Saratoga Sounding...

A picture says a thousand words...

It was a dark and snowy start to the day for the Junior's shot at the Head of the Fish. Our Master's program had a great Saturday and the challenge was clearly laid out to the juniors to improve on their performance. Our team dinner the night before at Lillian's in downtown Saratoga, set the tone and was the perfect opportunity to send Coach Chris off on a high note and thank him for his contributions and dedication to the jr. program this season.

Matt P., Connor, Josh, Chloe and Julia I. bundled into the suburban in the pitch dark and 25 degree temperature in order to make the first races of the day, which for us specifically was the boy's 2- of Matt and Connor. They had only a couple of practice days in the pair and I honestly had no idea what to expect from them. I encouraged them to harness their brute strength and to rely more on grace... not sure what they did, but it worked... our first Fish Head of the day! Our Singles entries all did as expected, coming around middle of the pack, Josh has not trained for the event, Chloe was seriously outsized and Julia I. was only just getting back into rowing, so I was pleased with all their efforts.

Claire Hughe's army had a fantastic breakfast waiting the hungry horde as they too stepped off the team buses, bleary eyed and not exactly sure what winterland they had been transported to and why on earth they were even contemplating rowing in these temperatures. But as Napoleon said, an army marches on its stomach, and with our team well nourished and now invigorated it was a frenetic pace to keep the boats rigged and rolling out to meet the race schedule. We launched 16 boats in the first 75 minutes... I will say that is a record for me!

And row the kids did, with excellent results. The boys N8+ and Varsity Girl's 8+'s were the first big boats of the day. The boy's 9th place out of 25 boats was an excellent showing especially given just how raw many of our novices are. The girls varsity boats did tremendously, the 2V8+ just missed out on a medal with a brilliant 4th place beating highly fancied crews Niskayuna and St. Catherines. Our 1V8+ was out to prove themselves following the HOCR incident, and boy did they - second place, beating many of the teams that "beat them" at HOCR, including beating Albany by 14 seconds who had claimed 14th at HOCR.

Up next was our girls novice 4x who claimed an amazing 7th out of 17.... amazing because they got to practice sculling twice before their race! Well done girls.

Our boy's doubles were up next, with the open weight claiming 7/27 and the ltwt combination of Josh and Ian claiming silver behind the highly fancied GMS boys. It should be remembered that Josh had just got off the water from his singles race too!

The next time I go to a casino, I'm headed to the roulette table and betting 7's, because yet agin it was 7th place for both the boy's varsity ltwt 4+ and 1V4+ entries, both well at the top of the field of entries.

And our novice 4+ result of 12/31 entries was also very respectable.

Up next were the girl's 4x entries, where despite the fact that we have not trained much in sculling boats, we considered ourselves in the medal hunt. Another Fish Head - well done our girl's 4x for beating some really fast teams. Our 2nd 4x had some really bad luck getting tangled in to some slow moving boats that refused to yield and had to settle for 10/21 knowing they had a much better placing in them.

Both our boy's V8+s finished right in the middle of the pack. Not surprising as neither boat was at full strength and many of the rowers were on their second race of the day. they looked great coming down the course and I will be very interested to see how they do at the Riverfront in stronger line-ups and fresher legs.

Our boys JV8+ racing as 3V8+ won the bronze medal - well done guys. You are on a tear this season, your hard work and discipline is paying off in spades.

Our boy's 4x's were up next and again we were just pipped out of 1st by GMS and had to be satisfied with a silver medal... will be interesting to see what we can accomplish with some training in the 4x's, lots to be excited about.

The Varsity doubles racing provided exciting racing, with middle of the field results for the open weights (who have never practiced together) and the closest race of the regatta for the lightweights. Originally the results showed that the top 4 places were separated by just 1.7 seconds! Our two crews claimed 2nd (Nina and Mariah) and 4th (Katie and MaryGail). There was a lot of confusion with that race, with protests galore and all of a sudden first place was given to another crew altogether with an unlikely 20 second margin..... hmmm. Next time girls!

As the day wound down, our girls 4+, boys n4x, and mixed 8+, were all exhausted from previous racing and hot seating to get back for their next race with no time for rest in between, as such their middle to back of the pack results were not surprising, hopefully they enjoyed the race experiences.

A special shout out to our girl's novice 2x who without any practice (bad conditions in the week prior), battled their way up to the start and then got excluded for not being able to hold their course. They came rowing gamely down the course and when they pulled in were able to smile and be philosophical about the experience.

All in all it was a fabulous outing to Saratoga. The weather broke to a stunning day and the kids were on their best behavior. Chris Chase (regatta director)n summarized PCRA's accomplishments as better than the entire accumulation of previous years entries! Well done everyone.

