On Saturday, April 6 the Row New York teams headed off on a bright and brisk day to Greenwich, CT to row in the Greenwich Invitational Regatta. We brought up a fully loaded trailer packed to the brim with Manhattan and Queens shells.
The unique setting of Grass Island Park, facing out onto Long Island Sound, was noted by all. The Row New York team rigged their racing shells among the hulking rows of pale pink and blue sailboats suspended ten feet in the air. Indicative of early spring, the sun leaned in to show its face, but held back any true warmth until late in the day. All races were set up as duals, two crews racing side by side. Every time a Row New York crew lined up at the top of the narrow channel to race, they battled it out for the win. The two boats traded places one stroke at a time, sometimes only seconds separating their finish times. After the triumphant crews docked, the atmosphere turned euphoric as the rowers returned to full bowls of steaming chili the parents had prepared for them in the athlete tent. Overall, Row New York would win every dual that day, testifying to the depth of talent the team possesses across multiple event categories.
Queens Races and Results: The Queens squad raced a novice 8+, varsity 8+, junior varsity 8+, varsity 4+, junior varsity 4+ and a 2nd junior varsity 4+. Notable results included our two JV 4s placing 2nd and 3rd in a field of seven boats. More than half of the girls in the novice 8+ were racing for the first time. The crew got off to a fast start and led through the half-way mark. The lead grew as they approached the last third of the race, but unfortunately a combination of steering mistakes by crews warming-up and our crew forced us to a stop. We finished the race and although the expected outcome was not achieved, the rowers showed themselves that they could go fast and that they can win.
Manhattan Races and Results: The Manhattan girls’ squad raced a varsity 4+, a varsity 8+, and a second varsity 4+, and the boys’ squad raced a lightweight 4+ and 8+. Notable results include our girls’ second varsity 4+ placing first in a field of six boats, sending these young women home with hardware for the first time, and our Manhattan lightweight 8+ placing second in a field of six. The girls’ 1st varsity 4+ rowed down the course with equipment breakage (feet popped out on first stroke) and despite breakage, managed to perform very well and get 4th overall in a field of 11. Coach Eichler says, “ We can only speculate how well they would’ve done without the equipment issues!”
Overall, the team performed extremely well and has set itself up nicely for a lot of internal competition as well as being very prepared for our regattas in the coming weeks. Special thanks to parent coordinators Kathy Presto (Queens) and Brooke Thomas (Manhattan). Brooke has this to say about her regatta experience, “What a great day Saturday was!!! Great group of rowers and parents in a beautiful location. What could be better?”
