Last weekend, the Andover Girls Varsity Crew Team took on NMH and returned victorious at both G1 and G2 levels. Andover was the clear victor in both races, and the team hopes that it can carry this momentum through to next weekend’s Interschols competition. Andover’s G1 had a slow start to its race, but used the duration of the piece to burn through NMH’s initial small lead. Coxswain Jess Fan ’05 said, “The start wasn’t great – at one point, NMH had open water on us – but once we settled down and got going, we had a good race. We were ahead even before we took the inside turn in the river, and once we hit the turn, we were miles ahead.” Andover won by thirteen seconds. Andover’s goal for this race was to beat NMH by more that rival Hanover High beat NMH. Although Andover beat Hanover High earlier in the season, it remains one of Andover’s biggest competitors going into Interschols. G1 achieved its goal, beating NMH by seven seconds more than Hanover High had previously. After its initial loss to Kent, G1 has carried a winning streak through the remainder of its season, and the boat enters Interschols ranked second in the league. Kent will be Andover’s biggest rival, but other contenders include Hanover High, Exeter, and St. Paul’s. Eight out of the nine girls on G1 won Interschols at the G2 level in 2004, and the crew is excited to try to carry its success through to this year. Coach Kathryn Green told her team, “I think that both G1 and G2 have decent shots at winning this weekend. Anything can happen at Interschols – I’ve seen fifth and sixth seeded crews win, and last year I watched our G2 win by open water. Anything’s possible, and we’ve done everything we can do to prepare – it’s time to let your training take over and relax.” At NMH, G2 was also victorious. Although its lineup was shuffled with Lydia Dallett ’08 replacing injured Jess Taggart ’05, G2 adjusted well and pulled through for the win. As in the G1 race, Andover was about even with NMH until it took the inside turn on the river, at which point Andover took off, leaving NMH in the dust. Andover won by thirteen seconds and, especially after last week’s loss to Exeter, was extremely pleased with its race. G2 is seeded fifth at interschols, behind Kent, Exeter, St Paul’s, and Hanover High. Andover lost to Kent early in the season and to Exeter last weekend, but has beaten Exeter, St Paul’s, and Hanover High. Morgan Broccoli ’07 is optimistic about her boat’s chances at interschols. She said, “The race against Kent was the majority of our boat’s first race ever, and we were all much less experienced than we are now. We’ve beaten all the other crews this season, so we know we have it in us… all that’s left now is to go out and do it again.” Andover’s G1 and G2 will head to Interschols this weekend seeded second and fifth, respectively. The crews are optimistic about their chances and hope to return home victorious.