A huge amount of effort goes into the planning and running of an event like this, I would like to thank my coaching staff for all their efforts, especially Brendan who was tied up Friday through Monday and drove a boat trailer for the first time. A big shout out too, to the chaperones (especially Bud Daley), and to Jean, Amy, Robin and Claire for their extraordinary efforts.

Triumph and Disaster

Well the 2011 HOCR is now a thing of the past, and we are all left contemplating what was and what might have been. So much of the weekend went so well... the rowers had a great practice Friday, the team dinners on Friday and Saturday night were fantastic (thanks to our marvelous PA that plan it all), exploring Quincey Market and Faneuil hall was a blast, watching the racing and supporting our parent child 2x entries on Saturday all helped build up to the big moment on Sunday.

Saturday's speech to the entire contingent by Abbie Young (stroke of the 2011 USA Women's Jr. National Team), followed by the question and answer session with her and her father Donnie Young (anyone forget him?), had everyone in the mood to accomplish something extraordinary on Sunday.

The boy's team had the burden of high expectation... the 2010 PCRA boys had posted a fantastic 16th place and living up to that with only one rower from that boat here in 2011 was always going to be a tall order. Our primary objective was to finish 37th or better to ensure a guaranteed entry for 2012, and the boys did accomplish that.

The boy's looked fantastic rounding the final turn as they tore down the final straight, swinging well together - albeit driving in the catch pretty hard. I was surprised by their 35th place finish, feeling that they had perhaps a top 25 in them, but it was a remarkably close race and only 20 seconds separated 15th through 35th. I sense an awakening amongst these fine young men, a realization that team chemistry and bonding will bring them greater achievement than individual prowess. I hope that they take inspiration from the fact that they had the 5th fastest final qtr of all the boy's boats! That shows we can mix it up with everybody.

The girls story is as inspirational as it is devastating. The girls got into this year's race via the lottery and were unburdened by any expectation - save for what they had set for themselves. We had no real yard stick by which to make any predictions, our main goal was 37th place or better to ensure an automatic entry next year, but we all knew that top 20 was possible... and the unspoken whisper of a top 10 finish was on every lip and in every mind.

The girls flew down the course at a ferocious speed, they had the 24th fastest first qtr, the 8th fastest second qtr, the 6th fastest 3rd qtr ....... and then calamity. As the boat lined up for the final bridge - the infamous Elliot Street Bridge - coxswain Julianna was confronted with two slow moving boats ahead in the archway. In a desperate attempt to neither collide or lose ground, Julianna opted for the north arch, her view of the overhanging tree on its far side obscured by the pillar. As she successfully navigated the wide turn she was confronted with the horror of an overhanging branch and just not enough room to complete her turn back onto the course, and in that instant their dreams were dashed.

Mariah Ippolito in bow seat bore the brunt of the collision as branches smacked into her back and her oar handle walloped her in the mouth and nose. The collision split the bow deck at the seam and it took an age for the crew to get untangled, come to grips with what had happened and to then gamely re-engage in the race... urged on by Mariah yelling go, Go, GO, despite the blood coming from her mouth.

That day we learned the true spirit of the wolf pack. A crew that refused to give in even though they knew that what they were fighting for was lost; a support team of rowers and parents that rallied around them to show them love and empathy in their time of distress.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master,
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, 
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools.


Given the progression from 24th / 8th / 6th  a 5th final qtr was probable... it would have resulted in a remarkable 8th place finish. Not bad for an unknown 8+ with 4 lightweights in it!

As a club we set out to make this year extraordinary, to reveal ourselves from behind the veil of obscurity and to become a known force to be reckoned with. These crews and all the boats of PCRA will travel to Saratoga this weekend with a burning desire to accomplish just that. We now know with certainty that we have the speed and the ability, I sense that PCRA is about to make its mark.


I want to especially acknowledge Sophia Merellas, Nora Kennon, Julia Coash, Maeve Hughes and Chloe Lewis for travelling up to Boston to support their teammates and to thank all of the parents for their tremendous support.

What about us?

So often, the focus and the limelight appears to shine on the top Boys' and Girls' Varsity boats, which often time begs the question from the rest of the club... what about us?

I am so very pleased to report that PCRA as a whole is fairing excellently this season, up and down the age groups. Now that everyone is settling into a rhythm, and swinging together with the timing and grace that we talked about so often at the beginning of the season, every PCRA crew on the water is worth watching.

