The Blair rowing team traveled to Philadelphia
for the annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta on May 16 - 17, an event
which boasts nearly 6,000 high school competitors from around
the country. Head boys’ coach Bowen Posner provided the
following report:
In the midst of Friday’s torrential downpour, Blair qualified each boys’ nd
girls’ crew for its respective semi-final events. The sun finally appeared
on Saturday morning, but the Blair crews faced challenging racing conditions
given a raging tail current and a stiff, gusty headwind. Nonetheless, the girls’ junior
four aggressively attacked Blair’s first final of the day, and, despite
falling to 6th place early in the race, the Lady Bucs (Haley Anderson ’10, Sarah
Clark ’09, Kara Stessl ’09, Becca Merrifield ’10 and Lindsay
Weil ’09) rowed a gutsy race en route to a silver medal finish.
Later that afternoon, the boys’ senior four entered its afternoon final
as the top seeded crew as a result of decisive wins in its time trial and semi-final.
The crew (Matt Gallira ’08, John Redos ’09, Elliott
Anderson ’08, Stephen Patane ’09, and JP
Bowditch ’08) jumped to an early lead and remained calm despite
being battered by choppy water and high winds. As the crew crossed the final
500 meter mark, it began a decisive sprint and won Blair’s first-ever
Stotesbury gold by clear water.
Immediately following the boys’ final, the girls’ senior four (Beth
Martens ’08, Tal Thurgood ’08, Olivia
Trozze ’08, Sam Tilney ’08, and Michaela
McCrink ’08) sped down the Schuylkill River race course while
challenging the defending national champion, Peddie School. The girls made
a valiant effort and earned a bronze medal as a result, Blair Crew’s
first medal in the girls’ senior four category. In a very special moment
for the team, the senior boys’ and girls’ fours found themselves
on the awards dock together in order to receive their well-deserved medals.
Congratulations to Blair Crew for its most successful season!
Stroke and sole senior Matt
Gallira ’08 said, “It was wild in
the middle of the race. The headwind got really strong,
and it was pretty tough, so at the end we had to do a
40-stroke sprint to win it. It’s our first gold
ever, and it’s great with the girls medaling too.”
Click
here to view more event photos, and enjoy some short
video below.
2008 - Blair Crew Retains MAPL Titles
Boys’ head coach Bowen Posner reports
the following Blair victories: “Blair crew traveled to
Mercer Lake in Princeton on April 26 to defend the School’s
boys’ and girls’ MAPL crew titles. The boats battled
tough crews from Peddie, Hun, and Lawrenceville as well as
fierce water conditions. Highlights of the day included a dominant
performance by the boys 4th boat, who bested their nearest
opponent by 10 seconds, and thrillingly decisive results from
the girls 2nd and 3rd crews as they cruised to victory by a
combined total of 33 seconds. With strong performances from
the girls’ novice 8 and the boys’ and girls’ first
crews (3rd, 1st, and 3rd, respectively), Blair repeated its
performance from last year by retaining the MAPL titles in
2008. Well rowed, all crews!
2007
- Success at Stotesbury!
Blair Crew garnered great success at this year’s annual Stotesbury Regatta. Confident after an impressive performance in ’06, the crew was eager to leave its mark on the national stage. The day began with grand final appearances in the girls’ junior four, girls’ lightweight four, and boys’ lightweight eight. All crews fought incredibly hard and came very close to the medal stand. In the last two finals of the day for Blair, the boys’ junior and senior fours placed second and third, respectively. These medals, the first two in boys’ crew history, capped an impressive season on the water. Congratulations to all crews and great racing!
Two Boys to Attend Junior National Team Selection Camp
At the conclusion of the MAPL regatta, USRowing – a non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the U.S. – invited Matt Gallira ’08 and JP Bowditch ’08 to attend Junior National Team Selection Camps this summer. JP is a coxswain and Matt a rower in the first boys’ varsity boat. At the end of the selection camp, 12 rowers and 2 coxswains will be selected to train and compete in China . Coach Blodgett explained, “Only the very top athletes in the country get invited to the selection camp to compete for the few spots open to the junior national team. It is very competitive and difficult to make, but is a great honor to be invited to that camp. Both J.P. and Matt are definitely two of the best in the country, and we are very proud that they will be representing Blair and hopefully our country as well.”
Blair reigned victorious in the first-ever MAPL regatta on April 28. Boys’ crew coach Seth Blodgett said, “We are very proud to have won both the girls’ and boys’ trophy in the inaugural year of the event. We won five out of the six races that counted for points towards the championship.” Stephanie Guilmet, head girls’ crew coach, added, “It was definitely a team effort this weekend, with every rower making a contribution to the victory. Special congratulations to the girls’ second and third fours for very tight victories, both winning by less than two seconds to solidify the win.”
Stephanie Guilmet, head girls’crew coach, reports on a highly successful outcome at the Mercer Sprints on April 21, 2007: “We were by far the most successful team at this large regatta, with about 25 schools participating.”
Boys 1st 4: 1st and 3rd Girls 1st 4: 4th place
Boys 2nd 4: 1st place Girls 2nd 4: 1st place
Boys Lwt 4: 3rd place Girls 3rd 4: 1st place
Boys Lwt 8: 1st place Girls Lwt 4: 1st place
Boys Novice 8: 1st and 5th Girls Novice 8: 2nd place
Fall 2006
Peddie Day – A New Tradition?
Given the cancellation of the Head of Schulykill Regatta due to bad weather, Blair Crew was eager to test itself against Peddie during its first, and only, race of the fall season. Blessed with beautifully calm conditions and warm temperatures, the crews hit the water for a 2500 meter head-style race on Lake Swartswood . The boys provided a very exciting race, as Peddie A placed first, while Blair A finished just a second off the winning pace. Peddie B rounded out the top three, only one-second behind Blair A. Blair B and Peddie C raced for the fourth position, with Blair ultimately prevailing. In the girls’ race, Peddie’s A and B crews rowed impressively and earned the top two finishes. Blair’s top girls’ boat rowed its fastest piece of the season on its way to third place. Peddie C finished behind Blair for fourth place.
Thank you, Peddie, for great racing and wonderful sportsmanship! Also, we were grateful for the support of Blair students, faculty, and families. Your presence at the race course meant a great deal to the competitors and coaches. We will see everyone again this spring!
Results: Peddie @ Lake Swartswood
November 11, 2006
Introduction
