Crew Crushes At Lake Quinsigamond

Braving the wind and rain on Lake Quinsigamond last Saturday, both Big Red Crew teams rowed their way to victory. Fueled by camaraderie and optimism, all four boats on both the girls’ and boys’ teams won every race, leading Exeter Crew to a successful start of their spring 2019 season.

Despite the 23 MPH headwinds, the teams’ intense erg sessions and on-water practices prepared them well for their first race of the season. “In the first four weeks back, we spent a lot of time on the erg. Thankfully, ice on the lake melted early this year, so by the second week back we were already on the water and practicing in our boats,” recalled Adar Tulloch, senior and co-captain of the boys’ crew team. 

The girls’ crew team had a similar experience. Senior Isadora Kron said that the team had “a lot of practice with rowing in bad conditions on our river.” The harsh weather conditions at Exeter in this past week readied the team for the worst conditions. “Friday [had] pretty similar conditions to what we raced in on Saturday. Because of the high winds, we had to be as technically correct as we possibly could, so we didn’t swamp the boat or catch crabs,” senior Ollie Young said.

In addition to their resilience to harsh conditions, the teams attributed much of their success to their strong relationships off the water. “All of us are really close to each other, which helps because, in rowing, being uniform and having a connection is really important,” Tulloch continued, applauding the teams’ strong sense of brotherhood and hardwork. Upper Kyle Marshall echoed Tulloch and said that “the team dynamic is very positive and supportive, with the friendly competition allowing us all to try our best every practice for ourselves and our boat.”

Senior and co-captain Amelia Lee commended the team for their adaptability to the conditions: “There were certain times [on Saturday] when, regardless of the conditions, the team was still able to push through and work cooperatively. I admire how team was able to stay spirited throughout the day.” Lee continued, “There were a couple of boat switches right before the race, and I admire how our team was able to take what the coaches tell us into account, as well as be able to work with anybody on the team.”

In coalition with team efforts, a few rowers, namely the coxswains, were given special recognition. “They did a really good job of leading the team through difficult conditions. There were moments where we thought the races were going to be cancelled, then they were delayed. The coxswains did a really good job on making sure we stayed in the racing mentality, while also not letting us get too hyped in case we didn’t race. They were good at controlling everyone’s emotions,” Kron said.

“Our third and fourths boats were initially cancelled. An hour and a half later, they were told they were going back out on the water, so I thought it was really impressive that the third boat got into the mindset of racing, were told they weren’t racing, then got back into it and ended up winning by three full boat lengths,” Young added.

On the boys’ side, upper Alex Urquhart brought attention to his teammate Aaron Baez’s performance both in and out of the boat. “He’s been helping me and the rest of the boat out a lot in practice, reminding us to keep our power and our form. We had absolutely horrible conditions during the race, and we had a really bad last 250 meters, but he kept us all motivated and through the finish line.”

The team is looking forward to utilizing their supportive team environment in order to beat Kent at St. Paul’s next week. “Last year, my boat only beat them by 0.3 seconds. We’re all just making sure to stick to our race plan and to power all the way through,” Urquhart said. 

The teams’ “one boat, one mentality” mindset has set them up for success. If their consistency in practice and supportive team environment prevails, Exeter Crew has another shot at winning the New England Interscholation Rowing Association’s competition and maybe even rowing at Henley in London by the end of the season.