Men’s varsity eight: Left to right: Alex Boyd, Nick Walker, Pat Ware, Matt Chambers, coxswain Julie Dexter, Ben Wilmot, Sam Ginouves, Taylor LeBlanc, and Kyle Hayes.
The Bromfield Acton-Boxborough Rowing Team spent the weekend at the Lowell Invitational Regatta getting a good look at the competition they will face at the Massachusetts Public School Championships in several weeks. The crews had to compete out of heats and into semifinals and finals that were held on Sunday, with almost every boat advancing to the finals. Bromfield Acton-Boxborough crews threw down the gauntlet, placing in the top three in numerous events.
The small boats raced in the early going, and singles rowers Livvi Mclean brought home the silver for the girls while Ben Wilmot and Matt Chambers collected a gold medal and fourth place finishes for the boys, respectively.
After finding themselves in adjacent lanes for the final, Wilmot and Chambers dubbed their race “The Battle for Intergalactic Supremacy.” Wilmot generates his speed with long graceful strokes at a low stroke rate, while Chambers wills himself faster with a much higher stroke rate and powerful pulls, never allowing the boat to slow down. Both rowers are looking forward to a rematch.
Seniors Sam Ginouves and Pat Ware brought home the gold in their race. Coach Pat Scott’s assessment was, “Pat and Sam have good rhythm together and they enjoy rowing together. The sculling events were more about getting our seniors some fun races under their belts.”
The men’s varsity four had a dramatic week, which included discovering damage to the boat, which required a very unconventional rig, and a lineup that had never practiced together.
Coxswain Julie Dexter, Cameron Hamilton, Rory Wirch, Christian Thiim, and Andrew Borghesani took it all in stride, making the decision to focus on the process and not the result. They did well, and Coach Scott said he is looking forward to continued improvement in the coming weeks.
“It will be fun to see what they can do at States,” he said.
The men’s second varsity eight has a lot of horsepower, and they put it on display against far bigger, more seasoned crews. Coxswain Karina Edwards, Matt Robinson, C.J. Root, A.J. Higgins, Chuck Watt, Kevin Immerman, David Castaneda, Ryan Densen, and Tim Phillips placed fourth for their efforts.
“The process could definitely use some work. It was a bit choppy and splashy, and I think we took our foot off the clutch and just mashed the gas,” Scott said. “..A little more patience and finesse and this will be a very dangerous boat at States.”
With coxswain Julie Dexter at the helm, the men’s varsity eight of rowers Ben Wilmot, Sam Ginouves, Pat Ware, Alex Boyd, Kyle Hayes, Matt Chambers, Taylor Leblanc, and Nick Walker are making noticeable improvements from week to week.
The crew found themselves in an incredibly fast heat. Scott observed, “The guys responded well and have been working on executing an entire race, not just bits and pieces.”
With several weeks remaining to fine tune, the team is looking to end the season on a high note.
Girls coach Holly Hatton was particularly impressed with the second women’s varsity four of coxswain Emily Erdos, Emily Mitchell, Katrina Gross, Katja Lierhaus, and Mackenzie Grant.
“Due to a last minute race schedule change, we had to scratch the eight and throw in an entry in the four,” Hatton said. “With only two days practice as a lineup, this crew did a great job coming away with a bronze medal.”
Bromfield Acton-Boxborough women’s varsity eight and lightweight women’s four both took one more step towards gaining confidence as a crew and honing their racing skills. Coxswain Amanda Sundheimer called the race for the varsity eight of Caroline Hart, Sylvia Sarnik, Molly Hart, Livvi Maclean, Tola Myczkowska, Heidi Nocka, Elizabeth Wilkey, and K.C. Faulkner. Coxswain Polly Lauer was at the helm of the four with rowers Emily Hedison, Ki Jung Lee, Lilla Kis, and Caroline Turnbull.
Both crews had strong races and came away with silver medals. These two crews head to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester this coming weekend to race in the U.S. Rowing New England District Championships in a bid to qualify for the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals to be held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on June 8-10.
Coach Hatton is looking forward to some very competitive races and sums it all up, saying, “Several individuals have made a breakthrough technically in the past week, and it showed in the strong performances this weekend. As we move through the season, the caliber of racing is getting better and our crews are rising to the occasion.”
