Learn to Row sessions start August 15th

Try a new sport!
The BSCHS
crew team is
recruiting new
members.

Rowing (aka crew) at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School is a varsity sport with competition among 17 area high school teams, both private and public, during the spring season. Because there is no organized “youth rowing” programs all high school students enter the sport as equals. If you’re intrigued with a new sport and you want to start even with everyone else, rowing may be the ticket.


Coach Bousquet, a math teacher and math department head at Bishop Sullivan Catholic, will offer free learn-to-row sessions on Saturday mornings this summer and fall for students planning on attending Catholic. Rising eighth graders from our feeder schools may also be eligible. The sessions will be held at the Robinson Rowing Center at Lakewood Park  in Norfolk (see the googlemap on the sidebar to the right). Monitor the team blog: catholiccrew.blogspot.com for dates and times. Feel free to e-mail coach Bousquet at bousquej@chsvb.org for more information.

So what might being on the crew team be like? Below are a few quotes from last year’s novices.

        This was my first year doing crew and I didn't know what to expect but I ended up finding a sport that I really like. I have learned what it's like to rely on teammates and how much my team mates rely on me. I really enjoyed being out on the water and becoming stronger at a new sport. -Katie O'Brien

    I enjoyed learning how to crew for my first year and work as a team with my fellow rowers. I attended "How to Crew" sessions over the summer and developed skills that I used on the racecourse. I have had so much fun this year, and I am planning to row again next season. Go Crusaders! -Gabby Kayal

    My experience on the crew team has been extremely memorable and exciting. I loved being out on the water in nature, being able to forget about the troubles and stresses of school, and row with kids. I formed a bond with everyone on the team, and that is what I enjoyed most about crew. -Noah Lee

    I had a great time this Crew season! The "Learn-How-to-Row" sessions this past summer really helped me prepare and develop the rowing skills needed for the upcoming season. Crew is a worthwhile experience where you can have fun working as a team, as well as developing great relationships and friendships with your teammates! Go Crew and CRU! -Christy Kayal

    During the fall session, it helped me prepare for the upcoming crew season. Once the crew season started, I already knew the basics of rowing and rigging and de-rigging a boat. Another plus was that I had established relationships with the some of the crew team. During the crew season, winning first place in the men's novice 4 boat at the end of the season made me realize that working together as a team was a great accomplishment. I built not only physical strength but also friendships. -Rolando Banaag

    I really enjoyed crew this year and look forward to next year! I met so many new friends and learned great rowing technique that I will be able to use for the crew seasons ahead of me. Go Crusaders! -Hali Elliott

So we can get an idea on numbers and who might be attending, please e-mail coach Bousquet with your name and grade before Saturday morning. Sessions are weather dependent and if the weather conditions are not suitable he will inform everyone late Friday night that the session will be cancelled. 

VASRA State Championships

We competed in the VASRA state Championship regatta on May 9th. Our top women's 4 and a women's junior four (four of our novices) competed. Neither crew advanced out of their heats, a fate shared by 13 other crews in these events.

Results for the W-4-1 event are below. First the four heats:

 After the heats the top twelve crews raced in two semi-finals with the top three from each semi racing in a final for the state title (and the bottom six being assigned to the petite finals.) Those results are below.

I see that only one of the EVSRA crews that competed (Gloucester Maury, First Colonial and Catholic) made it out of the heats to the finals in this tough event. We were hampered by illness (both Anna and Rachel) but I note they decreased the delta t versus Maury's time that both crews posted at the EVSRA champs. Well done, girls.

For the WJr 4 event we entered a crew of 4 novices. Typically this event is competed by the best crews in each school that are not seniors (most having girls that have rowed for three years.) Our novices learned a lot. Seeing what's required at the next level allows one to set higher goals.

The top six boats raced in the finals of this event. Those results are below.

For comparison, I found the results of the Ted Phoenix regatta also rowed at Occoquan a week earlier, that same day we rowed at Mathews. This regatta is restricted to novices only and the winning crews are declared state champs in their events. The results for the WN4 are below.

And while it's dangerous to compare times on different days due to different conditions, both regattas were run over the same distance on the same course. The time our novice girls posted at States would have placed then ahead of Fairfax, Granby and West Potomac at the Ted Phoenix and just shy of a medal at the state level. I am proud of this crew that has mainly rowed as the stern four of our WN8 and actually practiced as a four less than a dozen times.

At States I awarded Mrs. King the "Jay O'Brien Pull Hard! Award" for her sustained support and dedication over four years. Thank-you Stephanie for all your efforts. We'll miss both you and Anna.

I also thank Granby for transporting our hulls to and from Occoquan and on their M-1-4X crew that won their event and return with the state championship trophy.

Wildcat, then and now

Below are pics of  Wildcat taken in 2012 when I first started the repair. After two and a half years she was finally rowed at Mathews. It was in September of 2012  that Coach O'Brien and I picked up the pieces of this Kaschper "International" model in Philadelphia.  Before it was severely damaged in a fall off their boathouse lift system, the boat was the top men's eight at Villanova University. We brought back the three pieces,  (yes, "pieces" as both the bow and the stern broke off in the fall) and I started the structural repair. Because the damage was so severe, including a cracked keel, bent rudder, snapped off fin and a major break at seat two, the insurance wrote off the boat as a total loss.  The overhaul included a complete re-paint to match our existing fleet color scheme.

The hull construction is seen here: two skins with a Nomex honeycomb core.

The broken stern. The fin snapped off completely.

This was the back of the boat.

The name "Wildcat" is in honor of the Villanova crew, where coach O'Brien went to school, and where Mairin, his daughter coxed for four seasons.

Bow glued on before the carbon scarf joint is constructed. I'm pretty sure the alignment is fine.

New carbon at seat two

A vacuum pump pulled down the carbon skin.

The Nomex honeycomb deck core is visible before the top skin is put on. 

I'm pleased as punch that Wildcat has joined our fleet. I hope next season to have a large enough team to regularly field three eights: J.A.B., Badger, and now, Wildcat.

Independent Schools Regatta

We competed in the Independent Schools Regatta on May 3 on Lake Whitehurst at Botanical Garden. Highlights include the Men's Novice Four winning the Botanical Bailer and our seven seniors: Becky, Anna, Nathan, Liz, Helen, Rachel and Emilio, rowing in their last EVSRA regatta.

Results will be posted as I get them. Please send me any pictures you may have.