Boys and Girls Crew traveled to Hanover on Saturday to face Hanover and Bedford. Andover dominated across the board for a resounding win across the entire program. The race was only the second of the season, after previous races were cancelled due to bad weather, yet Andover showed poise and composure on the water.
Bella Shmuylovich ’26 reflected on the symbolic clearing of the foggy conditions at the river on race day.
“As we finished, the fog lifted like something from a movie. The fog could serve as a metaphor for our feelings. It was a great feeling to cross the finish line, and the fog of expectations finally lifted, said Shmuylovich.
The Boys and Girls boats achieved great success, with only the Boys B5 failing to win its race. Russell McLaren ’27, the stroke seat for B5, candidly reflected upon the mistake that determined the boat’s loss, highlighting the crew’s culture of understanding for novice rowers.
“My race didn’t go as well as I hoped due to a crab I caught twice. When it happened, I was nervous because I thought my teammates would be upset with me. But something I noticed when I started the sport was that other rowers would have patience with me since it was one of the first times I got on the water,” said McLaren.
This year, the crew has many new members, meaning a significant focus for training is unity. Shmuylovich highlighted moving in sync as a coaching point the team has been working on recently.
Shmuylovich said, “Our coaches have been working with us to build a connection with each other. In rowing, we have many incredibly strong and talented people who focus on working together. Our coaches have been encouraging that connection by having people row together with other people in their boat.”
Shmuylovich and McLaren highlighted their respective coxswains as essential to the morale and focus within the boats. Vivien Valckx ’28, the coxswain for Girl’s B3, detailed how she extracted a win from her rowers.
“We did a good job starting strong and shutting the other crew down. In the first ten or twenty strokes, we got right on them and pulled out to a lead. We started strong and kept the momentum, and before we finished the first 500 meters of the 1400-meter course, we had open water,” said Valckx.
Valckx employed a middle move designed to increase the boat’s speed throughout the course’s middle section to lengthen the boat’s lead. She also used individual motivation to help keep the boat’s energy high.
“We had our middle move 750 meters in, which was two strokes for every person in the boat and ten strokes for the whole boat. It motivated the crew because I called them out by name, so they could use what I was saying as motivation to push harder,” said Valckx.
After a disappointing first race against Deefield and Glastonbury the week before, the all-around win was a welcome taste of success for the program. Shmuylovich remarked on the result’s ramifications for the team’s eventual goals for the season.
Shmuylovich said, “From this race, we can see what we can work on for next week, and also what strengths we have that we can use to make us even better. This race was also a good indicator of our strength, and we can only go up from here. We have really big goals for the end of the season, and this race taught us what we are capable of and can strive for.”
Girls and Boys Crews will face St. Paul’s, Hingham, and Kent at home on Saturday, May 3rd.
