Big Red’s Top Four Boats Crush At Exeter Crew Invitational
Exeter’s girls’ crew Boat 1 poses for after their exhilarating victory. Courtesy of @exetergcrew
By ISABEL EVANS, ANGELA HE, and JULIA ZHOU
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. Despite this being the season’s and many JV rowers’ first race, Exeter Crew did well and is excited for the upcoming season.
Upper Ava Cathey, a rower in the girls’ first boat, reflected these sentiments. “I would say that we were super excited, but there were definitely some first-race nerves.” More experienced rowers, however, pushed through their anxiety and supported their teammates, which led to the boats’ eventual victories.
Lower Nora Unger, who rows on the girls’ second boat, also noted her exceeded expectations. “The energy was so great - everyone was super excited to race, but definitely a bit nervous.” She continued, “We were unsure of how the other schools were going to be compared to us, and I honestly wasn’t expecting us to do as well as we did. Our race was super powerful, and we ended up beating the other schools by a good amount, which was really exciting.”
Exeter’s girl’s crew Boat 2 also grabbed a win on their home waters. Courtesy of @exetergcrew
In other boats, there were some struggles in the race. But despite the loss, girls’ boat 3 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, even if things didn’t go well. And even if the race didn’t go as we’d hoped, we are still very proud of each other.”
Repetition was critical to the success of several boats, as lower Kaitlynn Farkas noted, a rower for girls boat two. “I think something that helped us was practicing the start sequences. A start sequence for us is five short strokes that build you into the race. And then you have 20 high, which is 20 at a high rate as fast as possible. Then, we lengthened for 10 strokes.” She added, “We practiced this a lot and got it up to a high rate. That is definitely what pushed us to win.”
Prep Euphoria Yang agreed, “We’ve been practicing for the past five weeks by running and sprinting hills, and practicing race pieces on the Squamscott River with the other JV boat.”
There was also a lot of work put in since even before the start of the season. The varsity girls’ boats have a new coach, Coach Pete Cathey. He and the rest of the team have been tirelessly working for these races. As captain, senior Ellie Ana Sperantsas said, “Starting with preseason in Deland, Florida at Stetson University, we’ve been putting in a lot of hours of training with our new head coach, Pete Cathey. He’s definitely helped bring a new energy and excitement to the team as we prepare for more racing!” Everyone in the team, including coaches, have been excited for this next season, and it’s turning out to be a good one so far. They are going to continue to work hard until they race at NEIRAs, their championship race hosted by New England Interscholastic Rowing Association.
As one of the only preps on a boys JV boat, prep Crane Lee expressed his excitement after his race. “We won our race, which was amazing because it was the first I’ve ever rowed.”
Although not a complete win for the boys’ crew team – since Kent narrowly defeated the first and second boats – the third and fourth boats were still successful. Lower Edward Garschina, a rower on the second boat, concluded, “One moment that stood out throughout the invitational was when our captains came together at the end with Kent’s captains to hold the trophy together, as the race ended in a points draw.”
Overall, the Exeter Invitational was an outstanding success for most of Exeter Crew, and a learning experience for some. One thing was sure: teamwork and unity supported them before and after the race, no matter the outcome.
