Girls' Crew

Blair Girls' Crew FAQs

The following questions and answers are intended to share information about Blair crew; the questions presented are the ones raised most often by prospective students who are considering rowing in the spring.

When does the crew season begin and end?
Crew is mainly a spring sport. We have a winter season designed to develop athletes who are trying to compete in the top boats, but our main season begins with our spring trip to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We end after the Stotesbury Regatta, although select crews may compete in the National Championships.

Is experience necessary?
Most of the students who join Blair crew have little or no experience prior to their first season. One of the best parts about the sport of rowing is the existence of a separate 'novice' category of racing, for those who have never rowed before. While some first year athletes are skilled enough to compete for varsity seats, every first year rower is guaranteed a race against other novice opponents.

What is the general make-up of the team?
The team comprises two groups: novice girls, and varsity girls. We have roughly 30 athletes combined in a given year.

Where do you practice?
We have an indoor training room located in the main gymnasium on campus. We use land-based rowing machines and ergometers to teach basic stroke technique and to increase strength and fitness. Our outdoor facility is located on the Paulinskill River, which is about a 15-minute bus ride from campus.

When do we practice?
We practice after classes each day. The team meets at the buses and heads out to the river. Practice runs until dinnertime.

How long are the workouts?
The team works out five days a week for two hours each day. One day each week, we race against opponents in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and throughout the Northeast. Basically, we expect the team to row six days a week.

Are there any morning workouts?
No.

How many races occur during the season?
Generally, we have seven competitions during the eight-week spring season. If you are part of the novice team, you will race in five to six of these events; as a varsity member, you will race in as many as possible.

What types of championship regattas are possible?
Blair crew attends the Mercer Sprints Regatta and the Mid-Atlantic Championships. In addition, the members of the MAPL hold a championship race near the end of the spring. The Blair crew season culminates at the Stotesbury Regatta, where we race against the very best crews from all over the United States and Canada. The top finishers at this regatta have the possibility of continuing at the U.S. Rowing Nationals in June.

Why row?

It’s a total experience that immerses you. Here are just a few more reasons:

Rowers are the toughest, most determined athletes you will meet!

• Rowing is for EVERYONE. Your height and size don't matter. If you are interested in us, we are interested in you.
• It does not matter if you have never played sports before or have never heard of rowing; we will teach you everything you need to know.
• Rowing works all muscle groups and burns more calories than any other sport or exercise. It is a sport that demands endurance, strength and skill. It requires consummate teamwork and mental toughness.
• Many universities offer scholarships for crew. Crew is a growing sport on college campuses. Participating in crew can benefit you as you navigate the college admission process.
• Blair crew has FUN. We feel that by rowing, you become not just a better athlete, but a better student and person as well.
• The team experience forms very close friendships and helps everyone grow dramatically as people. You learn a sense of responsibility toward your boat mates and team, and this transfers to all aspects of life.

Meet Coach Solis-Cohen

Blair’s admission office welcomed Hannah Solis-Cohen as an admission associate in 2016; she also serves as head coach of girls’ crew. Hannah is a 2016 graduate of the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in history and was a four-year member of the Cavaliers’ women’s varsity crew team. Among her many rowing honors, Hannah was part of UVA’s NCAA Division I champion varsity four in 2015, and she earned the Craig Fielder Memorial award for overcoming adversity in 2016. A graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon School, Hannah spends her summers working at Songadeewin of Keewaydin, a Salisbury, Vermont, camp for second- to ninth-grade girls. She lives and serves dorm duty in Lakeside Hall, an upper school boys’ dormitory.

Meet Coach Freitag

Britt Freitag is the assistant dean of college counseling. She brings a wealth of college admission experience to this position, having worked most recently as assistant director and senior assistant director of undergraduate admission at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she was an admission counselor at The Catholic University of America and assistant director of admission at Corcoran College of Art + Design. Britt is a 2008 graduate of Hamilton College with a BA in theatre and studio art. At Blair, she serves on the dorm staff in Kathryn Hall and resides in Hillside House.

Meet Coach Litvin

Rebecca (Becca) Litvin ’10 returned to her alma mater in 2016, where she is a teacher of sophomore and junior English. A 2014 graduate of Barnard College with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in history, she is studying for her master’s in secondary education with a concentration in English at Teachers College Columbia University. During her undergraduate career, Becca was a Barnard admission representative and interviewer and spent summers teaching and coaching at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program. She has been an English and history teacher and rowing coach at The Ross School in Long Island, New York, as well as an admission coordinator for The School at Columbia University, since her college graduation. Becca coaches rowing at Blair and serves dorm duty in Locke Hall, where she also resides.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

View more photos from the 2016-2017 season or past years on Blair's Flickr.