NMH Crew : Boys Crew

Race Results - Fall 2003

Season records (W-L)

NMH-A (varsity): 81 - 28
NMH-B: 26 - 20

NMH boys @ The Head of the Fish
Saturday, October 25th
Fish Creek, Saratoga NY

Distance: 2.5 miles
Conditions: calm and cold

NMH placed 7th out of 33 boats at the Head of the Fish Regatta this weekend. The boys rowed with skill and power and posted a very good time of 14:29 for this short head race. Our goal had been to win this regatta, so our placing was a disappointment, but some strong crews from Canada and Long Island made the long trip this year and the competition was stiffer than in previous years. In addition, the race officials recognized confusion in the posted times and tried to make adjustments, but perhaps did not fully clear up all discrepancies in the final standings. As frustrating as this sort of thing is to a coach and his rowers, we have to accept that it is more common in timed racing than we'd like to admit. Maybe that's why we're all excited about the spring racing season - there is no question who's the victor in a head-to-head race!

Final records (W-L):
NMH A boat: 81 - 28
NMH B boat: 26 - 20

NMH @ Head of the Charles
Sunday, October 19th
Charles River, Boston MA

Distance: 3 miles
Conditions: cold and calm, good racing weather

Results summary:
Time: 18:29.9 (55 seconds off the winning pace)
13th out of 32 crews in the Youth Fours event
6th place in the High School division
Season record (W-L): 55 - 21

Race summary:
NMH traveled to the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend and raced against a strong field of high school and club crews from around the East coast and Canada. Our competition this year also included two collegiate freshmen boats and a winning crew traveling across the Atlantic from Germany. Heady stuff for a group of skinny lightweights from the Pioneer Valley, but the boys were up to the task and rowed with poise and power.

Sunday wasn't our best race performance, but it was our gutsiest. Our goals as we prepared for the Head of the Charles this season were to row our "A" race and place in the top 10. Last week at NMH was a difficult one to stay focused on training, and it was clear that we were rusty due to lack of time together on the water recently. Our timing was not as crisp as it needed to be and we had a difficult time consistently matching power application on both sides of the boat towards the end of the race. In addition, an official's error at the starting line placed NMH at the end of the pack behind some slower boats that impeded our progress early on.

We have been working all season on resilience, however. Instead of finding reasons to lose (Red Sox fans take note), we have worked on finding ways to perform as well as possible despite obstacles that inevitably arise. NMH moved past the slower crews into clear water around Magazine Beach and rowed aggressively and powerfully through the Powerhouse Stretch leading up to the Weeks Bridge. Coxswain Erzhan Burkitbayev steered a magnificent course through the tight turns of the Weeks and Anderson bridges, keeping his crew confident and focused as they reeled in several boats ahead of them during this crucial part of the race. A look at the splits shows that NMH was the eighth fastest crew during the middle of the race, in large part due to Erzhan's excellent work on the tiller and on the mike.

Race lineup:
Coxswain: Erzhan Burkitbayev '06
Stroke: Ian Buffam '04
Three: Alex Rafferty '04
Two: Matt Trevithick '04
Bow: Naim Culhaci '05

Complete results:
1 Bayer Leverkusen 17:34.4
2 The Gunnery School (HS) 17:42.3
3 Princeton University-Men 17:43.0
4 Northeastern University-Men 17:44.2
5 St.John's High School 17:53.9
6 Minnesota Boat Club 18:03.3
7 Detroit Boat Club (HS) 18:04.4
8 Ottawa Rowing Club 18:10.6
9 Pomfret School (HS) 18:12.2
10 Peterborough Rowing Club 18:15.3
11 Belmont Hill School (HS) 18:24.6
12 Brunswick School (HS) 18:25.1
13 Northfield Mount Hermon School (HS) 18:29.9
14 St. Andrew Rowing Club 18:43.9
15 Friends of Shenendehowa Crew 18:46.7
16 Steel City Rowing Club 18:52.0
17 Undine Barge Club 18:52.4
18 The Haverford School (HS) 18:56.9
19 Mendota Juniors 18:58.9
20 Christchurch School 19:02.8
21 Tulsa Rowing Club (HS) 19:09.9
22 Lake Quinsigamond Community Rowing 19:25.1
23 Worcester Public High Schools 19:25.4
24 Brewster Academy (HS) 19:28.8
25 Berkshire School (HS) 19:32.2
26 Central Catholic Rowing Club (HS) 19:32.2
27 St Louis Rowing Club 19:37.4
28 Maclay Crew 19:41.2
29 Shaker Rowing Assoc. 20:00.1
30 Raleigh Charter High School (HS) 20:05.7
31 Noble & Greenough School 20:11.4
32 Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (HS) 20:49.7

