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2010 Crew
News September 30th. 2010
Upcoming events
Andover Crew will have a tent in the Reunion Village at the Head of the Charles Regatta on October 23rd. and 24th. Come on down, meet old friends and make new ones while watching racing in a civilized environment.
All friends of Andover Crew are invited to the boathouse for Parents' Weekend at 3 PM on Friday 29th to see how well this year's batch of newbies have taken to the water. We will also be dedicating a new boat and hopefully sharing an update about the boathouse.The Andover crew experience will stay in their hearts for life even though many will chose to spend they college days away from the water. There will also be those who cannot leave the water and go on to compete for their colleges. Our Facebook page has recorded the winning skills of or college alumni most recently Mia Kanak ’06 coxed the Yale varsity women to victory in the NCAA national championships. The best of the best in women’s USA college rowing. Andover rowers will be competing in the Men’s IRA national regatta this coming week. Follow their progress on Friends of Andover Crew on Facebook. If any of you are visiting IRAs, Rosy and I will be camped in the Washington tent so drop by and say hello.
Congratulations to Katie Fanikos and Kristen Faulkner on being invited to national training camp.
Coach Bill Brown elected to Phillips Academy Athletics Hall of Honor
Coach Bill Brown '34 has been selected for the Athletics Hall of Honor. Coach Brown coached basketball, hockey and football and also started a sailing program that assembled their own firefly boats and sailed on Lake Cochichewick in North Andover. In 1954 he coached the golf team to an undefeated year. In 1955, with the help of the Dutch Schoch, the Princeton coach, he assembled a 3 boat fleet donated by Princeton, Harvard and Yale to start Andover Crew. In the mid '70s, even before the Abbott merger, he started a girls' team. Coach Brown retired in 1980 having created a program that won New England Championships and competed at the Henley Royal Regatta. Generations of Andover Crew rowers owe a debt of gratitude to this fine man.
Phillips Academy Athletics Hall of Honor
Andover rower in an F18
We have added some alumni pictures from Olivia Coffey '07 in the Alumni Corner - click here.
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Interschol '10
At the beginning of the season Interschols seems so far away and then in the blink of an eye we are packing up the trailer at the end of the regatta. This season we started a little slow but ended well. The boys exceeded our earlier expectations and their seedings to come in second in the team trophy with 4th, Gold and Bronze results and the girls exploded to win Silver, Silver and Gold and capture the team trophy.
Overall we had a great season racing a total of 6 boy’s and 5 girl’s boats. Rowing is a very strange sport. Hours of training to build strength, then stamina and finally speed. Hours in the gym, on the ergs and finally long afternoons on the Merrimack. All for 5 minutes of excruciating effort to cross a line first. It takes a special person to invest all this effort in a sport where success and failure cannot be measured for the individual. I recently listened to a speech from 1965 by George Pocock of boat making fame. He related a story where a reporter in an effort to please a parent wrote in a newspaper article that the athlete was not responsible for the loss because he had rowed twice as fast as everyone else in the boat. Glory only comes if all nine people in the boat perform. The rowers in our 4th, 5th and 6th boats have had a taste of the pain and the exhilaration of racing.
Interschols is the final test of all the effort to see who is the best of all New England. It was partly sunny with no wind so there was no benefit to any of the lanes. We started at 8.30 a.m. with the B3 heat. We were seeded 5th overall and third in this heat but we raced well and came in second. Our G3 raced next and did not do so well but qualified for the final by coming third with the second slowest speed of all the qualifiers.
Our B2 was up next. They rowed clean and tidy to victory and looked every bit in command. In the G2 heat Exeter struck out into the lead and our G2 followed safely behind over the line. So far all our boats were in the finals. Our young B1 also had Exeter in the heat and copied G2 in coming in second and safely making a place in the final. The G1 boat jumped out in front but had Hanover snipping at their heals as they crossed the line first. After the heats we sequestered our rowers in hotel room to stay away from the weather and distractions of the regatta so that could return fresh for the finals.
