The Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough rowing team journeyed to Pembroke, N.H., on Sunday, Oct. 14, to compete in the New Hampshire Championships Regatta, a head race hosted by the Amoskeag Rowing Club. This year’s event drew rowers from 56 clubs and schools in the region, from junior (high school) through veteran (age 60-plus). The event’s popularity resulted in early closure of registration and prevented Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough rowers from competing in multiple events, as they had done on previous weekends.
Boys team
The Bromfield-Acton-Box-borough boys team entered seven boats in five events: two single sculls, two varsity eights, a novice eight, a double scull, and a quadruple scull. For their efforts they earned two first-place medals and one second-place medal, all in the sculling events.
In the boys junior single sculls, both Acton sophomore Charles Watt and Bromfield senior Nick Walker excelled, with Watt taking first place by a mere six seconds over Walker in second place. The double sculls crew also dominated the competition in the seven-boat event taking first place by over 30 seconds.
Boys varsity coach Pat Scott was pleased with the result of his focus on sculling over sweep rowing this fall.
“Those four guys have really been moving their boats well,” he said. “I’d like to make that work on a larger scale for more of the rowers, but we don’t have the necessary equipment.”
To that end, the Bare Hill Rowing Association has several fundraising activities in progress, including a leaf raking fundraiser scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 11 and 12 in Harvard. More information can be found on the group’s website, barehillrowing.com.
After a very encouraging race last week in Worcester, the varsity eights finished in the middle of the pack in their race this weekend, placing 15th and 32nd for the first varsity and second varsity, respectively. Coach Scott said he was disappointed, but encouraged.
“They certainly have more potential,” he said. “I just have to figure out how to unlock it. We need more aggressiveness and more passion out of these oarsmen. There’s a world of difference between a good steady row and racing.”
The first varsity boat was guided by Bromfield senior Julie Dexter as coxswain. The second varsity eight featured Bromfield juniors Lauren Masters (coxswain) and Jake Turchetta, and sophomores Jeff Blanton, Chris Melby, and Pat Pesa.
The novice eight competed in a tough field, finishing 11th out of 33. Despite some technical mishaps the crew maintained their poise and pulled away from the surrounding boats, finishing with a strong sprint. Members of this boat included Bromfield sophomore coxswain Eddie Zhong, freshman Caoilin O’Connor, sophomore Phillip Wesley, and eighth-grader William Zhao.
The other four freshman rowers competed in the varsity quadruple sculls event. Despite competing against older and more experienced teams, they still managed to have a strong race and finished fifth. Boys novice coach Andy McLaughlin praised the boat’s solid rhythm, also highlighting individual contributions by the Bromfield freshmen.
“Luca Basile steered an excellent course and James O’Shea did a great job applying his power,” McLaughlin said.
Girls team
The girls varsity squad was split between two events this weekend: the varsity eight and varsity four headed to Boston, and the other two crews raced in New Hampshire. On Saturday, a crisp, sunny, fall day, the Boston-bound crews raced over the full three-mile Head of the Charles course in a scrimmage with other local junior crews. Varsity girls coach Holly Hatton described it as, “a great experience for our rowers and coxswains and a perfect dress rehearsal for their competition next weekend in the Head of the Charles.”
On Sunday, the other half of the team headed to the New Hampshire Championships Regatta to debut some new crews. Racing over the 2.5 mile course on the Merrimack River, the quadruple sculls had a solid 10th-place finish with some new scullers on board from Bromfield: Emily Mitchell, Panna Rasania, Olivia Stoffel, and Colleen O’Shea.
Acton-Boxborough junior Anya Plucinsky and Bromfield sophomore Meghan Glade, having rowed their first individual races in the single scull last weekend, joined forces in the junior girls double scull event. Building on their earlier experience, they steered a great course and had a strong third-place finish.
“I was pleased with the results of both crews and pleasantly surprised with how well the double scull did,” Hatton said. “Our athletes only scull occasionally, so it’s great to see them able to hold their own in very competitive events against programs whose rowers scull all the time.”
Also in New Hampshire, the girls novice eight earned a medal for their second place finish out of 17 boats.
“Over the past week of training, the entire eight has been committed to making improvements in boat run,” their coach, Katie Berger, said. “The hard work was evident in their performance.”
The team included Bromfield rowers Maeve French, Allison Goldsher, Michelle Ginouves, and Emma Stoffel.
Finally, the novice four, including Bromfield freshman Katie Erdos (coxswain) and eighth-grader Cammy Farren, put in a strong showing in their first race of the season, finishing in the top half of their field of 14 boats. Berger thought all crews performed very well and has been continuously impressed by their teamwork and commitment to excel this season.
Next Sunday the Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough team will be competing at the Head of the Charles in Cambridge in three events: the Men’s Youth Fours at 10:05 a.m., the Women’s Youth Fours at 10:52 a.m. and the Women’s Youth Eights at 1:05 p.m. The Head of the Charles is a highlight of the New England fall rowing season and showcases some of the best national and international rowers.