NMH at the Head of the Connecticut
Sunday, October 12th
Connecticut River, Middletown, CT

Distance: 3.5 miles
Conditions: pouring rain, light chop

NMH A 7th out of 26
Lineup (with Pie Race placing):
Burkitbayev (#160-just outsprinted his coach), Buffam (#141), Rafferty (#8), Trevithick (#97), Culhaci (#41)

NMH B: 12th out of 26
Lineup (with Pie Race placing):
Lu, Costa (#280), Berntsen (#162), Liu (#226), Russell (#44)

Race summary:
It was a survival test in Middletown Sunday with a drenching rain for much of the morning, but pausing just enough for the boys to row their race without swamping on the course. I'm not sure if we passed the survival test, however, as the boys experienced equipment trouble (probably caused by the numbing rain) in both boats, and our inadequate clothing caused much more misery than we should have experienced.

Despite the extraordinary conditions, the boys actually rowed very well for most of the race. Both crews set powerful ratings that allowed for good speed and control throughout the three and a half miles. However, the NMH A boat slipped a seat off its tracks near the end of the race, and the resulting 30-second delay in fixing the problem resulted in a slower time across the finish and a drop of two or three places in the standings. The NMH B boat had some trouble handling their oars due to numbed hands, but managed to overcome their difficulties and placed well in our most competitive regatta yet.

Complete results for Mens Secondary Fours:
1. THE GUNNERY 20:57.30
2. POMFRET SCHOOL 21:30.53
3. ST. ANTHONY CREW 21:35.14
4. THE GUNNERY (B) 21:46.51
5. MERCER JR ROWING CLUB 22:03.93
6. FRIENDS OF SHENENDEHOWA CREW INC. 22:10.02
7. NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL (A) 22:17.82
8. SAUGATUCK ROWING CLUB 22:36.00
9. TABOR ACADEMY 22:40.40
10. SALISBURY SCHOOL 22:44.63
11. KINGSTON ROWING CLUB (A) 22:59.84
12. NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL (B) 23:12.19
13. THE GUNNERY (C) 23:15.21
14. WORCESTER PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL 23:25.49
15. NEREID BOAT CLUB (C) 23:35.27
16. BERKSHIRE SCHOOL (A) 24:15.52
17. COMMUNITY ROWING INC. (A) 24:17.45
18. COLD SPRING HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL (A) 24:29.37
19. EAST LYME ROWING ASSOCIATION 24:34.75
20. THE GUNNERY (D) 25:27.37
21. SHAKER ROWING ASSOCIATION 25:38.85
22. COLD SPRING HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL (B) 25:44.06
23. THE GUNNERY (E) 26:06.64
24. BRUNSWICK SCHOOL (B) 26:13.12
25. COMMUNITY ROWING INC. (B) 27:02.06
26. SAGAMORE ROWING ASSOCIATION 27:05.46

NMH vs Niskayuna (The Alumni Cup)
Friday, October 10th
Connecticut River, Gill MA

Distance: 3.3 miles
Conditions: mild and calm, moderate current

Race results:
1. NMH 17:59
2. Niskayuna 18:11

NMH successfully defended the Alumni Cup today on its home course, racing an eight for the first time this season by combining our two fours into a single shell. Niskayuna arrived fresh from their victory last weekend at the Head of the Mohawk, but NMH was the faster boat today. NMH raises its W-L record against this season's competition to a gaudy 16-3, but the boys recognize that they have two very competitive regattas ahead in the next week. Sunday, NMH races in the Head of the Connecticut against some of the fastest boats we have seen this fall, and next Sunday is the Big Daddy of head racing, the Head of the Charles Regatta. I think we're ready.

