Andover Crew 2007

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2007 Season Results

2007 - Boys 1st. Boat - Undefeated New England Champions

2007 - Girls 1st. Boat - Henley Women's Regatta Finalists

2007 - New England Championships Boys: Team trophy & B1 Gold, B2 Bronze, B3 Silver

2007 - New England Championships Girls: G1 Silver, G2 Gold, G3 Silver

2007 Crew

Our Girls at Women's Henley.

Latest News! The girls beat Exeter by a length in the Semifinal. Sadly they could not best South Niagara in the Final. This was a very very impressive performance by our G1 girl's first ever entrance in the Henley Women's Regatta. Congratulations!! Everyone should be very proud of their effort. A great way to end the season and a fantastic memory for the seniors to take away with them. Coach Bob Moss has now well and truly retired and I am sure that the girls have given him a memory that he will cherish forever.
(Saturday June 23rd) Bob Moss sent this message from the bank of the Thames....
Hi Everyone,
Tremendous news from Henley! G1 won both its races today and will move on to the semi-finals against.....Exeter! In our first race, we did not make a good start, got behind by about a length to Commercial Rowing Club from Ireland but fought back tenaciously and won by 5 seats and by pulling ahead with a fantastic sprint. It was an inspiring and unforgettable total team effort. In our second race against Molesey RC, one of the top crews in the UK, we smoked them at the start and never looked back. The race was sealed about a minute into it and we enjoyed a leisurely run down the Thames, finishing at 26 strokes per minute to Molesey's 37. Tonight, a grand dinner in town and tomorrow another Andover-Exeter race with designs of revenge from our 0.2-second loss at Interschols written all over it. Exeter had to change its line-up because of several rowers who were over 19 and we will soon know if they still show their same speed from three weeks ago. Despite an incessant rain and appalling muddy conditions at the launch site, Andover cannot wait to race again and represent our school and country with distinction. For the race results click here

The Henley Women's Regatta Finalists 2007 - The Andover Girl's 1st. Boat.
Our thanks to the Alumni and Parents who have made generous donations to bring this dream to reality. The other schools in our New England region make regular trips to Henley.

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Interschol '07

Amazing day! Last year every team medaled for the first time in history. We thought it couldn't get any better than that. Well it did!
NEIRA Results:
B1: Gold - New England Champions.(Season 21-0 undefeated only second team ever in the our crew history)
G1: Silver - Second by only 2/10ths of a second!(Season 23-2)
B2: Bronze (Season 15-6)
G2: Gold - New England Champions.(Season 23-2)
B3: Silver (Season 17-4)
G3: Silver (Season 21-3)
Boys' team trophy: - New England Champions. First time ever since the trophy was started in 1995.
Girls' team Trophy: Very close second.

Last year we were overjoyed to have each team medal for the first time. This year we did even better with G2 and B1 taking the championships and the boys boats taking the team prize for the first time ever. All the kids did us proud. The pictures are available at http://www.andovercrew.net although with every team going to the medal dock it was a crush trying to catch everyone on camera. One of the parents, Jim Moroney, made a video. We are having it converted for the website and will add it in a couple of weeks.

For the girls is a poignant day. It was the last Interschols for Bob Moss who is retiring this year. It is also the first year ever the girls’ team is going to Henley. The pressure was on to make a good showing. G3, Bob’s own boat, won their heat in the morning and raced amazing well taking silver and the first Andover medal of the day. A great ending to Bob’s 23 years with Andover Crew. He has nurtured literally hundreds of outstanding girl rowers.

B3 followed with an equally excellent performance capturing silver. The day was looking good. Andover was starting to smile.

G2 rowed a confident heat in the morning beating Kent well over a boat length and in the afternoon final stormed home to a gold medal and a New England championship. Our B2 went into the competition seeded 5th. Coach Washburn had set a goal of winning the team trophy for the first time at the beginning of the season. To make this dream a reality we needed B2 to make it into the medals. In the morning heat they were third behind Kent and Exeter with St. John’s and St. Paul’s leading the other heat. We held our breadth but the boys came through rowing with heart and guts and beat out the competition to take the bronze medal. The day was looking better.

