Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough rowers traveled to Lawrence for their season opener at the Greater Lawrence Invitational Regatta on the Merrimac River Sunday, Sept. 29. A lengthy delay caused by heavy morning fog did not dampen the spirits of the crews, who came ready to test themselves after a month of preparation. Crews from Greater Lawrence and Westford-Littleton provided the competition in this first regatta of the season.
Challenges as well as victories were experienced by Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough crews. The girls varsity placed one-two, and scullers ruled the day with victories by Ally Goldsher, Luca Basile, and a pair team of Kyle Hayes and Charles Watt who also raked in style points for racing in Batman and Robin unisuits. The boys quad crossed the line first as well, with Andrew Borghesani, Liam Mackin, Ben Jackson, and Justin Hayes on the oars.
‘Keep the rating low, get some hang’
For the varsity boys, the focus was on the process. The Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough varsity boys are small compared to their competition, so excellent form and technique will be the tools for success. All three boats did exactly what Coach Pat Scott asked of them: “Keep the rating low, get some hang, and see how you can handle a long course.”
The varsity four most exceeded Scott’s expectations. First-time coxswain Kyle Veo really drove his rowers hard in his inaugural race. Oarsmen Pat Pesa, Caoilin O’Connor, Danny Shrives, and Garrett White showed a lot of aggressiveness at the finish, placing second by just two seconds over the 19-minute race.
The second varsity eight overcame a few bumps and scrapes in what Coach Scott chalks up to first-race jitters. But coxswain Austin Rotker stuck to the plan with his crew of Jake Turchetta, Cole Winsor, Ed Dunn, Chris Melby, Jeff Blanton, Alex Hill, James O’Shea, and Ryan Doncaster. Nearing the finish, Scott said, “They were taking good strokes coming down the course.”
First varsity coxswain Anya Plucinsky led her crew to a steady and consistent race, executing the race plan exactly as the team had discussed. Rowers Kyle Hayes, Liam Mackin, Andrew Borghesani, Charles Watt, CJ Root, Ben Jackson, Luca Basile, and Justin Hayes had a solid race and placed third. For next week Scott explained, “We need to plug in a little fire and really get them up to speed.”
Leadership of coxswains praised
Two girls varsity eights and a four completed the three-mile course finishing first, second, and first respectively. Coach Hatton was not sure what to expect from a team that is regrouping from the loss to graduation of a large and talented group of seniors. She was pleased to see some new “oars” stepping up and filling those slots.
The first varsity eight was coxed by Amanda Sundheimer, with oarswomen Molly Hart, Sylvia Sarnik, Meghan Glade, Kirsten Thiim, Annie Cooper, Panna Rasania, Lindsay Darlow, and Julia LeBlanc. Coxswain Emily Erdos called the race for Courtney Oka, Ki Jung Lee, Ally Goldsher, Michelle Ginouves, Emily Mitchell, Olivia Stoffel, Anjani Hodgkins, and Grace Heavey. In a repeat performance in the four, Emily Erdos, Molly Hart, Sylvia Sarnik, Meghan Glade, and Kirsten Thiim cruised down the course to victory. Hatton said, “I give credit to the great leadership from our coxswains and captains. They have brought the team unity and focus along very quickly.”
The novice girls raced one eight and featured four rowers who had not touched an oar or a cox box before the season. A “novice” is defined as a rower who is in his or her first year of rowing at the high school level, regardless of actual age. With Samantha Lee at the helm in the first race of her coxswain career, rowers Emma Stoffel, Maeve French, Grace Ott, Amanda Accorsi, Anna Dawley, Rachel Foote, Lindsey Hoggins, and Tess Fairchild took to the water.
While navigating the turns and troubleshooting how to pass the competition proved to be a challenge for the crew, the typical novice challenge of generating powerful strokes while working in unison was not. The girls crossed the line just 10 seconds behind the winner in spite of certainly covering a longer distance on the way.
Prepping for next meet Oct. 10
The team returned home this week with plenty to work on. While victories and successes of the weekend bode well, Coach Hatton observed, “The competition only gets tougher with each regatta.” The crews will spend the week refining lineups and continuing to improve fitness in preparation for the Textile River Regatta in Lowell to be held at a team favorite and very spectator-friendly venue on the Merrimac River on Sunday, Oct. 5.
