The Bromfield/Acton-Boxborough oarsmen went head to head against the Essex Rowing Club this week Saturday, April 23, on home waters of Bare Hill Pond. Due to vacation and EMT commitments, each boat was required to adjust to lineup changes. Matt Robinson earned the praise of his coach for stepping into the First Varsity boat, where he fit perfectly.
Coach Pat Scott explained, “We train to win in May and June…They were very tired, as we did a great deal of fitness training during spring break.”
The Second Varsity Boat had six true novices in the lineup. The race was rough, with both Essex boats finishing first and second. The boys came away with a good understanding of what they need to work on heading into the next few weeks’ races. With little time to adjust to changes, the boys rose to the challenge and coxswain Julie Dexter concluded, “With all of that, the piece was extremely powerful and the rowing was good. We can only improve from here!”
The First Varsity Boat had a much better go of it and provided the most exciting race of the day, narrowly missing a victory in a battle down to the last meter. They worked through some spotty catches and applied excellent pressure. The results board counted a one-second difference between the boats.
Scott said, “…they did exactly what we expected. They executed the race plan, they moved smoothly, and they need to work on the catches. With another few weeks of training, if things keep going the way they have been, we’re going to be very fast.”
The crew needs to improve its time by only a few seconds by this weekend in Saratoga, when they will have an opportunity to compete with Essex again.
Mother Nature threw everything she had at the Novice Boys Eight, including unrelenting hail and rain throughout the race. The boys, all of whom are in middle school, rowed an “awesome race” by their coxswain’s account. The Bromfield/A-B Novice boys camp raced against towering Essex novice high school boys A and B boats. These Essex Novice crews set a blistering pace and took the race with a healthy lead.
Coach Ned Foster said, “Although the outcome of the race was not what we were hoping for, the boys continue to gain valuable race experience.”
The Bromfield/A-B boat consisted of coxswain Amanda Sundheimer, Chris Melby, Jack Chambers, James O’Shea, Alex Hill, Noah Dyer, Justin Gordon, Pat Pesa, and Dan Shrives.
