Bromfield Acton-Boxborough crews took gold, silver, and bronze at Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs, New York, on May 15 and 16. A second varsity 4+ manned by four seniors earned a third-place medal, and sophomores competing in an under-17 category, never before offered at a USRowing regional championship, scored bling of every color, to be mailed to coaches at a later date. Also never before offered: sunny skies at the notoriously muddy RV park where the crews launch and dock.
Competitors and coaches followed strict protocols, and spectators were barred from the area. Syracuse-based Imagine Aerial provided drone coverage of the racing. A handful of restaurants carried the live-stream; parents also watched from hotel rooms, cars, and even nearby neighborhood backyards. The stately willows, so often dripping with rain, stood out on the riverbank in the absence of colorful team tents. BA-B program director and head girls varsity coach Holly Hatton said that with vaccinations going well in our area, she felt it was important to start taking steps toward normalcy. Seniors enjoyed a parting race experience, while the younger athletes got their oars wet for the first time at the varsity level. “Competition is a vital part of any sports program; it’s what drives kids to work harder and generates team spirit and opportunities to dream big,” she said.
The regional championship is usually held in Lowell or Worcester, but those venues are not operational due to COVID-19 concerns. Saratoga Rowing Association offered to host. Crews from New York were invited as well, but their times were not counted in the championship as New York is in USRowing’s Mid-Atlantic region. Only one other nearby public school, Brookline High, sent crews; the rest of the competitors represented perennially strong clubs—the fastest boats in the Northeast. The 2,000-meter sprint was the team’s first full-distance race this year. “It was a tough jump to be faced with such strong competition on the same weekend as they raced 2,000 meters for the first time in two years,” said boys head varsity coach Brian DeDominici.
The boys first varsity 4—John Babcock, Matthew Atwell, Ryan Crowley, Clark Hanlon, and coxswain Anjali Vittal—turned in a blistering time in a very competitive event where the top six boats finished within 3 seconds of one another. “The crew ran a well-executed race and came in just one second short of making the final,” said DeDominici.
Asher Ryba and Ewan Smith, rowing in a double, also just missed the final, placing third in a heat where only the top two advanced.
Having made it through to the second day of racing, a second varsity 4, with senior rowers Brian Borghesani, Michael Ornek, William Walling-Sotolongo, and Tommy Vialle, coxed by sophomore Lucas Villasenor, sprinted to third place in a photo finish. “It was a great send-off for a group of seniors who stuck it out during a hard year,” DeDominici said.
Sophomore Charlie Maxwell battled his way to second in a tight U17 single contest, officially winning a gold medal in the regional event as the first-place finisher was from New York.
To minimize crowds, race organizers split the group. Boys heats were Saturday morning, while girls raced in the afternoon. Hatton says the late-day winds, whipping Fish Creek into whitecaps, made racing very challenging. Seniors Anya Buchovecky and Arianna Thompson, rowing a double, and Jax Sater, Melanie Bodtman, Sydney Collet-Callahan, and Sanjana Rao in the 4 with coxswain Sophie Thompson, fought hard but finished out of contention.
The U17 boats—Zoe Gendreau-Distler and Rachel Walker, competing in a double, and Eliza Straayer rowing a single—prevailed in their heats and advanced to day two. In the finals, the double placed third. Straayer finished second, but was awarded first place when race officials determined the winner was not under 17. “All three of these rowers are brand new to the racing scene and did a great job handling all the variables,” Hatton said.
Boats that medaled now have the opportunity to enter the USRowing Youth National Championship Regatta in Sarasota, Florida, in June. BA-B plans to scrimmage Wayland-Weston on Lake Cochituate this Sunday, May 23.
Jill Maxwell is a BA-B parent.
Results
Boys
- Mens U17 1x: Charles Maxwell, 8:26.061; 2nd in final, 1st in region
- Mens Youth 2x: Asher Ryba and Ewans Smith, 8:02.279; 3rd in heat
- Mens Youth 4+: John Babcock, Matthew Atwell, Ryan Crowley, Clark Hanlon, and coxswain Anjali Vittal, 7:03.123; 4th in heat
- Mens 2nd Youth 4+: Brian Borghesani, Michael Ornek, William Walling-Sotolongo, Tommy Vialle, and Lucas Villasenor, 7:10.019; 3rd in final
Girls
- Womens U17 1x: Eliza Straayer, 9:08.702; 1st in final
- Womens U17 2x: Zoe Gendreau-Distler and Rachel Walker, 9:10.185; 3rd in final
- Womens Youth 2x: Anya Buchovecky and Arianna Thornton, 10:14.022; 5th in heat
- Womens Youth 4+: Jax Sater, Melanie Bodtman, Sydney Collet-Callahan, Sanjana Rao, and coxswain Sophie Thompson, 10:10.828; 5th in heat
