4/18: Andover: 2 , Deerfield: 1 (all boats)
4/18: Andover: 1, CRI: 2 (all boats)
4/18: Deerfield: 1, CRI: 2 (all boats)
Girls Crew hosted races against Deerfield and the Boston club team, Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI) this past Saturday. Although Andover fell short to Deerfield across all boats, the team rebounded to best CRI in every race later that afternoon.
As only select boats travel to away races, the team’s first home race gave all boats the opportunity to compete. For newer rowers, the experience can be nerve-wracking, especially for coxswains, who are responsible for steering the boat and motivating the rowers. Co-Captain Willow Wright ’26 shouted the coxswains for their determination and preparation throughout the week.
“They had done a lot of training and practice early in the week, making sure they knew what to focus on for which direction to point in and where the parts of the river with the strongest current are, so we make sure we stay there and have the fastest trajectory. And then the whole time while we’re rowing as well, they have to consistently be saying something, so it’s not just our thoughts,” said Wright.
With a large roster and frequent turnover year to year, Girls Crew entered the race unsure of what to expect against either opponent, both of whom had historically yielded close matchups. Wright elaborated on her boat’s mentality heading into its race against Deerfield, and how that shifted before facing CRI.
“In past years, Deerfield and CRI have been very competitive with each other as well. All three teams have come in really close, with [Deerfield] edging us out by a little bit. We went into the Deerfield race feeling strong, but ultimately fell short with all of our boats. They write down the times on the board from the other races, so we saw the Deerfield and CRI results, and we saw that CRI had also fallen short to Deerfield. Going into our races against CRI, we had a lot more confidence in our abilities because we saw how they compared to Deerfield, and then all of our boats beat CRI,” said Wright.
Despite the team’s loss to Deerfield, Wright emphasized on the motivation boost her boat gained during the race and the energy of competing on the home course.
“There was a lot of confidence and enthusiasm going into that race. When we pulled ahead of them from the start, within our first minute and saw them behind us, it made you want to push more because you can see how many meters you can get ahead, how much space you can create between us. My favorite part of our home course is when we get past the island during our final sprint, and you hear all the parents on the shore screaming. You can’t really tell what they’re saying, but you hear a lot of noise, so those last 300 meters of the day are always exciting,” said Wright.
After an intense first race, recovering in time for the second can be both physically and mentally challenging. Nishi Amin ’28 described her boat’s routine to stay energized throughout the long day.
“Right after we finished our first race, our coaches made sure that we all had food in the boat for us to start eating. Then, when we got back on land, we were eating sandwiches and a lot of foods with carbs in them to make sure that we were fueling ourselves properly. Because we had around two hours [until the second race], we were all walking around a little bit to move our bodies. Then after sitting and resting, we were ready for the second race. We also did a good warm-up and stretch, so I didn’t really feel that tired by the time we raced CRI,” said Amin.
The team’s camaraderie shone through its pre-race rituals. Eloise Malle ’27 shared a tradition her boat performs at the start line before difficult races.
“On the water, most boats take lemon slices. Basically, the coxswain will take nine slices of lemon, and right as we’re getting pulled up to the start line, everyone will take a piece and bite into the lemon at the same time, or go down the boat saying our names and bite into the lemon,” said Malle.
Girls Crew will host Hingham High School on Saturday.
