The Bromfield Acton-Boxborough rowing team took home several gold medals at the final regatta of the fall, the Mass Public High School Championships, held on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester. The team split up, with the varsity rowers going to Saratoga, New York for their annual trip to the Head of the Fish Regatta (see the Oct. 31 issue of the Press) while the novice rowers held down the fort locally, competing at Worcester in the last racing event of the season on October 26th.
The novice rowers are all in their first year of competitive rowing, having started either this fall or last spring, and their boats can consist of both middle- and high-school athletes. Because of the split squad, the novice crew entered only ten boats in 34 available events, earning four golds, one silver, and two bronze medals.
Unique coed 8+ takes gold
For the first time, there were several races for middle-school rowers only. Bromfield A-B took the gold in the first-ever middle school 8+ event, with a time of 16 minutes 51 seconds. What made this race unusual was the makeup of the Bromfield team, which was composed of both boys and girls, and the lack of competition: no other schools present stepped up to contest the event. Rowers were Alice Pope, Liam Makosky, Dylan DaRosa, John Hart, Nick Schelzi, Emily Brown, Caedon Bishop, and Mia Hopman, with cox Nilay Maity.
Novice co-captain Courtney Robb raced in her first sculling event, the 1x, and rowed the two-mile course in a time of 16:16 to win the gold. Teammate Chloe Alfieri took the bronze and Alaina Burak rounded out the field in seventh place.
Some of the middle-school girls were back to win the gold in the middle school girls’ coxed quad (4x+) race with a time of 16:25, more than a minute faster than the second-place boat. Rowers were Alice Pope, Emily Brown, Taylor Tracey, and Mia Hopman, with cox Nilay Maity.
The boys’ 1st novice 8+ came in fifth place out of 12 boats, in a time of 13:17, in spite of a mishap during the race. Said boys novice coach Conor Finnegan, “Our first novice 8 had its best race of the year. However, due to an unforeseen change in the race course, several crews in their event were stopped mid-race. The guys were not able to medal but they truly had a great race. The coxing was on point and the rowing looked flawless.”
A lot to be proud of
The boys 2nd novice 8+ took the silver in a field of four boats with a time of 13:24.
The girls’ 1st novice 8+ earned another gold for BA-B rowing, winning in a time of 13:36, 16 seconds faster than their Wayland-Weston rivals. Rowers were Becky Nitschelm, Lindsey Hayes, Aly Veo, Courtney Robb, Sierra Gomez, Alissa Kong, Angela Hu, and Julia Evans, with cox Cammy Farren.
“Our boat was seeded behind rival Wayland-Weston in a head-to-head race, which is a good thing,” said girls novice coach Julie Nocka. “The coxswain was able to set her sights on the other boat and inspire the girls to reel them in, which she did. The girls talked about the thrill of getting close enough to hear the Wayland-Weston coxswain calling in vain for more power.”
The girls also fielded a team in the novice 4+, coming in third with a time of 16:11, just 11 seconds short of the silver medal. Rowers were Valentine Bulpin, Molly Bowers, Fiona Carrez, and Julia Ross, with Cox Sarah Bradley.
“As coaches, we could not have asked for a better finish to the fall season. Everyone stepped up in a big way, putting together everything they have been working on all season. The girls took their best strokes of the season today, technically and with power, and the results show it. They have a lot to be proud of,” said Nocka.
Edited by John Osborn from a press release provided to local papers by the Bare Hill Rowing Association.
