Bromfield Acton-Boxborogh rowers joined top crews from both the United States and Canada at the Saratoga Invitational Regatta in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to sharpen their racing skills and to capture a coveted medal. Many are testing their line-ups as they look ahead to the qualifier for the US Youth National Championships at the end of May.
With over 1,000 competitors from across the region and beyond, the competition is exceptionally strong. At this year’s event, the crews battled the competition but also had to contend with rough headwinds. The last four hours of racing were canceled Saturday evening for safety reasons.
“The winds were pretty tough this weekend, but overall I was very impressed with all my boats,” said Coach Katie Berger.
On Friday afternoon, Sylvia Sarnick and Caroline Turnbull fought the wind in the double, gaining valuable experience for future races as a team. Olivia MacLean rowed the single scull to a bronze-medal finish, setting the stage for more medal-winning performances to come over the course of the weekend.
The girls’ first varsity eight proved to all that the early speed they showed at last weekend’s sprint race is here to stay. Coxswain Amanda Sundheimer led rowers Caroline Hart, Sylvia Sarnik, Molly Hart, Olivia MacLean, Tola Myczkowska, Heidi Nocka, Elizabeth Wilkey, and K.C. Faulkner in two hotly contested races that included four of the top programs in the country.
The Bromfield Acton-Boxborough girls crew captured the bronze medal in both the 1,500-meter and the 2,000-meter races, placing ahead of each of those programs in one race or the other.
“That we are keeping pace with these much larger programs is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of our athletes and staff,” said Coach Holly Hatton.
The goal for the second varsity eight (Coxswain Emily Erdos, Lilla Kis, Ki Jung Lee, Katja Lierhaus, Caroline Turnbull, Emily Hedison, Emily Mitchell, Mackenzie Grant) and the lightweight four (Coxswain Polly Lauer, Lilla Kis, Ki Jung Lee, Emily Hedison, Caroline Turnbull) was to improve each boat’s performance from the previous weekend. Both crews placed in the middle of pack.
“Mission accomplished. Both crews had much stronger races, executing race plans with more confidence and control. They are looking forward to building on this in the coming week,” Hatton said
The novice boats held their own with some rowers competing in their inaugural race and one crew competing in a middle school race.
Bromfield Acton-Boxborough boys varsity eight coxswain Julie Dexter steered rowers Ben Wilmot, Sam Ginouves, Pat Ware, Alex Boyd, Kyle Hayes, Matt Chambers, Taylor LeBlanc, and Nick Walker to two seventh-place finishes against tough competition.
“We stuck to our race plan and had two great races,” Dexter said. “The boys put up some very fast times.”
Coach Pat Scott allowed that the team put together another good piece but added, “At this level of racing, we need great pieces. The competition is too talented and too fast for us to have 90 percent of a race.”
The boys second varsity eight coxswain Karina Edwards and rowers Matt Robinson, C.J. Root, A.J. Higgins, Chuck Watts, Kevin Immerman, David Castaneda, Ryan Densen, and Tim Phillips stunned the competition again with their fast start off the line.
“It’s the biggest weapon we have and we’re learning how to use it properly,” said Coach Scott.
He is looking forward to using video replay of the race to fine-tune technique for the remainder of the crew’s races. The goal of the varsity four powered by rowers Andrew Bhorghesani, Cameron Hamilton, Rory Wirch, and Christian Thiim was to get them out of panic mode over where they were rowing, and to focus on really rowing well together as a team. The boys gained experience competing against boats that were far more seasoned.
In the final race for Bromfield Acton-Boxborough, the novice boys crew consisting of coxswain Austin Roussel and rowers Jake Turchetta, Paul Cotnam, Justin Gordon, Joey Weaver, Justin Hayes, Liam Mackin, James O’Shea, and Luca Basile rowed an outstanding race and collected yet another bronze medal for the team.
“All of the boys are learning how to properly set their expectations for themselves and learning what is appropriate for their talent and speed level,” Scott said “They’re still discovering just what their best effort is.”