Coming into the regatta B3 was seeded 5th, B2 1st and B1 6th. We hoped for better. The B3 final had a restart because of a clash of boats very early in the race. This can play havoc with the rushing adrenaline. The race was a tough one for the boat but they beat the expectations and came in 4th. Our B2 surpassed expectations and rowing like kings left the nearest boat 7 seconds behind to capture Gold and become New England Champions. This year for some strange reason the school did not allow our B1 boat to continue our tradition of coming back from spring break a few days early to prepare for the season. This loss of water time combined with the fact that we graduated all of last year’s B1 set a tough challenge for our boys. Our early season performance contributed to us being seeded 6th but in the boys grand final our boat did not perform like a 6th seed. While Kent went out ahead our boat along with Exeter and Salisbury fought hard for the medals. In the last mad dash for the line Andover managed to stay ahead f Exeter but ended up aligned with Salisbury and exchanged the lead with each stroke. On the final line, it was impossible to say who had won silver or bronze. The judges went to review the video for a “photo finish” and declared the times as Salisbury 4.45.619 and Andover as 4.45.621. Now with 1500 meters in 4minutes and 45 seconds the difference of 0.002 seconds translates to Salisbury being 10 mm ahead of Andover at the line. With a camera on the shore measuring 10 mm between boats 100 meters away is miraculous but a placement has to be called and Andover was given the bronze. For these young rowers who stepped up to the B1 this was a tough call but they did us proud. With either silver or bronze Andover captured silver in the team prize with 32 points behind Kent with 36 and ahead of Exeter and St. John’s with 28 each.
G3 was the 5th slowest boat in the morning heats where they finished behind Hanover and Exeter. The G3 that came back to do battle in the afternoon carried a different spirit. They rowed out aggressively to fight for medals and left Exeter and Hanover trailing behind. Only Kent could outpace them as they grabbed the Silver prize. On the times chart our G2 had been 4th in the morning but they also supped of the same aggressive spirit for the afternoon and finished 2.5 seconds ahead of Kent but behind Exeter to capture Silver. A strange possibility was rising before us. The girl’s team trophy had only ever come home to Andover in, I think 1989 and it had been 10 years since G1 took gold. A strange tingling started to run through at least the parent’s veins. I stood with several G1 parents as the boats started off. Kent and Andover were out in front in the first 500 meters. Exeter inexplicably were down by almost 5 seats. We thought maybe the commentator was confused. The red empire rarely moves that slow but as they paddled up the lake like insects hoping on the water in the distance the voice over the air repeated that Exeter was slipping further back and Andover was making the pace with Kent fighting hard to hold the gap. Soon Andover had open water over Exeter and a growing lead over Kent. To the supporters edging closer to the water’s edge to see the race the site of an Andover boat striding confidently towards the line brought an outburst of joy. Crossing the line 3.3 seconds ahead of Kent and an amazing 9 seconds over Exeter the G1 boat nailed the varsity Gold and the team trophy. The Andover girls were New England varsity and team Champions.
A hard fought season with a slow start had closed with satisfaction and some glory for the boys with 2nd place in the team trophy and gold for B2 and the girls with 1st place in team trophy and gold for G1. It is amazing every year to watch the coaches lead these hesitant young children onto the Merrimack, work their magic and deliver humble but confident masters of the waves to Interschols. As we send our seniors onto to college we know that each and every university will be a better place for having accepted one of our rowers.
Amazing Interschol Results!!
NEIRA championships for boys' B2, the girls' G1 and the girls' team.
The boys B3. B2 & B1 were seeded 5th, 1st and 6th! They stepped up and came in 4th, Gold and Bronze.The boys also came in second in the team prize.
The girls G3, G2, G1.....well the girls knocked the ball out of the park! The girls came in Silver, Silver and Gold and took the team prize for the first time since 1998. Way to go girls! Needless to say there was a little celebration and we were the last to leave the park.
Based on where we were at the beginning of the season these results reflect a monumental effort by everyone on the team.