The girl’s first boat won their morning heat with a second over Kent. The grand final was a battle royal between Andover and Exeter. From the bank we could not tell who crossed the line first. Eventually the judges gave it to Exeter by 2/10ths of a second. So so close. The girls, like the boys last year, struggled to smile as they received their silver medals forgetting that they had overcome 16 other schools to take the silver and completing their season with an impressive 23-2 record. As Silver medalist, they can go off to Henley with pride.

The last race of the day was the boys’ grand final. It would not only decide the New England championship but also the boys team trophy. The B1 boat had won the morning heat in a very controlled style to win by 3 seconds over St. Johns. The B1 boat entered the final undefeated this season, in fact their coxswain had not seen the back of any other coxswain all season. The final was to be no different. Coach Washburn used to joke that the best race plan was to take the lead and stay there until the finish. Today was the day of all days for that plan. They had a good start, a strong middle and when Exeter made a move they stepped it up. They finished at a 43 but looked a composed as a steady 33 finishing over Exeter by 2.5 seconds and St. Paul's by almost 7 seconds. A good end to a 21-0 season and an auspicious undefeated inaugural season for their new boat the Oscar Tang. A very impressive win by any standards and confirming the achievement of a dream – the team trophy.

So this year all the teams medaled for the second year in succession. Our B1 and G2 are New England Champions. B1 is undefeated this season. The boys' team captured the team trophy for the first time ever.
All the kids raced their hearts out today to bring home these incredible results. Congratulations to every rower and every coach. If we ever thought we needed it, this is proof that Andover Crew is an exceptional program.
* Full NEIRA Results click here
For pictures (Page 1) of the Interschols races Click Here
For pictures (Page 2) of the Interschols races Click Here
For pictures (Page 3) of the Interschols races Click Here
For pictures (Thanks to Eric E.) of the Interschols races Click Here

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NMH '07

Finally real New England weather returned. We had a wet start. It rained during the races and cleared up afterwards for us to enjoy our food at the table. Our friends at NMH had invited us to share food tables and mingle together. It was a great success. We doubled up boats in some races to race 5 boys' boats against 3 NMH boats and 4 girls' boats against 4 NMH boats. NMH raced with great enthusiasm but were overcome by the strong Andover boats.

A wet day out

Cheerio !!

Sharing Food

*May 19th Boy's results
* May 19th Girls' results
For pictures (Page 1) of the NMH races Click Here
For pictures (Page 2) of the NMH races Click Here

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Exeter and Tabor '07

Today was a tough competitive day with Exeter and Tabor. The weather for us landlubbers was pleasant and sunny but on the water there was a strong headwind and the water was very very choppy for the last 1000 m. Andover won 4 races and came second in the other 6 races.
For full results click here

Another example of True Crew Supporter

Finally, we are walking

Did you all do well today ?

For pictures (Page 1) of the Exeter races Click Here
For pictures (Page 2) of the Exeter races Click Here

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St.Pauls '07

Today on the Merrimack was special day. The weather was unusual. It wasn’t freezing cold. It wasn’t raining. It was warm sunshine with an almost gentle breeze. The water was fairly calm. Ideal racing weather.
We had great crowd of parents and supporters. We had the people from Wilmette Illinois and from Seattle but the distance record, 5537 kilometers, goes to parent who traveled in from my hometown, Dublin Ireland, for the races. Pete McKallagat, a long time friend of Andover crew and our favorite flagman also joined us for the day.
We were up against St. Paul’s, who have been a powerhouse of rowing over the last few years. Our rowers felt trepidation. Different people deal with the pre-race tension in different ways.


