Andover Girls Crew could not overcome perennial powerhouse Kent this Saturday. Both the G1 and G2 boats finished 15 seconds behind their respective Kent opponents.
Captain Emily Adler ’13 remained positive despite the disappointing outcome. She said, “Last year, Kent beat my boat at our first race, but then we beat them at Interschols. If, like last year, we step up the intensity of our workouts as the season progresses, I believe we can beat Kent next time.”
Coach Sallie Batchelor said, “Even though our boats did not cross the finish line first, no one gave up, and everyone gave her best effort. That is what counts. The coaches are very proud of everyone who raced today.”
Kent’s G1 finished boat lengths ahead of Andover’s G1 with a time of 5:49.1, and Andover pulled through to the finish line with a time of 6:04.9. In the G2 race, Kent won with 5:58.6, and Andover reached the finish with 6:14.0.
Although Andover had a disappointing loss, it demonstrated much improvement over its last race against Essex. This week, the G1 boat finished with a 10 second lead over the G2.
Midway through the G2 boat’s race, an oar got caught in the water and stopped the boat, costing Anover a few seconds.
Cara Cavanaugh ’15, a rower on G2, said, “We improved as a boat, and the set was much better than before. We kept our strokes per minute the same as the last race, but raised our pressure, which allowed us to travel further faster. If we had not caught the crab it would have been a closer race, but we still probably would not have won.”
This Saturday, Andover will compete in the PA/PEA Invitational against Exeter. This race is not only Andover’s third race this spring, but it also marks the team’s halfway point of the season. The team will only have three more races after Saturday to determine its lineups for Interschols.
