2018 Regatta Results
April 21, 2018: Pomfret vs. Valley Regional vs. Canterbury
Girls Rowing kicked off its season on Saturday against Canterbury and Valley Regional in difficult conditions. Missing several girls and racing under a strong headwind is not the ideal first race day, but everyone was excited and eager to start the season. At 2:10 on a beautifully sunny and warm day, our racing season finally began!
1V4:
Sydney Dubitsky '20, Alessandra Zwack '19, Ali Narracci '18, Victoria Hirsh '21, Lisa Gorbolskaya '18
Before getting on the water, the first boat planned their race down to the last meter, determined to find success. Coxswain Sydney Dubitsky set the stage by telling each rower her superpower in the boat and called on those powers to help carry the boat through the race. This boat started a little shaky, but grew to have a great first race of the season. Though they came in 3rd place, each member of the boat stuck to the plan and was happy with how they raced. They found what worked for them and are determined to replicate those elements while improving on the others in the upcoming races.
2V4:
Hannah Dean '20, Jisu Jeon '18, Lexa Lee '21, Amaya Smith '21, Chelsey Castle '19
In this second boat all but one of the rowers were novices, making the race an entirely new experience. They were thrown off their game at the start, but throughout the rest of the race, you would not have known that the majority of those in the boat were new to the sport. They hung on to the much more experienced Canterbury boat in the early stages, but were eventually outpaced, coming in 2nd place. This boat got to experience a true race, which will be invaluable in these coming races. They look forward to improving by leaps and bounds throughout the rest of the season.
3V4:
Yubing Yang '21, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor '20, Blake Coppola '19, Victoria Kang '20, Anastasiia Eremina '20
This third boat also had three novice rowers, in addition to being coxed by fellow novice Yubing Yang. Yubing navigated warmups like a pro, threading the boat through many others in order to make it to the starting line. Each rower gave the race her all, totally focused on completing the tough task at hand. The strong headwind made this race a difficult one and they struggled at times, but Pomfret held on, finishing the race in 2nd place with new knowledge of the skills on which they will need to work in the coming weeks.
4V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde '18, Lexi Bernal '20, Amanda Chen '20, Brittany Butler '21, Eva Qi '20
The Pomfret Girls’ novice boat, coxed by veteran Aubrey Benzing-Plourde ‘18, lined up at the start alongside Canterbury’s 4th boat as well as their most novice boat. While in regular lanes, alignment was found and Coach Wardlow started the race. Unfortunately, within a few strokes the two Canterbury boats collided and coaches were forced to tell the boats to way’nuff. Officials ran the next boy’s race and then re-aligned the three girls boats at the start, leaving more space.
This time, the second start attempt was not seamless for Pomfret, who ran into some technical difficulties. Eva Qi '20 only had minimal practice on the water, as such, she found complications with her timing and in keeping her oar handle level. The other girls, stroke - Lexi Bernal ‘20, 3rd seat - Amanda Chen ‘20 and 2nd seat - Brittany Butler ‘21, have rowed together leading up to the regatta, but with the extremely windy conditions and their nerves enhanced by the false start, they couldn’t set the boat and find their rhythm. Aubrey made the call to row by stern pair and return to the dock without finishing the race. The girls were initially disheartened, but once they had time to process the difficulties they faced on the water they realized that today was the first regatta of the season, the weather conditions while beautifully sunny, were met with a strong, gusty head wind, and they all acknowledged the importance of practice.
Our manager Linzee Tracey '18 assisted Bill Martin at the finish line, while Cindy Chen '20, Ellie Sangree '20, and Emme Ostrander helped make sure each boat was ready to launch for warmups. Their help was invaluable. The team looks forward to improving in our next race on Wednesday!
1V4:
Sydney Dubitsky '20, Alessandra Zwack '19, Ali Narracci '18, Victoria Hirsh '21, Lisa Gorbolskaya '18
Before getting on the water, the first boat planned their race down to the last meter, determined to find success. Coxswain Sydney Dubitsky set the stage by telling each rower her superpower in the boat and called on those powers to help carry the boat through the race. This boat started a little shaky, but grew to have a great first race of the season. Though they came in 3rd place, each member of the boat stuck to the plan and was happy with how they raced. They found what worked for them and are determined to replicate those elements while improving on the others in the upcoming races.
2V4:
Hannah Dean '20, Jisu Jeon '18, Lexa Lee '21, Amaya Smith '21, Chelsey Castle '19
In this second boat all but one of the rowers were novices, making the race an entirely new experience. They were thrown off their game at the start, but throughout the rest of the race, you would not have known that the majority of those in the boat were new to the sport. They hung on to the much more experienced Canterbury boat in the early stages, but were eventually outpaced, coming in 2nd place. This boat got to experience a true race, which will be invaluable in these coming races. They look forward to improving by leaps and bounds throughout the rest of the season.
