the featured speaker and shared humorous stories about rowers and the rowing life from his recent book, “The Compleat Rowing Guide.”
Overall the event accomplished the sponsor’s goals of bringing together many local rowing activists for what is hoped to be the first of many gatherings.
Next up for Bromfield rowing is a formal winter training program instituted for the first time this year. Coaches Pat Scott and Brittany Campbell look forward to the opportunity to develop basic and advanced rowing skills as well as overall conditioning. Interested students may still sign up by contacting Barbara Petroulis at (978) 456-9334 or petroulisb@charter.net.
