On Saturday, Girls Varsity Crew raced at the Andover/Exeter invitational on Lake Quisigamond. G3 came in first, G2 took second place and G1 placed fourth in their respective races. Although G1 was right alongside Exeter at the start, poor weather conditions on the lake caused some problems when the coxswain could not see properly. The boat ran into a side buoy around the 750 meter mark, severely hurting its chances in the race. Stopping can be devastating to a boat. Showing determination, however, G1 pulled together to finish in fourth place. “The positive thing we have to take out of this race was the fact that the first boat knows that it can stay with Exeter,” said Colby Fagan ’14. “I’m so proud of the focus and strength that every girl is putting into practice… Each boat pushes the other to do better.” Coach Joseph Bouscaren said, “We are encouraged by some very promising results and know what we need to do to compete successfully with the best crews in our conference.” Despite the tough race and the crash, the girls on G1 have bonded very well and enjoy rowing together. “The team has been a blast to be a part of. Even though our record isn’t what we would like it to be, we are improving and excited for the rest of the season,” said Elizabeth Kemp ’15. “The roughest water and coldest winds can’t stop us from having a good time in and out of the boats.” “Since we don’t have a race this weekend, we’re working on power and technique to gain boat strength for the next race against St. Paul’s,” Fagan said. Girls Crew will be racing Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI) and St. Paul’s in two weeks. Two rowers on the team have rowed with the CRI team and are advising Girls Crew on how to prepare for the race. “Both CRI and St. Paul’s are two very strong teams with tremendous intensity and great coaching,” said Fagan. “I feel it will be a very good test for our team to see how we match up with both crews. I began my rowing career with CRI, and I rowed with Captain Emily Carrolo ’13 this past summer with their program. Knowing the girls on the team and the coach, I have been preparing the girls for the intensity that I know they will bring to the race in the hopes that we can match it,” she added.
