Boys’ Crew Splits 1-1 With Andover
Last Saturday, Big Red’s boys’ crew returned home with mixed results in the annual matchup with Andover, Tabor Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon. The first boat finished third in the regatta; however, because of Tabor Academy’s disqualification, Exeter’s B1 won second place. B2 placed first by a significant margin, seeding them near the top of the NEIRAs rankings.
In the first race of the season on Lake Quinsigamond, B1 lost to Andover. Although in last Saturday’s race B1 was unable to defeat its rival, the athletes decreased the margin from the first race significantly, a reason to remain optimistic for the NEIRAs.
“I was really excited about how our boat did this past weekend,” senior and captain Benj Cohen said. “We were one second behind Andover, which is nine seconds closer than a few weeks ago.”
Cohen continued to explain that the entire team has been working in the last weeks, not only as a team, but also to individually push their limits every day. With each passing week, the boat grows stronger and stronger as a unit, and they’re beginning to look forwards to NEIRAs.
“Although we started out rough,” Cohen said, “we’ve really come together as a team and have gotten a lot better at crewing together.”
The second boat also lost their opening matchup, but unlike B1, they were able to avenge their loss with a decisive victory over the three other crews.
“We were disappointed with our results a month ago, losing to Andover by less than one second,” upper and coxswain Will Rau said. “However, yesterday we came through with a strong victory that left Andover behind by four seconds.”
As a boat, B2 has gained comfortability in the water and in practice. “They are like a second family—the perfect mix of fun and success,” Rau said. This contributed to a better chemistry and willingness to pull harder for each other.
In an email sent to B2 post-race, senior Eric Jordan commended his boatmates on their efforts. “I’m proud of the intangibles we displayed this weekend, including Friday—great focus, positive attitudes and a real drive to cross the line first, not as individuals, but as a team,” Jordan said. “At this point in the season, every person on every team knows how to pull hard, so we need to surpass them with our technical skill and dedication to one another.”
The team is obviously looking forward to the NIERAS competition in a few days’ time, and as the boats pick up steam, they grow even more optimistic. However, they also plan to stay focused in this weekend’s race against St. Paul’s School, a team that B2 defeated and B1 lost to the first time they met this season.
“After we defeated Hanover High School last week, [upper] Georgia Forbes yelled, ‘We’re done losing boys. We’re done,’” Rau said. “So, that’s how we hope to finish the season: no more losing.”