G1 in what looks like a yoga meditative pose as they prepare. The boys slink off the school bus to focus their minds on victory. It is a little disconcerting for parents who are fairly used to non-communicative teenagers to travel to races and find their offspring totally ignore them before the race. Coach Hurley told me that he tried to strike up a conversation with a B1 rower on the bus to Kent. The first response was “I am focusing on the race”. The coach said, “it is a couple of hours ride to Kent you have plenty of time”. The response was “ I am focusing on the race”. It was a quiet trip for the coach. The rower won his race.
We had 9 boats in 8 races today. We started with B4 and B5 racing against St Paul’s B4. The boats launch and row up river to the starting line an then race down river past the boathouse to the finish line about 100 yards past the boathouse. We have audio commentary on the race from the coaches launch and we have a full view of the last 500 meters as the board squeeze out the last ounces of energy towards the finish line. As we watched the distant boats approaching we could imaging what it might have been like watching a Viking marauding party approaching a village. The relentless stepping of the oars driving the boats forward in leaps and bounds. As they came into sight we could tell with our own eyes by the blue oars that B4 was on the way to winning. B5 put up a very respectable effort against these higher boats. B4 won by a very respectable 10 seconds.
The girls G4 was next on the water. We listened to the coach’s commentary. Some of us weren't sure we could believe what we were hearing. G4 were powering down the river. They had a mission. The St. Paul’s boat was a long way behind. G4 crossed the line an amazing 28 seconds ahead of the St. Paul’s boat. The day was looking good. Especially for parents who were seeing their kid’s race for the first time. There were comments of the kids complaining of the pain and agony of crew but then rising the next morning and heading gleefully off to the river. The parents amazed at the motivation. Today the new parents felt the passion.
B3 and G3 were next on the list. The St. Paul’s boats looked snappy as they left the dock. The races were tougher and tighter than the 4’s. There were pushed harder but each came through with spirit and won by open water or about 5 seconds. The day was looking charmed.
The B2 and G2 varsity boats we thought would be better matched. The wind was falling, the sun was shining as we squinted to see the distant boats hanging onto every word of the coach over the sound system or the comments of our neighbor with the steroid binoculars. B2 was leading the line and looking very crisp. At this level there is always the chance for a sprint in the last 500 m to upset any race but B2 held their own. We all hoped G2 could match B2. They did and then some. Rowing a steady strong pace they were never in danger and took the race by 11 seconds or almost three boat lengths. This was turning into a very unusual day. Andoverians were passing wordless visual messages with smiles and raised eyebrows but avoiding the spoken word for fear of jinxing the boats to come.
And now to the last two and premium races of the day, our undefeated, so far, B1 and G1. We crossed our finger in our pockets and held our breath. Both boats had looked crisp, tight and intimidating as the left from the dock, but so had St. Paul’s. Both schools have enjoyed recent success. B1 was first to race. Off the start they took a slight lead. St. Paul’s tried to push back. Andover held. Halfway St. Paul’s made a move looking to crack our B1. There were no cracks to be found. B1 responded, held off St. Paul’s and then kicked it up a notch for the finish and came home a strong 5.5 seconds or a length and a half ahead. Now the buzz was zipping up and down the dock. Andover had never taken all the races against St. Paul’s in anyone's living memory. Today might be a very special day.


 The sweet smile of victory.
 G1 was off! We listened to the impersonal snippets from the water borne voice of the sound system. The race was close. We strained our necks to see the boats come into view. We felt a little lightheaded. We realized we were holding our breadth. G1 had the lead. St. Paul’s would fight to the end. They strained past the boathouse but G1 was on the way to making Andover history. They came in almost a full length ahead to crown a special day. We all cheered with heart felt joy and little guilt for the anguish on the faces of the St. Paul’s supporters.

 The rowers attacked the food table with gusto and then sacrificed their coxswains to the river god.
 They can celebrate for 24 hours and then start to focus on next week’s race against Exeter and Tabor.

For pictures (Page 1) of the St. Paul's races Click Here
For pictures (Page 2) of the St. Paul's races Click Here
For more pictures of the St. Paul's races courtesy of Kevin Mullany Click Here

Crew Supporters

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Lowell '07

* Lowell Results

I am a very loyal supporter

Having fun

Latest head gear save the day

For pictures of the Lowell races Click Here

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Salisbury '07

Taking care of equipment

Getting Ready

Let's have some food at last.

