Boys and Girls Varsity Crew (2023-2024)
By ADELLE PITTS and JULIA ZHOU ‘27
Over the past year’s fall and spring crew seasons, Exeter’s girls’ and boys’ varsity crew teams have been hard at work training and racing. Besides winning races against some of Exeter’s biggest rivals this spring and placing in the historic Head of the Charles Regatta last fall, the crew teams are still relentless in their preparation for NEIRAs, the championship race hosted by New England Interscholastic Rowing Association at which the crew season culminates.
On Sunday, Oct. 22, the girls’ and boys’ varsity crew teams competed in the three-day-long Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By the end of the weekend, the girls varsity 4+ boat secured third place amongst over 90 boats. This was not an easy feat, but one created through long weeks of training and breaking through numerous mental barriers. “The competing teams trained five days a week, with some long and challenging workouts. The athletes trained hard and deserve enormous credit for their magnificent achievement. They were also very well prepared by the many coaches in our program, including, in particular, prior coaches Morris, Moore and Cathey,” noted coach and Instructor in Mathematics Greg Spanier.
Coxswain and senior Jane Park added, “I think something that helped for my boat was, before every practice we would have a small, very brief boat meeting to kind of go over personal focuses of the day. And I think taking a more individual approach to the race, not in the sense that you’re only focusing on yourself, but focusing on yourself in that you want to be the best athlete that you can be for the boat rather than setting expectations for other people.”
Following this enormous achievement, pre-season kicked off in Deland, Florida in preparation for the spring crew season. There was also a lot of work put in even before the start of the season. The varsity girls’ boats’ new head coach this year, Pete Cathey, has been working tirelessly with the rest of the team for these races. As captain, senior Ellie Ana Sperantsas said, “Starting with preseason at Stetson University, we’ve been putting in a lot of hours of training with our new coach. He’s definitely helped bring a new energy and excitement to the team as we prepare for more racing!”
With training on-and-off the water seven days a week and scrimmages against schools such as Belmont Hill, Brooks, and Groton, on Saturday, April 20, the top four boats of both the Big Red girls’ and boys’ crew teams ventured to Lake Quinsigamond, where they competed against Shrewsbury, Simsbury, Hingham, St. John’s High School, and Kent School—one of Exeter Crew’s biggest rivals. It was a success for most of the team, with the girls’ first and second boats and the boys’ third and fourth boats placing in first.
In other boats, there were some struggles in the race. But despite the loss, girls’ boat three looked past it and supported each other. Lower Elsa Janicki, who coxed the boat, recounted her experience. “During our race, some things didn’t go as planned, but we didn’t let that stop us. We just kept going.” She continued, “I think it was just a positive environment overall, even if things didn’t go our way. It was a standout moment to look at my crew and for them to all be proud of each other. And even if the race didn’t go as we’d hoped, we are still very proud of each other.”
Senior Eden Fisher agreed, “I think team culture was super important this season. Every year [and] every season we have a talk with the team [to] get to know everyone and make sure everyone knows who everyone is. It’s super important to have trust in one another when you need to rely on each other.”
The end of the season is now nearing, having been filled with several wins, losses and an overall incredible team effort. With the end of the season looms the annual NEIRAs competition. “We’re always working towards the next thing. NEIRA in the New England championships in the spring is always our end goal. There are other races that come before that, but you’re always working to win a championship,” Sperantsas said.
Boy’s captain, senior Michael Goodall, agreed. “In the spring, I think we have a lot of potential with our current class of rowers, though it is a competitive year this year. I know there’s stiff competition in the NEIRA league (the New England Prep School Rowing Association). It’s gonna be a tough season for sure, but we’re going to try our best, and I think we have the potential to do well. I know it takes a lot of technical work on the water, but I think we have the structure to accomplish our goals,” he added.
If you know anyone in crew, you’ll know that they work immensely hard year-round to keep in shape and to be ready for the next season. Lower Amelia Post reflected on the challenges that she’s been through in crew, saying that, “It’s a big commitment, especially if you are part of the first couple of boats. We have to commit to training, commit to being a team member, and commit to showing up. But in the end, it’s all worth it, because we all benefit as a team. It’s not easy, but it gives everyone something to work towards.”
