Girls varsity lightweight 4+, from left: Courtney Oka, Meghan Glade, Amanda Sundheimer (coxswain), Ki Jung Lee, and Panna Rasania. (Courtesy photos)
Freshman 4+, from left: Ally Goldsher, Maeve French, Lindsay Hayes (coxswain), Emma Stoffel, and Grace Turnbull.
This past weekend, the Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough rowing team concluded their fall head-racing season at the Head of the Fish regatta at Saratoga Springs, NY, with victories in the girls varsity lightweight four (4+) and girls novice 4+ races. The Head of the Fish is a major regional regatta, boasting over 2,000 entries from 160 clubs and schools. Competitors were drawn from 107 cities, 10 states, and three countries. Canada was well represented with 23 clubs. Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough raced 29 boats over the 3,200 m course on Fish Creek on the northern end of Saratoga Lake.
Fish heads for two
Continuing their successes earlier in the season, the girls varsity lightweight 4+ of Amanda Sundheimer (coxswain), Courtney Oka, Panna Rasania, Meghan Glade, and Ki Jung Lee rowed a strong race into a stiff headwind and current to bring home the coveted first-place fish head for their event, winning by a margin of seven seconds over a fleet of 15 competitors.
The girls novice/freshman 4+ crew—consisting of Lindsey Hayes (coxswain), Emily Stoffel, Maeve French, Allison Goldsher, and Grace Turnbull—beat out 35 competitors to take first place and win their own painted fish head by an identical seven second margin.
The remaining crews did not earn fish head trophies, but several made very good showings. Two boys boats finished in the top 10 percent of their races: the boys varsity 4+ finished fourth of 43 and the boys U17 single scull (1x) finished fourth of a field of 39 rowers. Boys varsity coach Patrick Scott was excited by the team’s performance: “In the 4+, we beat several teams we didn’t beat last week [at the Head of the Charles]. In the eights, it was the same case. But what stood out was the boys’ passion for the sport. I saw guys who love racing, not just rowing, and there’s a big difference.”
The girls team also made strong showings in four of their races, finishing in the top 20 percent against strong crews from the entire region. The girls varsity eight (8+) finished sixth of 37, the girls varsity 4+ finished seventh of 46, the second varsity 4+ finished fourth of 30, and the girls novice 8+ finished seventh of 34.
A rebuilding year
Girls varsity coach Holly Hatton was pleased to see her crews finish the season with such strong results: “In this rebuilding year, I have been trying many different lineups. Some only had one practice together before racing. It shows the true unity of a team when the rowers understand that every position is important and they embrace every seat they row in.”
Following this past weekend’s regatta, the boats will be stored for the winter while the rowers focus on strength and fitness training, preparing for spring sprint racing. The rowers will return to Saratoga Springs to open the spring season at the Saratoga Invitational regatta on April 26.
