by Director of Programs and Operations Jennie Trayes, Queens Varsity Program Director Mike Eichler, Director of Community Rowing Matt Logue and Manhattan Varsity Program Director Tom Eichler
It was a beautiful day, ripe with opportunities when the Row New York Manhattan/Queens Varsity, Adaptive, Masters, and Staff Crew traveled to the Head of the Charles Regatta on Saturday October 19th. This weekend was particularly noteworthy. The sun was shining, the foliage reflected off the calm (for the Charles River) water, and the wind was manageable – 28 course records were broken! It really was a HOTC to go down in the history books.
The Manhattan varsity team was eager for the opportunity to compete at such a prestigious Regatta. The varsity girls’ and boys’ boats each had seven athletes participating with no previous experience at the Head of the Charles Regatta so it was a very exciting new experience for the bulk of Manhattan varsity athletes. This course was arguably the most challenging for our coxswains. As she braved the crowded Charles River, our varsity girls’ coxswain Rachel Livermore executed a great race and managed the turns and busy river without error.
Our athletes competed against the best high school programs from across the country and saw many international and Olympic caliber crews go down the course. These races not only served as awe-inspiring performances but as great learning experiences too.
The Manhattan boys and girls came away from the race ready to take advantage of another opportunity with such a large and impressive field of competition. Most importantly, they are excited to race even faster at the Head of the Schuylkill this coming weekend.
The Queens varsity boat was also eager to take on the exciting challenge of the Charles River. Our crew of 8+ consisted of coxswain Deanna Piedra, 8 seat Kelly Arango, 7 seat Bianca Davila, 6 seat Emily Xhaferi, 5 seat Nicole Doyle, 4 seat Sabrina Farrell, 3 seat Chloe Rosario, 2 seat Emma Parsons, and 1 seat Kassandra Nevarez and they raced down the course in 21:06.
This boat was made up of all first time Head of the Charles racers and 6 of the 9 girls have another opportunity to experience the Head of the Charles Regatta next year.
All in all, it was a great event and learning experience for this young group of rowers. They partook in the action of one of the most prestigious and largest rowing competitions in the world, all the while they learned about elite level competition and the hard work it takes to get there!
For one new Row New York adaptive rower, hard work paid off handsomely with a stellar performance—Row New York is eager to work with our new member Margaret Rajnic!
On Saturday, Margaret, who recently moved to NYC and is currently training with our competitive adaptive program, finished an impressive 3rd in the Mixed Legs-Trunk-Arms event. Margaret raced for Capital Crew (her rowing club in her previous city of residence, Washington DC) and the crew powered down the 3-mile course in a time of 23:36.12.
The event winner Balmain Boat Club traveled from Australia to compete in this event and the 2nd place crew, Old Glory Rowing, represented the United States at the 2013 World Championships in South Korea (where they finished 4th). Margaret will be back in a Row New York boat next weekend when she will race in the Legs-Trunk-Arms 2- at the Head of the Schuylkill. This only shows the international depth of competitive adaptive racing, and Row New York was glad to be a part of it.
The Head of the Charles provided a great competitive opportunity for Row New York’s masters’ crew as well! They led an impressive race and proudly represented Row New York!
On Sunday, the men’s masters’ 2x, consisting of Simon Billine and Steven Aller raced to a 12th place finish in the Masters Men 2x (Age 40+) event. Strong winds added to the challenge for the lightweight 2x as they navigated the curvy Charles River course but the crew turned in a solid time and are anxious to return next year and make another push for medal podium!
Nothing short of impressive performances, the Row New York staff boat had their own solid race. The Row New York boat consisting of Amanda, Harlan, Bre, Danna—coxswain and alumna of Row New York— and Jennie Trayes, trained for 6 weeks on the erg and got 4 rows in before the big day. The day had come for the 5k on the Charles River and the Row New York crew was as ready as they could be at the starting line. The staff crew had a very consistent, strong race. Danna executed the turns well; they passed one boat along the way and kept everyone behind them off. The staff boat finished impressively with an 8th place finish out of 47 teams. Knowing the Row New York community they represented, 8th place proved to be icing on the cake!
Staff rower Jennie Trayes commented on her racing outlook for the day, “the best part about racing is pushing not only for my boat mates in Row New York uniforms, but also pushing for all of the middle school and high school boys and girls who row in our program every afternoon, for the adaptive athletes who have overcome disabilities and defy ‘limitations’ to master rowing, and our alumni who have used rowing to find their purpose in life. Those Row New Yorkers make the race somehow a little less painful and a lot more worthwhile.”
For our adult rowers, the Head of the Charles was an exciting opportunity to reacquaint themselves with some intense competition and left them hungry for more racing and a strong drive to succeed at their next chance on the Charles River!
The Head of the Charles is always an amazing experience, despite the pain. Everyone from elite rowers, to collegiate athletes, to high schoolers, to 11 year olds understand that to compete at the Head of the Charles is a gift. Every Row New York Crew is thankful for the opportunity to compete amongst such high caliber contenders. And a big thanks to row2k for racing photos.
We hope to see all our fans next Sunday at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in Philadelphia!