Some videos on youtube thanks to Tom Rauh:
Trophy presentation
Luc goes swimming
First boat jumpsHere are a few pictures from our amazing weekend. If anyone wants high resoluton versions or has pictures or videos that they would allow us to post please email andovercrew@andovercrew.net.
We have done it ..
Well doneNew England Champioships pictures 1
We have done it ..
Well done
New England Champioships pictures 2
New England Champioships pictures 3
New England Champioships pictures 4
New England Champioships pictures 5
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NMH '10
We had a great day again. The sun was shinning bright. The race was run to Mr.Washburn precision. It finished earlier than expected. We had to wait for the ice-cream truck to arrive.
NMH pictures 1
NMH pictures 2
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Exeter and Tabor '10 races
We had a great crowd at the races against Exeter and Tabor. We will post more information soon but pictures of Friday afternoon and the Saturday races have been posted.
Exeter & Tabor pictures 1
Exeter & Tabor pictures 2
Exeter & Tabor pictures 3
Exeter & Tabor pictures 4
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St. Paul's '10 races
For pictures from the St.Paul's races click
St.Paul's pictures 1 and
St.Paul's pictures 2
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Salisbury and Brunswick '10 races
We have an almost perfect day at Salisbury. We will post a report and pictures soon. We updated a link in the schedule table to the to the results. We should mention that our B3 crossed the finish line ahead of all other boats but was disqualified because they crossed into an adjacent lane. This was not bad steering or an attempt to ram the competition but competent steering based on a misunderstanding about the lane path.
We are trying out some updates to the webpage. The main body of the page below will stay the same as we add some new feature but eventually the jump table below will be replaced by the buttons at the top once we have them all working. Rosy was reviewing my html code the other night and became a little carried away and so we are also trying out a new continuous slide show. Please let us know if this slide show has any problems with your favorite web browser.
Let's go inspect the course ..
Pay back timeWe had a great day at the lake in Salisbury. A big thank you to all the parents and especially grandparents who made the trip. The weather and the great racing made it all worthwhile.
We have uploaded some pictures from Salisbury.
Salisbury pictures 1 and Salisbury pictures 2
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Andover Exeter Invitational at Lake Quinsigamond
Wet and cold..
Food and chat helpsWe have uploaded some pictures from from Lake Q.
Lake Quinsigamond pictures 1 and Lake Quinsigamond pictures 2
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Kent '10 races
So the Kent racing was the first race day for the Andover boats. For some reason this year the athletic department forced us to break with tradition and not bring our rowers back a few days early from spring break. This combined with the recent flooding in the Merrimack valley cost us critical water time. The boats have only been on the Merrimack for about 8 days and we have not yet settled on boat lineups. This was most critical for the boys’ team who graduated all of the B1 boat last year requiring everyone to step up a notch this year. But ready or not, race day cometh. The weather was better than expected. The river was running very fast and a following wind meant rowing up to the start was a little tougher than usual and the races were faster than usual.
A big thank you to all the parents who turned out to support our boats and provide food for our hungry rowers. The program has over 100 students this year and today we had 72 of them competing on the Merrimack. We also had quite a few recent alumni turn up to yell “Go Blue” along with Barbara Chase and her husband who brought our favorite sugar treat – blue sharks.
We use floating starts on the Merrimack and in today’s wind and current this provided some challenges for the coaches. The conditions also stressed the rowing technique of our younger rowers. The B4 race had to be restarted because of an early “crab” and in the G4 race our boat suffered a number of “over –the-head” crabs. Luckily the only thing hurt was our race times.
B4 were the first boat off the blocks after a start recall because of an early crab. Our young rowers managed to hold their composure and settled into a solid rhythm to win by open water in a very decent race. Our G4 boat suffered from several cabs during their race. With typical Andover determination, they manage to recover and continued to compete. A few more weeks on the water and crabs will be a thing of the past.
Our B3 and G3 boats rowed well without any crabs but were bested by smoother Kent boats. Hard training will be required this coming week to prepare for Lake Quinsigamond. Usually the coaches teach the boats to row well at lower stroke rates and once the art is mastered, they gradually increase the rate for racing. We are in early stages of spring development.