NMH lineup:
Coxswain: Erzhan "Wide Right" Burkitbayev '06
Stroke: Ian Buffam '04
7: Alex Rafferty '04
6: Matt Trevithick '04
5: David Berntsen '05
4: Gabriel Costa '06
3: Naim Culhaci '05
2: Rory Harrington '05
Bow: Jon Russell '06

Textile River Regatta
Sunday, October 5th
Merrimack River, Lowell MA

Distance: 3.3 miles
Conditions: moderate tailwind, light chop

The boys regatta team traveled to Lowell Sunday for the first big regatta of the fall season, racing in a large field of seventeen entries at the Textile River Regatta. The boys A boat, coxed by sophomore Erzhan Burkitbayev, put in a strong effort, earning second place against a field that included crews from Groton, PA, and CRI. The winners, a competitive crew from Derryfield NH, were just three seconds faster than the Hoggers over the 3.3 mile course.

NMH settled well off its start, with seniors Ian Buffam and Alex Rafferty setting a solid tempo of 30 strokes per minute for the bulk of the race. The bow pair of senior Matt Trevithick and junior Naim Culhaci matched the leg drive and bladework of their more experienced stroke pair, and enabled the crew to race at a level they had not yet demonstrated. The boys felt the first two miles of the race were as powerful as they have rowed all season, and their coach was quite impressed with the speed he observed from the crew as they passed under the bridge 1/2 mile before the finish.

The boys should be proud of this race, but mindful that only three seconds separated them from winning this regatta outright. Head racing is difficult, because crews race against the clock rather than directly against each other, so a crew never really knows how it has placed until they see the times of their competitors. The lesson from this race is that the focus and motivation to win must remain within the boat, during each practice and during each race as well. The instant gratification of passing other boats can be misleading, because another crew may be rowing just as fast as you are further down the course. Every stroke and every recovery is important when you want to win at the varsity level. I am pleased to see that this year's edition of NMH crew is taking this idea to heart, and are just beginning to taste the fruits of their labors.

NMH's second four put in a good effort as well, finishing seventh overall and ahead of first crews from seven other schools. The crew has been racing closer to the first boat in recent weeks, however, and believes they will be faster if they remember to keep their ratings under control during the body of the race. We will modify our race plan for next Sunday's Head of the Connecticut to try to set the stage earlier for a more powerful race from these guys.

Junior fours results:
1. Derryfield A 21:15
2. NMH A 21:18
3. CRI 21:35
4. Groton A 21:36
5. Shenendohowa 21:46
6. Groton B 22:13
7. NMH B 22:22
8. Andover 22:26
9 tie Worcester 22:40
9 tie Brewster A 22:40
11. Groton C 22:46
12 tie Concord 22:53
12 tie Derryfield B 22:53
14. Brewster B 23:07
15. Independence 24:48
16. Dublin 26:21
17. Duxbury 26:51

Regatta in the Lilies
Charles River, Boston MA
3 miles (Head of the Charles course)

Conditions: cool and calm, very fast

NMH A: 18:12 (Burkitbayev (cox), Buffam, Rafferty, Trevithick, Culhaci)
NMH B: 18:46 (Lu (cox), Costa, Berntsen, Harrington, Russell)

The NMH boys regatta team opened its fall head racing season with a decent first effort. The first boat rowed the twisting Charles River course in a time of 18 minutes and 12 seconds, nearly a minute faster than last years' Head of the Charles crew, and the fastest time by an NMH four in at least six years. The boys came off the water pleased with their row and eager to see their placing. Their coach was a little less enthusiastic, having observed plenty of room for improvement in the boat's technique, speed, and course during some of the more difficult parts of the course. We have a good crew this fall, and I am happy to report that we can get significantly faster in time for this year's Head of the Charles Regatta in three weeks.
Our second boat had a strong row Saturday, completing the course in a very good time of 18:46, but more importantly, rowing smoothly and matching well, maintaining good speed through the turns and demonstrating good focus within the boat. Their time would have been faster except for a glancing collision with an errant single midway up the course. These boys have struggled a bit in practice this week adjusting to a new lineup, but they performed magnificently today.
Oh yeah, the placings. This race was a unique event, in which all the competitors' times were lumped together in one big pile: eights, fours, singles, men, women, girls, boys. NMH finished 16th and 25th respectively, out of 78 entries, but that doesn't tell you much. Amongst the boys high school fours in that group, NMH finished 3rd and 4th out of five crews, behind two big (and fast) crews from Pomfret and Tabor. We want to be as fast as these crews when we see them next.
One other note: The NMH boys were thrilled to have the men's heavyweight crew from Harvard (last year's national champions) give them a rousing on-the-water cheer as they began their row today. One can only suspect that their captain Alex Chastain-Chapman (NMH '00) put them up to it.

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