NMH Crew : Boys Crew

Race Results - Spring 2003

Season records (W-L)

B1 Varsity: 14 - 20
B2 JV: 14 - 13
B3 Novice: 2 - 3

NMH @ NEIRA championships
Saturday, May 24
Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester MA

Distance: 1500m
Conditions: Cool, showers, moderate tailwind and chop

Race results:
B1 3rd in heat, 6th in petite final (12th out of 17)
B2: 3rd in heat, 6th in grand final (6th out of 12)
B3: did not race due to injuries and illness

Race summary:

Boys varsity:
It was a tale of two races today for the boys varsity boat. In their heat, NMH felt they had a good opportunity to advance to the Grand Final with their best race. We nearly made it, with a strong start, a big move at the 1000m and a nice sprint through a fast Tabor crew during the last 300m. We finished 5 seconds behind leader Exeter, and 2 seconds behind Simsbury who also made a big move during the second half of the race. I was so proud of the varsity's performance in their heat, as we had set a high goal, and we had very nearly achieved it! Only the top 2 advanced to the Grand, however, so we were left to anticipate the afternoon Petites where all six crews had set times within 5 seconds of each other in their respective heats.
The second race was a bitter disappointment for each of us. Our goal for this race was to row our best race and win the Petites, but the pre-race warmup was undisciplined and without focus, according to the oarsmen. NMH slogged to a last place finish in the final, never in contention, never really even in the same race - the race we had prepared so hard for all season. There are no more words to describe this debacle, except to say that NMH's time was 6 seconds slower than it's own second boat.

Boys junior varsity:
What a fantastic example Coach Joneschild and his crew set for themselves and the varsity today. Two great races to be proud of, with B2 becoming the first NMH boys entry in the Grand Finals in many years, and then showing they belonged there with a solid second race. In their morning heat, NMH were in a tough heat pitted against four crews seeded higher than them (St Paul's, Kent, Simsbury, and Brunswick), with only three allowed to advance to the finals. NMH were undaunted, settling well and moving strongly through the first 1000m. At this point, NMH brought up their rate into the sprint and really began to make a charge on the top four. In a dramatic finish, pressure from NMH may have caused a Simsbury oarsman to lose control of his oar during the last 300m and NMH seized the advantage, driving past them and through Brunswick to grab third place and a chance to row in the Grands.
The Grands were challenging, with the elite five of New England rowing (Andover, Exeter, St Pauls, Kent and St Johns) pitted against a game Hogger crew. Although NMH were not able to defeat these excellent crews in the final, they rowed very well and demonstrated that NMH crews can row 2 good races in a day.

NMH v Andover
Saturday, May 17th
Connecticut River, Gill MA

Distance: 1500m (upriver)
Conditions: light tailwind, light current, light chop

Race Results:
B1 Varsity:
1. PA 4:12.8
2. NMH 4:27.1 (14.3 seconds behind)
Burkitbayev (cox), Reid (stroke), Ness, Fox, Phillips, Kennedy, Rafferty, Rudolf, Bruker

B2 Junior Varsity:
1. PA 4:32.7
2. NMH 4:46.5 (13.8 seconds behind)
Choi (cox), Buffam (stroke), Culhaci, Verney, Bernstein, Costa, Russell, Murray, Howe

B3 Novice:
1. PA 4:40.2
2. NMH 5:15.6 (35.4 seconds behind)
Lu (cox), Kim (stroke), Keil, Grauel, Kim, Schliefer, Xhemali, Liu, Rogers