3V4:
Yubing Yang '21, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor '20, Blake Coppola '19, Victoria Kang '20, Anastasiia Eremina '20
This third boat also had three novice rowers, in addition to being coxed by fellow novice Yubing Yang. Yubing navigated warmups like a pro, threading the boat through many others in order to make it to the starting line. Each rower gave the race her all, totally focused on completing the tough task at hand. The strong headwind made this race a difficult one and they struggled at times, but Pomfret held on, finishing the race in 2nd place with new knowledge of the skills on which they will need to work in the coming weeks.
4V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde '18, Lexi Bernal '20, Amanda Chen '20, Brittany Butler '21, Eva Qi '20
The Pomfret Girls’ novice boat, coxed by veteran Aubrey Benzing-Plourde ‘18, lined up at the start alongside Canterbury’s 4th boat as well as their most novice boat. While in regular lanes, alignment was found and Coach Wardlow started the race. Unfortunately, within a few strokes the two Canterbury boats collided and coaches were forced to tell the boats to way’nuff. Officials ran the next boy’s race and then re-aligned the three girls boats at the start, leaving more space.
This time, the second start attempt was not seamless for Pomfret, who ran into some technical difficulties. Eva Qi '20 only had minimal practice on the water, as such, she found complications with her timing and in keeping her oar handle level. The other girls, stroke - Lexi Bernal ‘20, 3rd seat - Amanda Chen ‘20 and 2nd seat - Brittany Butler ‘21, have rowed together leading up to the regatta, but with the extremely windy conditions and their nerves enhanced by the false start, they couldn’t set the boat and find their rhythm. Aubrey made the call to row by stern pair and return to the dock without finishing the race. The girls were initially disheartened, but once they had time to process the difficulties they faced on the water they realized that today was the first regatta of the season, the weather conditions while beautifully sunny, were met with a strong, gusty head wind, and they all acknowledged the importance of practice.
Our manager Linzee Tracey '18 assisted Bill Martin at the finish line, while Cindy Chen '20, Ellie Sangree '20, and Emme Ostrander helped make sure each boat was ready to launch for warmups. Their help was invaluable. The team looks forward to improving in our next race on Wednesday!
April 25, 2018 (Pomfret vs. Marionapolis, Medford, and Berkshire)
Yesterday, Girls Rowing braved the elements for a great day of racing against Berkshire, Medford, and Marianapolis. It rained through the whole event, but luckily the wind was not a factor for this race, leading to much more enjoyable racing!
1V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde ‘18, Alessandra Zwack ‘19, Abby Conway ‘18, Ali Narracci ‘18, Lisa Gorbolskaya ‘18
The first boat came flying off the line to start the race, keeping pace and pushing for the lead in the first 200 meters. Unfortunately, this great start did not hold throughout the rest of the race, as the boat grew too tired to sustain the same power and rating with which they had started. In the first 500 meters, this boat built up a few length lead over the fourth place Marianapolis boat, but then sat there with the same lead over Marianapolis and the same distance to reach the second place Medford boat. They finished the race still in third place with a fourteen second lead over fourth place. This race gave us a great idea of our potential to move fast and keep up with other boats, but we will need to work on our ability to sustain that power throughout the entire 1500 meters.
2V4:
Sydney Dubitsky ‘20, Victoria Hirsh ‘21, Amaya Smith ‘21, Ellie Sangree ‘20, Jisu Jeon ‘18
The second boat had a phenomenal race. Medford started the race at a very quick pace, establishing an early lead which lasted through the finish line. Once Medford established their placement early, the real race began between Berkshire and Pomfret. Pomfret came out fast, hitting the ratings they needed in order to be successful in the race. Berkshire and Pomfret were pretty even until about a minute and a half into the race when Pomfret made its move to surpass Berkshire. Once Pomfret put themselves in second place, they continued to stretch their lead over Berkshire, never once feeling complacent with their position. Pomfret ended the race only ten seconds back from the first place boat, solidly in second place. It was a very successful race, and it was a great improvement from the first race.
3V4:
Hannah Dean ‘20, Chelsey Castle ‘19, Blake Coppola ‘19, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor ‘20, Anastasiia Eremina ‘20
The third boat improved in a big way from their first race on Saturday. They had a solid start and caught zero crabs throughout the entirety of the race. Their timing was better and they consistently held the lower rate for which they were aiming. The third boat established their second place position early on and then held off the third place Marianapolis boat for the rest of the race. They improved by three minutes overall between the first race and this second race of the season, a massive improvement for such a short distance.
