Spring Fling Regatta

Our second regatta of the 2013 season was a small affair on Lake Whitehurst at the Norfolk Botanical Garden with only seven schools participating: four from our conference (including Norfolk Collegiate, Norfolk Academy, and Cape Henry),  two from our boathouse on the Lafayette (Granby and Maury), and one school from Chesapeake (Hickory.) This was the first regatta for our novice crews; our top boats were hampered by ACTs and prom appointments. I thank Will for stepping into the cox seat for three races. Without his help we couldn't have rowed some events. Our results were mixed and we learned a lot of lessons that can help improve the team as we progress through the balance of the season.

Here are the results; the color coding is the same as last regatta: blue for first, red for second, yellow for third, green is also ran. Comments and video follow.

Below is the WV8 event where we finished 3rd behind Granby and Norfolk Academy and ahead of Maury and Norfolk Collegiate. In this first sparring of conference and boathouse rivals it appears that NA will again be our biggest challenge in three weeks at the Independent Schools Regatta (ISR). It's interesting that NC had trouble with their "new" light eight. There is no guarantee that they will stay out of the running. We should have a couple of full length scrimmages with that crew on practice days to be certain that we stay faster than that crew.

Looking at our other finishes, it's gratifying that one of our MN4 crews finished first in their heat ahead of Maury (who has been rowing since August...) and with the third best time of the eight MN4 crews that rowed down the course in this regatta. While comparing finish times between heats is not typically done, I see that we're just about nine second slower than the faster MN4 time, that of Granby, who again like Maury, has been rowing since August. I also note that we're just a tad slower than Norfolk Academy so I anticipate that they will be our stiffest competition at the ISR. Both our MN4 crews will only improve over the next few weeks. I may shuffle the composition of these crews to try to come up with the fastest combination. Of course, all eight guys will be in the MN8 (more on that crew at the bottom of this post.)

 

I give kudos to Russell for attempting the M1X. He has only been in a single for a total of about six times, and only three times this spring. His capsize goes to show that this is a tricky boat to row, with just one slight error in technique causing major balance problems. I hope to keep entering the single events (so far, only Natalie and Russell have stepped up to try this boat...) for the remaining regattas (except for the EVSRA Championships in two weeks where double rowing is not permitted.)

In the MV4 events we were hampered by having both Joe and Juan unavailable due to ACT testing. With thrown-together crews, it's not surprising that we we off the pace in these events. I thank Anthony for stroking the M2V4. I'm sure the experience will benefit him and our novices in the future.

In the WV4 events we entered two crews. In heat A, Granby nipped us at the finish by less than half a second to place third. Remember that that particular crew has been rowing and ergging since August and that our group has only been active since March. We should be able to get past them over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, both Hickory and NA (again...errrrrr) finished 1-2 meaning we has our work cut out for us. I think continuing to stress conditioning and focus will both help our performance. I'm sure thinking about the prom didn't help the girls' focus on this morning...

In heat B we entered a thrown-together crew that had never raced together before and yet still finished ahead of Norfolk Collegiate. It's interesting that even when there's open water between 2nd and 3rd, if two boats are vying for that third place position, the racing can be exciting and if finishing ahead of another boat by about a second, very gratifying.

Our second win in this regatta came in the W2V4 event with a crew of all 10th graders. The times were slow, but a heat win is still a win. Congrats. In the second entry in this event we had our two novices. Throwing Rebecca and Lily into a varsity event was sorta a trial by fire, but I'm sure they learned a good bit. Again, hopefully we will enter a WN4 in future regattas if we can get a full contingent of novice girls.

Lastly, the MN8 event, the second video recorded in this regatta. This was the first race for this crew (but the second or third times various members raced on this day.) Fatigue was evident and shows that we need to continue to stress conditioning. There were some technique issues that we can work on. Holding the point is easy with a varsity crew that supplies even pressure but a real challenge when strokes are missed and if the pressure from one side to the other varies greatly. Pilar had a challenge on her hands, even if Maury didn't encroach into our lane (note that the ref call them twice before the "Sullivan" call.) Even with all the errors, we are only 14 seconds behind NA, an amount that can easily be made up with additional practice.

Lastly, a few comments about the need for more teamwork. As noted in the article I sent you, all should be thinking of being coachable, being persistent, being smart, and maintaining perspective. This sport allows for tremendous growth and enjoyment. We all need to keep focus and to support each other. Success in rowing is typically regarded as requiring the epitome of teamwork (heck, it's used in many motivational posters in the corporate world.) So how does this apply to our group? You should first of all be responsible for your position in the shell: check the rigging bolts, the shoes, the stretcher position, the heel ties, and the seat all well before you are called to the launch. Coxswains should check the coxbox, the speaker system, and be able to organize their assigned crews well before the first call of their event. Of course, as events are being launched and recovered, other members of the team should be aware of the need for help in carrying oars and shoes, etc. As boats are finishing races, all should be aware of our school's events and should be cheering on the crews. Winning crews, in particular, should be aware that their teammates watched and appreciated their win by hearing the roar of our crowd. Our crews that finish out of the top (maybe even more so) also need to know that their efforts are appreciated. Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to achieve uncommon results (even if we don't have a giant in the stroke seat ;-).

 

Oh, yeah, from Mrs Maloney, the now traditional prom picture of those on the crew team (sorry we missed you, Joe, Will and Jules.)