Race Summary:
NMH hosted Andover in the final home race of the 2003 spring season, and the visitors swept all three boys events. Andover’s varsity eight will probably be seeded #1 for the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association championships next weekend, and they were rowing in peak form today. Despite the significant margins of defeat, NMH oarsmen rowed well today and we have much to look forward to at NEIRAs. As tough as it is to race against the best, it is the only way to truly measure our progress this season. These were our fastest times on our home course in over three years. Andover were just faster!
In the varsity eight, NMH and Andover jumped out to equally strong starts, and the host crew settled well to its early race rating. Andover moved well also and began to push out into a lead of eight seats by the 500m mark. NMH had planned to race a powerful middle 500m, and the spacing of the puddles behind their boat was very good today. Unfortunately for our race plan, Andover just exploded during the middle 500m and pushed out to a two length lead just after the 1000m turn. NMH did not fold during Andover’s drive, and continued to row well under the pressure, but Andover is clearly one of the favorites to win NEIRAs this spring. The NMH sprint was one of its better efforts, and the boys are excited about their prospects at placing well in the championships next weekend.
NMH’s second eight got off to an even better start against its opponent, and rowed even with Andover during the first 300m. By the 500m mark, Andover began to establish a lead that it continued to lengthen during the middle 500m, eventually pushing the lead to 3/4 of a length of open water by the 1000m mark. NMH seemed to lose a little of its form during the second half of its race today, and the Andover eight sprinted very well and finished pulling away.
NMH’s third eight was in a tough contest against one of the better third eights I’ve seen in recent years. To their credit, our novices rowed with poise and decent form during the first half of the race, but the visitors were outstroking us by a significant amount and they maintained their high rating with excellent power. The outcome was never really in doubt after the first 500m. There are some defeats that really sting, and some that you just have to chalk up to experience. The boys in B3 have better race days ahead of them.

NMH @ Hanover
Wednesday, May 14th
Connecticut River, Hanover, NH

Distance: 1550m (upriver)
Conditions: light current, no wind, flat water

Race Results:
B1 Varsity:
1. HHS 4:46.4
2. NMH 4:47.0
Burkitbayev (cox), Reid (stroke), Ness, Fox, Phillips, Kennedy, Rafferty, Rudolf, Bruker

B2 Junior Varsity:
1. NMH 5:02.1
2. HHS 5:11.8
Choi (cox), Buffam (stroke), Culhaci, Verney, Bernstein, Costa, Russell, Murray, Howe

B3 Novice:
1. HHS A 5:31.4
2. NMH 5:41.2
3. HHS B 6:19.2
Lu (cox), Grauel (stroke), Keil, Liu, Kim, Schliefer, Xhemali, Maskell, Rogers

Race Summary:
Hanover were excited to host their first home regatta (ever), and treated the NMH crew to a great event. The racing did not disappoint either, with a thrilling race in the boys varsity eight and a solid victory for the NMH junior varsity.
The first NMH eight raced Hanover twice last Saturday at the Mothers Day Regatta in Boston, and were defeated by eight seats each time. In Wednesday's dual, Hanover jumped to an eight seat lead within the first 400m of the race. Freshman coxswain Erzhan Burkitbayev did not allow his team to fold however. He called for a rate bump to a 34 and urged his crew to reel Hanover back in. They responded and managed to pull even with Hanover by the 800m mark, and continued to move well through the 1000m. I have not yet seen an NMH varsity boat pull back on another crew after being down so much early in a race, and I was very impressed with NMH's resilience and strength during their big move in the middle 500m. Both crews rowed stroke for stroke during the last 500m of the race, neither crew giving an inch, and neither crew able to break through into the lead. The finish was amazing, with a big home crowd cheering wildly, and Hanover managed to sneak their bowball just ahead of the Hogger's "CKH". The official time differential represents the time it took for the flagman at the finish line to drop and raise his signal, but most observers on the line called it a dead heat, with Hanover driving across the line just in front with their final stroke. The NMH crew were despondent afterwards, but their coach believes they were in a great boat race today, and no one should hang their head after a race like that!
The second boys eight continued their great season Wednesday, with a convincing win over Hanover's JV. Senior Gardner Howe joined the boat this week at the bow seat, and B2 have enjoyed a noticeable improvement in speed over the past few days, even beating B1 during a race piece on Tuesday. Seniors Boyoun Choi and Michael Verney have provided great leadership within the boat this season, and junior stroke Ian Buffam has been indomitable throughout. Against Hanover, NMH used a great start to jump to an early lead and never looked back, maintaining their power and increasing their lead to open water by the 1000m mark. This is an excellent eight, and Coach Joneschild is eager to measure their progress against the always strong Andover JV on Saturday.
The novice eight were without two of their key oarsmen Wednesday, and Coach Bean did not know how the crew would respond. Coxswain Zhuoxi Lu steered an excellent course and led her eight very well up the course. Hanover has a good novice program this year, with two full eights of oarsmen that began rowing last fall. Coach Bean reports that his eight rowed adequately, but continue to have much to work on during a race. The NMH boys finished 10 seconds behind the Hanover first boat and 38 seconds ahead of Hanover's second novice boat.

NMH @ Mothers Day Regatta
Saturday, May 10th
Charles River, Cambridge, MA

Distance: 1500m (in the basin)
Conditions: no current, moderate headwind, moderate chop in all lanes

Race Results: Official times not available
B1 Varsity: 3rd place out of 11 entries
Burkitbayev (cox), Reid (stroke), Ness, Fox, Phillips, Kennedy, Rafferty, Rudolf, Bruker

B2 Junior Varsity: 3rd place out of 9 entries
Choi (cox), Buffam (stroke), Culhaci, Verney, Bernstein, Costa, Xhemali, Murray, Russell

B3 Novice: Disqualified from first heat, finished well ahead in petite finals (rowing exhibition)
Sinckler (cox), Trevithnick (stroke) Keil, Maskell, Womer, Liu, Allard, Schleifer, Rogers

Race Summary:
The Mothers Day Regatta has become the second largest spring rowing event in New England, and the NMH boys were eager to test their speed against some of the best Boston area crews Saturday. We rowed well enough to win bronze medals in both the varsity and junior varsity races and are looking forward to racing the teams which defeated us again in the final weeks of the season.
The varsity looked great in their morning heat, rowing even with last year's champion Hanover High School through the 1000m mark. The Hoggers felt very powerful and controlled throughout the race, and since they were racing to make the finals in the afternoon and had established open water over the other crews, they did not need to use their sprint. Hanover did sprint, and pulled across the line eight seats ahead. The final was very exciting, with NMH and Hanover battling seat for seat at the 500m mark for the lead, but all six crews right behind. NMH were in a position to win if they kept to their race plan, but distractions outside and inside of the boat unsettled the crew during the middle of the race. Their rhythm disrupted, NMH allowed first Hanover, and then a charging Brookline crew to move through them. There is no shame in finishing a close third to either of these fine crews, but the NMH boys know they had a chance to win this regatta. We will race Hanover again on Wednesday, and NMH's coach would really like to see his crew's best race this time.
The NMH second boat also rowed well Saturday. In their heat, the NMH crew lead the entire race and rowed to a strong finish, crossing the line one boat length in front of Hanover High School. Wayland/Weston and Greenwich finished well back. In the final, NMH trailed Brookline by two seats at the 500m mark. NMH was a seat up on Norwalk and Hanover. During the middle 500m, Norwalk made a move while Brookline opened a one length lead. NMH fended off the challenge from Hanover for the third place finish.
The NMH novice boat struggled to stay on course in its morning heat. Starting in Lane 4, NMH jumped off the line with a severe turn to starboard, eventually crossing into Lane 1 before making contact with another crew. The crew were demoralized, and eventually disqualified, but hoped for a chance at redemption in the afternoon petite finals. The race officials allowed NMH to row as an exhibition boat, and the boys rowed a much improved race, finishing well ahead of their competition. Although the better result wasn't counted in the standings, it showed our novice what they are capable of when they pull hard together as an eight, instead of as individuals.

Kent @ NMH
Saturday, May 3rd
Connecticut River, Gill, MA

Distance: 1500m (upstream)
Conditions: strong current, moderate headwind, slight chop during last 500m
Note: Due to the strong current, boats were aligned above the starting line to allow for drift as coxswains found their marks. The B2 race actually started about 20m above the line and the B1 race started about 5m below the line. Times between races are therefore not directly comparable.

Race Results:
B1 Varsity:
1. Kent 5:11.4
2. NMH 5:18.9 (7.5 seconds behind)
NMH lineup:
Burkitbayev (cox), Reid (stroke), Kennedy, Ness, Phillips, Fox, Rafferty, Rudolf, Howe
B2 Junior Varsity:
1. Kent 5:15.1
2. NMH 5:21.8 (6.7 seconds behind)
NMH lineup:
Choi (cox), Buffam (stroke), Culhaci, Verney, Bernstein, Costa, Xhemali, Murray, Russell
B3 Novice:
1. Kent 5:26.8
2. NMH 6:06.6 (29.8 seconds behind)
NMH lineup not available

Race Summary:
Kent swept the NMH boys in the final dual match between these schools, but NMH didn't let them get away easily. NMH boys have struggled in recent years against Kent's formidable program, but the crews were up to the task today and gave some good racing on their home course. In a emotional finale to 40+ years of NMH v. Kent racing, Kent coach Eric Houston presented the Doris Hamilton Cup to long-time NMH coach Charles K. Hamilton as a tribute to the Hamilton family's legacy at both schools.
In the varsity race, junior Dan Reid was moved into the stroke seat for NMH to replace injured captain Aaron Bruker. Danny held his crew's rating to a powerful 32 after a decent start and maintained contact with the Kent varsity through the 500m mark. In previous NMH crews, we have had a tendency to lose focus and technique when an opponent gained a length lead, but NMH stayed tight and refused to allow Kent additional distance during the middle of the race. Rounding the turn just before the 1000m mark, Kent opened up a half-length of open water with a big push and rowed comfortably across the finish at a lower rating than the sprinting NMH crew. NMH were disappointed in the loss but pleased with their performance today and eager to continue to race well in the weeks ahead.
Coach Joneschild’s junior varsity eight has been impressive in recent weeks, with a crew of young and dedicated oarsmen who row hard in every contest. Junior stroke Ian Buffam laid down a very controlled and powerful rating of 28 that allowed the second boat to get good speed without tiring early. Kent often races at a 36, but could not pull away from the Hoggers during the middle of the race. NMH brought their rating up at the 800m mark and continued to move well, denying Kent the opportunity to achieve open water until the last 300m of the race. This was far and away the best NMH second boat performance against Kent in many years, and these boys should be proud, even in defeat.
Coach Bean’s novice eight was in a tough race against a seasoned third boat from Kent. Many of our oarsmen have just started rowing this spring, including sophomore Zhouxi Lu who coxed her first race and performed very well. Although the margin of defeat was significant, the novice are getting faster and more skilled in every race. They will be more competitive in their next race against Deerfield’s novices this Wednesday on the Connecticut River.

NMH boys crew sweeps at Salisbury
Wednesday, April 30
Twin Lakes, CT

Distance: 1500 m (slightly longer course)
Conditions: flat water, slight headwind

Race Results:
B1: NMH 4:47.9 Salisbury 4:54.8
B2: NMH 5:03.1 Salisbury 5:08.5
B3: NMH 5:28.8 Salisbury 5:29.4

Race Summary:
The boys crew had a great day at Salisbury, sweeping all three events for the first time in my four years at NMH. In the varsity race, freshman coxswain Erzhan Burkitbayev led his eight to a seven-second victory over the Scarlet Knights. NMH capitalized on a strong start and pushed out to an eight seat lead by the 500m mark. Captain Aaron Bruker was outstanding in the stroke seat, setting a solid tempo early that allowed NMH to get good boat speed at a lower rating. Once NMH brought their rating up to a 35, they gained open water (and confidence) with every stroke and were able to hold off Salisbury's move at the 1000m mark. NMH sprinted well and finished pulling away. The roar of the NMH oarsmen as they crossed the line could be heard for miles.
In the second boat race, senior coxswain Boyoun Choi and junior stroke Ian Buffam led their crew to a five-second victory. B2 has been beating B1 to the 500m mark in practices this week, and coach Joneschild was eager to see how his crew would respond to the challenge Wednesday. B2 did not disappoint, with a great start and powerful strokes during the first 800m that opened up a length lead by the halfway point. NMH tired somewhat, and Salisbury pushed hard at the 1000m mark to close the gap, but B2 redoubled their efforts during the sprint and finished very well.
In the third boat race, junior coxswain Latonja Sinckler and sophomore stroke Shawn Grauel led their crew to an thrilling two-seat victory over their Salisbury hosts. This was the first race for most oarsmen in both crews, and both team's coaches were impressed with their athlete's efforts. NMH led for the entire race, at some points by a half-length of open water, but tired during the last 500m. Salisbury took advantage and reeled the Hoggers back into contact. During the sprint, Salisbury took seat after seat, but NMH responded and held them off to eke out a narrow victory in the most exciting contest of the day.

Boys crew opens season at Exeter Invitational
Saturday, 19 April
Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester MA

Racing against three outstanding crews and another very good one, the boys varsity eight were not yet up to the task in their first race of the season. A sloppy start and difficulty in steering were some of our biggest weaknesses today. The varsity will get much faster in the next few weeks now that the ice, snow, floods, and debris are (hopefully) past. We look forward to the return of two of our most experienced oarsmen as we defend the Alumni Cup against Niskayuna at home next Saturday.

Order of finish (times not available):
Exeter, Andover, St. Johns (within 3 seconds of each other), Simsbury (well back), NMH (further back)
In the JV race, our second boat had a better race against its competition, but also finished fifth. There is a lot of young talent in this group, so keep your eyes on this boat this season.

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