For pictures of the Salisbury races Click Here



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Lake Quinsigamond '07

We had a great day at Lake Quinsigamond. It was a bright sunny day with a huge crowd of supporters. Because of the flooding our teams could not row on the Merrimack this week. At this stage of the season a week off the water plays havoc with the teams. We also had a number of injuries on the girls' boats. Despite the issues, G1, B1, B2 and B4 won their races, G2 and G3 came in 2nd., B3 came in 3rd., and G4 raced in the G3 race and came in ahead of the Exeter G4.We had a great day at Lake Quinsigamond. It was a bright sunny day with a huge crowd of supporters. Because of the flooding our teams could not row on the Merrimack this week. At this stage of the season a week off the water plays havoc with the teams. We also had a number of injuries on the girls' boats. Despite the issues, G1, B1, B2 and B4 won their races, G2 and G3 came in 2nd., B3 came in 3rd., and G4 raced in the G3 race and came in ahead of the Exeter G4.

For detailed race results and times
Click Here for Boys and Click Here for Girls.

Chilling out before the race

Get out in front, stay in front

The dock is that way

The price of victory

For pictures from the Lake Quinsigaomnd races Click Here
For more pictures thanks to Tom R. Click Here

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Kent, Lowell & Brookline '07

Andover vs Kent, Lowell & Brookline.
We raced 7 boats (G1-G3 & B1- B4) in 11 races with 10 wins today. Fantastic effort by everyone!. Our supporters matched this passion, traveling from NJ and NH as well as the closer states but the prize goes to one family who came in from Seattle to yell GO BLUE!!
John Dent of the Dent Oars was on hand for the presentation of the Oars to the Andover B1 team. By chance one of the parents supporting our race today is a '71 alum and was coached by John Dent.

The "Dent Oars" are home again!

John Dent and the B1 team

For detailed race results and times Click Here for Boys and Click Here for Girls.

The Dent Oars are coming home

A Good Day's work

How's that?

Enjoying Parent's Support

For more pictures from the Kent races Click Here


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Spring Crew '07

A bunch of hardy early returnees volunteered to open the boathouse, launch a small piece of the dock and explore the upper reaches of Merrimack in search of icebergs to ensure that it would be safe for this coming week. Normally there is a jerkiness to early spring rowing but by the end of today there was a silky smoothness more reminiscent of a late season workout than the first crisp day of spring.

BBQ at the boat house

What a good day to be out

For more picture on Spring practices Click here
Some of the girls gathered in California for a row in the sunshine.
* Some pictures from the girls' rowing trip to California Click here
* Some more pictures of the girls off the water in California Click here

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Head of the Charles '07

The school has reserved an Andover Tent in the Reunion Village at the Head of The Charles for 2007. Plan to drop by and meet old friends. The reunion village is also the only place where you an buy a beer at the HOC.
For pictures from the Head of the Charles Regatta Click Here
And for more pictures from the Head of the Charles Regatta Click Here

The Washburn family enjoying the races.

Some of the Andover crowd.

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Andover Spring Racing Schedule

Date	Day	Team	Opponent	Site	Time
14-Apr-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B4	Kent, Brookline & Lowell	Away	Results
14-Apr-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G3	Kent, Brookline & Lowell	Away	Results
21-Apr-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B4	St. John's,Simsbury,Exeter,NMH	Away	Results
21-Apr-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G4	Simsbury,Exeter,NMH	Away	Results
28-Apr-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B5	Salisbury	Home	Results
29-Apr-2007	Sun	Crew Girls G1-G3	Lowell HS	Away	Results
05-May-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B5	St. Paul's	Home	Results
05-May-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G4	St. Paul's	Home	Results
12-May-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B5	Tabor-Exeter	Home	Results
12-May-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G5	Tabor-Exeter	Home	Results
15-May-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B?-B?	Belmont-Exeter	Home	3:00 PM
19-May-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B3	N.M.H.	Away	Results
19-May-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G4	N.M.H	Away	Results
26-May-2007	Sat	Crew Boys B1-B3	Interscholastics (NEIRA)	Away	Results
26-May-2007	Sat	Crew Girls G1-G3	Interscholastics (NEIRA)	Away	Results

The teams and supporters arrive a couple of hours earlier to setup for the races.
Plan your Spring weekends now. Your chance to picnic in scenic places with your teenagers while supporting the team. Come on down to the river!! GO BLUE!!

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