Our manager Linzee Tracey ‘18 assisted Bill Martin at the finish line in unpleasant conditions while Lexa Lee ‘21, Cindy Chen ‘20, Amanda Chen ‘20, Emme Ostrander ‘18, Brittany Butler ‘21, Lexi Bernal ‘20, Eva Qi ‘20, Victoria Kang ‘20, and Yubing Yang ‘21 worked to make things run smoothly at the boathouse. We saw big improvements in this race and we look forward to seeing the same on Saturday!
1V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde ‘18, Alessandra Zwack ‘19, Abby Conway ‘18, Ali Narracci ‘18, Lisa Gorbolskaya ‘18
The first boat came flying off the line to start the race, keeping pace and pushing for the lead in the first 200 meters. Unfortunately, this great start did not hold throughout the rest of the race, as the boat grew too tired to sustain the same power and rating with which they had started. In the first 500 meters, this boat built up a few length lead over the fourth place Marianapolis boat, but then sat there with the same lead over Marianapolis and the same distance to reach the second place Medford boat. They finished the race still in third place with a fourteen second lead over fourth place. This race gave us a great idea of our potential to move fast and keep up with other boats, but we will need to work on our ability to sustain that power throughout the entire 1500 meters.
2V4:
Sydney Dubitsky ‘20, Victoria Hirsh ‘21, Amaya Smith ‘21, Ellie Sangree ‘20, Jisu Jeon ‘18
The second boat had a phenomenal race. Medford started the race at a very quick pace, establishing an early lead which lasted through the finish line. Once Medford established their placement early, the real race began between Berkshire and Pomfret. Pomfret came out fast, hitting the ratings they needed in order to be successful in the race. Berkshire and Pomfret were pretty even until about a minute and a half into the race when Pomfret made its move to surpass Berkshire. Once Pomfret put themselves in second place, they continued to stretch their lead over Berkshire, never once feeling complacent with their position. Pomfret ended the race only ten seconds back from the first place boat, solidly in second place. It was a very successful race, and it was a great improvement from the first race.
3V4:
Hannah Dean ‘20, Chelsey Castle ‘19, Blake Coppola ‘19, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor ‘20, Anastasiia Eremina ‘20
The third boat improved in a big way from their first race on Saturday. They had a solid start and caught zero crabs throughout the entirety of the race. Their timing was better and they consistently held the lower rate for which they were aiming. The third boat established their second place position early on and then held off the third place Marianapolis boat for the rest of the race. They improved by three minutes overall between the first race and this second race of the season, a massive improvement for such a short distance.
Our manager Linzee Tracey ‘18 assisted Bill Martin at the finish line in unpleasant conditions while Lexa Lee ‘21, Cindy Chen ‘20, Amanda Chen ‘20, Emme Ostrander ‘18, Brittany Butler ‘21, Lexi Bernal ‘20, Eva Qi ‘20, Victoria Kang ‘20, and Yubing Yang ‘21 worked to make things run smoothly at the boathouse. We saw big improvements in this race and we look forward to seeing the same on Saturday!
April 28, 2018 (Pomfret vs. Deerfield, Groton, Taft, and Southfield)
Girls Rowing hosted one of its biggest regattas of the season this weekend against some of the toughest competition in the league. Though Pomfret could not keep pace with these powerhouse schools, there were still some good improvements and, better yet, the girls kept a positive attitude throughout the day.
1V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde '18, Ali Narracci '18, Victoria Hirsh '21, Abby Conway '18, Ellie Sangree '20
Deerfield, Taft, and Groton came off the line fast, pulling away quickly and continuing to extend that lead throughout the race. However, the Pomfret first boat still performed well and impressed the coaches. They came off the line aggressively and looked to have found their groove. As a boat, they beat the first boat PR from the 2017 season, which had been established in the last race of last season. Beating the previous PR only three races into this season shows the potential this boat has for the rest of the season. They look forward to improving and testing their limits at the Founders Day Regatta next Sunday.
2V4:
Sydney Dubitsky '20, Lisa Gorbolskaya '18, Amaya Smith '21, Alessandra Zwack '19, Chelsey Castle '19
In the Girls Second Boat race, Groton, Taft, and Deerfield flew off the line, as they did in the first boat race, and moved away from Southfield and Pomfret early on. Pomfret stayed even with Southfield up until the 500 meter mark, at which point Southfield began to pull away. By the 1000 meter mark, Pomfret had exhausted its energy trying to keep pace with Southfield and lost steam, finishing in fifth place. After the race, they resolved to double down on their efforts to improve before Founders Day.
3V4:
Yubing Yang '21, Lexa Lee '21, Blake Coppola '19, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor '20, Anastasiia Eremina '20
The third boat faced only the Taft novices in the novice boat race. