A brief snapshot of what Wayland-Weston rowers had to endure this past Sunday? Rain. Rain, followed by wind, mud, frigid temperatures, freezing fingers, competition from some of the toughest and fastest youth crews in the country, and an intense race at one of rowing’s most renowned events, the Head of Charles Regatta.
The two-day Head of the Charles is a famed event in the international rowing community, with over 50 categories and competitors from across the globe. Olympic medalists and world champions compete in the adult races. High school and club rowing programs come from all over the nation to demonstrate their mettle in the youth categories.
Wayland-Weston brought four boats to what’s billed as “ America ’s fall rowing festival,” an eight and a four from each varsity squad. Each one came to the start line with different strengths, weaknesses, and expectations, but all of Wayland-Weston’s rowers knew that once the race began, no ounce of energy could be spared –- and they followed through.
While the skies provided Saturday’s competitors with sunshine and a full day of racing, to Sunday’s teams they were not so obliging. The boys’ four [stroke Luke Defren, Adam Pitel, Jake Waxman, Jon Heinlein; coxswain Gabe Lozano] faced choppy water, rain, and wind on Sunday morning, the first Wayland-Weston crew to row. They finished 59th in a field of 75 boats, with a time of 19:44, five seconds ahead of local competitor Brighton Rowing Club.
“The four rowed a solid race,” said boys coach Brian DeDominici. “While the result was not what we were looking for, we gained some experience and will have another shot in that boat at states.”
The girls’ four event followed, and soon Wayland-Weston’s boat [stroke Becky Paresky, Emmie Perry, Lizzie Becker, Antonia Vitagliano; coxswain Suzie Freedburg] came pushing down the course. After racing this four at last weekend’s Head of the Housatonic in Connecticut , the girls were ready to rough up the competition. They placed 38th, with a time of 21:14, putting themselves just at the halfway mark in an enormous of field of 77 boats.
As the wind and rain picked up later into the morning, so did boat speeds. Wayland-Weston’s boys’ eight [stroke Bobby Dresser, Michael Wu, Brendan Stack, Kep Edwards,Henry Gula, Brandon Blaesser, Nick Kossack, Alex Coburn; coxswain Jordan Segall] came powering past Weeks footbridge next. Their bow crossed the finish line with a time of 16:16, just a second ahead of an oft-seen rival, the all-boys’ Chaminade High School of New York, and a mere three seconds behind Canadian rowing heavyweight St. Catherine’s Rowing Club. It was a stunning race for the boys, who secured an impressive 15th place out of 79 boats.
“The eight executed their race plan perfectly. They stayed composed and fought their way through the middle of the pack towards a great finish,” commented DeDominici. “I am very happy with the focus and effort put in by both crews. It is going to create even better results in the future.”
Wayland-Weston’s last event of the day was the girls’ eight [stroke Kristi Wagner, Catherine Chappell, Sophie Gavell, Claire Barkin, Margo Cox, Alexandra Hill, Jillian Zieff, Haley Sacra; coxswain Rachel Regent], a powerhouse boat consisting largely of seniors, and they proved their strength dramatically. As the girls powered under the Weeks footbridge, infamous for its tricky turn and high crash rate, they caught the bows of the two eights ahead of them, passing at the riskiest spot on the course. In the end, the girls’ placed 7th in a field of 74 boats, with a time of 17:53 . A finish just ten seconds faster would’ve brought them to 5th place – and a medal – but to be in the top ten is remarkable enough of an achievement for these 8 girls (plus coxswain) from a small high school program.
“7th place ties the best finish by the W-W women ever, and I’m very proud of their performance. Placing top ten at the Charles is something very few athletes achieve,” said Coach Matt Hanig. He also noted the difficult of a coxswain’s job at the Head of the Charles – a notoriously tricky race for steering, with its sharp turns and five bridges – and lauded coxswain Rachel Regent, saying, “She was in some very tricky situations and by all accounts was intelligent and decisive along with executing the race plan and steering a great course.”
Meanwhile, the remaining varsity rowers and novice crews spent the week at Lake Cochituate, where it was business as usual. The novice teams unfortunately still have not rowed in a race, after seeing their events at the Head of the Housatonic last week scrapped due to unsafe weather conditions, and spent Monday scrimmaging fellow novices from Shrewsbury and Mercer.
The end of the season is rapidly approaching; this weekend’s final two races will wrap up the year for Wayland-Weston. This upcoming Saturday, the varsity teams and top novice eights will take their boats all the way to Head of the Fish, in Saratoga, New York. Then on Sunday, the whole team will race at MPSRA State Championships in Worcester, where they will defend their title as Massachusetts ’s top public high school crew. No matter Sunday’s outcome, by next Tuesday all the boats will be cleaned and put away, and the boathouse at Cochituate will be silent again.