At the King's Head Regatta, the boys' 2 V8+  beat the 1V8+, that was a fantastic achievement for them. Their depth is undeniable - their never say die attitude at training is impressive and I am confident that at any stage two or three of them could seamlessly slot into the 1V8+. It is worth noting that that race result was affected by race volume of the 1V8+ rowers during the weekend - but still a fantastic result - as was their Housatonic performance. In fact when including the JV boys (B3 V8+), the boys came 3rd overall at the Housatonic!

The boy's JV program is on a tear. On the days that they show up with an attitude to learn and apply (as is becoming more and more frequent), their rowing improves in leaps and bounds, as was proven by their gold medal performance at the King's Head regatta. Coach Morgan is increasingly pleased with their efforts and improvement and we are all really looking forward to seeing their results at both the Head of the Fish and the Head of the Riverfront.

The boys' and girls' Novice programs refuse to be outshone. With every practice, as the boys accept that timing is more important than power, their boat gets faster. Their 4th place at the Housatonic was a phenomenal result and we also look forward to seeing what they can accomplish in the last two regattas. I would like to see them take themselves a little more seriously at practice though. They waste precious water time by being boisterous before launch, which not only affects their amount of water time, but their mental state on it. Guys - lets make the last two weeks really count!

The novice girls are such a delightful group, possibly the most enthusiastic group at PCRA. I do feel for them that they have not had consistant coaching this season, but I am confident that all their coaching has been top notch. The girls have grown remarkably and are now swinging together with confidence and poise, and may I say that at times - with some decent puddles too. We were thrilled that this group of newbies - who have never raced before beat 3 boats at the Housatonic... lets see how many we can get at the Fish.

It is exciting that both boys and girls novice rowers are transitioning into sculling. A great new discipline and the perfect way to get them to add more swing and grace to their stroke.

Perhaps the greatest improvement of all the crews at PCRA has come from the girls 2 V8+ boat and scullers. At the beginning of the season they were beset with technique issues that hampered their timing, set and ability to create run. More and more they push the 1V8+ and as was shown at the Housatonic, they row beautifully as well. We have to ask ourselves "what if?" after their 12th place overall showing in that regatta. I was thrilled with 12th, beating the vast majority of 2nd 8+'s - but when you keep in mind that one girl constantly was fighting a jumping seat whilst the rest of the crew was reduced to racing by 6's... what if? We will know next week. I am challenging the girls to look forward and not backward, to take pride in their boat and their improvements to date. To come together as a team and to find what the Shona tribe of Zimbabwe call "Ukama" - a state of unity that is akin to family, for in the end we race not for ourselves - but for eachother.

What is exciting about the Head of the Fish is that most of our crews are in with legitimate medal chances, as they separate out 1V, 2V, 3V etc, rather than lumping them all in together, Unfortunately the same does not hold true for sculling, but still - it should be a huge day for PCRA.

Practice attitude

Monday's Practice was phenomenal! In stark contrast to Friday's practice - athletes were focused, disciplined and motivated. We are half way through our fall season already, and if we are not careful the rest of the season will pass us by in a blink.

So much has been done to create  the unified stroke that we spoke of at the beginning of the season and as a result all rowers have a more efficient stroke, and can be switched between boats seamlessly. This is a huge accomplishment, for which you are all to be complimented. But its not perfect yet...

Boys:
Handle heights are all over the place
Rolling square happens at different times
Still opening up with your backs before legs
Respect your teammates... you are not perfect either!

Girls:
Establish catch position at check point 3, not at the catch.
Accelerate the handles to your body
Hold body angle forward a little longer, then SWING it back with hands
Turn the handle around the back end of the stroke.
Lets find some POWER!

We all set out to achieve the extraordinary this season, let's recommit to that goal. It all starts with your attitude to even the minutia... do you take stretching seriously, do you carry your boat to the dock with care and pride, do you own your changes, do you self coach during steady states, do you rinse off your boat thoroughly and effectively?

We are stronger and better as a team than a group of individuals, just like the wolf. Please make a concerted effort to not miss practice, and brace yourself because the workload is increasing.

King's Head Regatta on Sunday?

It's hard to believe that we are half way through our season already. The cancelled regattas have been disappointing and frustrating. The Riverfront Regatta has been rescheduled for Sunday November 6th, so please mark your calendars.

The King's Head Regatta has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday, October 9th! That of course means that we would have a double header:- Housatonic on Saturday and King's Head on Sunday.

At first it seemed too much, but with Monday being a public holiday perhaps its manageable?

We could have a bus take rowers to King's Head, so that parents aren't obliged to two days of travel. The Parent's Association would only take the chuck wagon to Housatonic, rowers would be asked to bring their own lunch (and plenty of food will be available to buy) to King's Head.

Please post your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.