The B2 and G2 races were closer. Both fought hard to grab the advantage from their opponents and impress the coaches as candidates for the B1 and G1 boats. G2 held on well but lost by the end of the race to faster Kent crew while B2 fought it down to the wire and pulled off an exciting last 500 meters to capture victory by 1 second or about 20 feet.
Our B1 boat that won Interschols in 2009 and silver medalists at the USA national championship graduated the whole boat. This is very unusual. And so we started this year with a completely new boat of rowers stepping up to the B1 including one freshman. Building a boat from scratch will take many weeks. So far we have invested only 8 days on the water. I visited the river on day 2 and watched the race today. There has been a huge improvement but not yet enough to master an experienced Kent boat that started training 3 weeks ago in the sunny south. The B1 boat fought hard for the full 1500 meters but Kent won a well deserved victory and was presented with the Dent Oars after the race. Our B1 will continue to improve and I expect we will be much stronger by the time Interschols comes around.
The G1 were also up against a tough team today but the new girls in the boat have blended quickly with the returning G1 rowers and this race was a very even match. Kent had an early lead. G1 walked back into contention. Coming into the last 500 meters Andover had a slight advantage but Kent made one last desperate drive to grab the lead. Our Andover girls dug deep into their core to find the strength to hold off the attack and crossed the line with only a bowball out in front. A very important bowball. They will remember this race in years to come and no you cannot put a big soccer ball and the bow instead of the little white bowball we use. A win is a win and this was a brave effort. Last year Stewart MacDonald and Tia Doggett ’79 donated a trophy in honor of Hart Perry a much loved past Kent coach who has long been a good friend to Andover Crew. Kent won the trophy in the first competition last year. This year Hart Perry was here in person to present the trophy to our girls for their gritty victory.
All in all a mixed day. If our students wanted a soft life they would not have signed up for crew. Older alumni always say they remember their defeats more than their victories. After today we know how good we are and we know how much we need to improve before Interschols. It will not be easy but if you felt the spirit of our rowers today by the river you would know that they are up to the challenge. We will face some very tough races over the coming weeks but with each week the boats will build their strength, skill and speed. We look forward with great expectations.
For pictures of the Kent races go to
Kent race pictures 1
Kent race pictures 2
Kent race pictures 3
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Spring Schedule
Andover Spring Racing Schedule 2010 (How many boats depends the other school) Date Day Team Opponent Site Time 10-Apr-2010 Sat Boys B1-B4 Kent Home Results 10-Apr-2010 Sat Girls G1-G4 Kent Home Results 17-Apr-2010 Sat Boys B1-B4 St. Johns,Simsbury,Exeter Away Results 17-Apr-2010 Sat Girls G1-G4 Simsbury,Exeter,NMH Away Results 21-April-2010 Wed Girls G3-G4 Groton Home 1.30 PM 24-Apr-2010 Sat Boys B1-B6 Salisbury & Brunswick Away Results 24-April-2010 Sat Girls No race scheduled - - 01-May-2010 Sat Boys B1-B5 St.Pauls,CRI Away Results 01-May-2010 Sat Girls G1-G5 St.Pauls,CRI Away Results 8-May-2010 Sat Boys B1-B6 Tabor-Exeter Home Results 8-May-2010 Sat Girls G1-G5 Tabor-Exeter Home Results 12-May-2010 Wed Boys B?-B? Belmont Home Moved to Sat. 15-May-2010 Sat Boys B1-B3 N.M.H. & Belmont Home Results 15-May-2010 Sat Girls G1-G3 N.M.H. & Belmont Home Results 22-May-2010 Sat Boys B1-B3 Interscholastics (NEIRA) Away Results 22-May-2010 Sat Girls G1-G3 Interscholastics (NEIRA) Away Results
The teams and supporters arrive a couple of hours earlier to setup for the races.
For pass year results: go to the drop down menu and select the year.
If you do not find the year you wanted, you can try finding the results on row2k.
For Past Year's Results on row2k
GO BLUE!!
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