I wanted to take a moment and thank all for another successful fall season at Manhasset Crew. A special thank you to all the coaches that give their time and heart to the team day in and day out. We are lucky to have such an accomplished staff, and even more a staff that cares for the kids as much as they do. Thank you to the FOMC board for their unwavering support of the program and thank you to all the parents that volunteer at the regattas and put the miles on the car to come cheer for the team. Lastly, thank you to the athletes for the effort and discipline you bring everyday to the water, this is not a forgiving sport and you guys continue to rise to the challenges. A special thank you to our seniors, I have never coached a better group of people that truly care about the culture and well being of the overall program. Your attitude and leadership is contagious and extremely appreciated by every coach. Of course none of this would be possible without the tireless effort of Shannon, Beth, and Diane for keeping us organized, focused, and well dressed, Thank you!
This fall we started off the season on the Charles River at the CRI regatta in mid September. It was a chance for every rower and coxswain to experience the Charles and race some of the top Boston based clubs. The novice men and women’s raced for the first time and swept the eights categories making a stunning debut on the Charles. The varsity racing top tier competition was the top scholastic program at the regatta, and was led by a bronze finish from the men’s varsity four. The men’s and women’s team placed multiple boats in the top 10, and set the tone for the fall season.
Two weeks later we were back on our home waters of Bar Beach, and we hosted the 2nd Annual Row for the Fight regatta. We partner with the Junior Coalition for a day of events and races all with the common goal to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer research. As face painting, beach volleyball, and beach soccer took place on the shores, the team battled against local Long Island programs. It was a hard fought day, as the team battled to a second overall finish for the points trophy, we were edged by one point by rival Port. The event was a tremendous success for a great cause, and helped the team develop a tighter team chemistry from this point on.
The next weekend we traveled to everyone’s favorite regatta the Housatonic. An opportunity to race the top New England clubs in the country can only drive us to become faster. This year the club teams proved too strong for us to catch however, the Manhasset boats had respectable performances throughout the day, with men’s novice eight taking fifth. This race is always a challenge due to the depth of the competition but, a chance to see the top competition before the Charles.
We added a new regatta this year in Philadelphia. We traveled for the day to race the Philly and Jersey clubs at the Navy Day regatta. The weather held out for us, though signs of fall were in full effect. This the year the PSAT took a good number of athletes away from the regatta, however it provided an opportunity for others to step up. We were lead by our men’s varsity and jv eights as both took sixth place. The women’s varsity battled in the eights and fours and came just short of the top ten. This regatta was another opportunity for the coxswains and rowers to get a taste of Philly before the Head of the Schuylkill.
Then we had the grand daddy of them all, the Head of the Charles. Some years you beat the Charles and some years the Charles takes no prisoners. This year had 30 mph headwinds and crosswinds as our coxswains navigated the river. We were fortunate this year, as we brought five boats to compete; men’s and women’s eight, men’s and women’s four, men’s quad. The experience had its ups and downs as we were one of the younger teams on the water. The women’s four was a top scholastic school and requalified for next year. The men’s eight was on pace to qualify until they had an oar battle under Elliot’s Bridge and lost valuable time that dropped them out of the top half. In the end all boats represented the orange and blue well, and if not for a little bad luck we would have pulled off two boats. Many underclassmen gained invaluable experience, and the team’s uniforms were hot commodities on the trade market, as we made new friends with Shrewsbury School from England. Another great sound and site of the weekend were the numerous alumni that visited the trailer, as well as those that raced down the course for their respected programs.
The season then took us back to Philadelphia for the Head of the Schuylkill with over 20 Manhasset entries. The weather itself was beautiful, however the efficiency of the referees and starting area of the race had a slight 2 hour delay. Thankfully the teams and kids found ways to interact and entertain themselves amoungst boats, while they sat, and sat, and sat. Once on the course we placed in the top third of the entries in most races with the men's and women's varsity fours leading the way with top 25 finishes in 75 boat categories. The novice team continued a strong season with two top fifteen performances in their respected divisions.
The final week we turned to our second annual Orange and Blue Regatta. The seniors and captains held a fantasy draft to select their boats for the week at Landmark Diner. Each boat was required to have a minimum of four novice rowers and three female rowers.Due to weather we were able to get every boat at least one duel match on the water, before we were blown off. It was great waching the laughing, comraderie, and rowing of every boat, everyone had everything from senior leadership to middle school youth. In the end we were able to narrow it down to a final 5 crews and settle it on the erg with 100m sprints. Team 'Uncle Edward' fought back from the losers bracket to take the second annual Orange and Blue. If you do not follow us on instagram, please do @manhasset_crew, you can follow the entire event from the draft through the championship.
The team did an amazing job winterizing the boats and we are ready to move indoors where the team will prepare for the upcoming Spring. This winter we are on the ergs three days a week at Christ Church, and weight training two days a week at Power Ten. We are young, but very tough, and I believe a strong winter will allow us to wreak havoc on the competition this Spring once the water defrosts.
Thank you all again for a GREAT Fall season!
-Coach Steve
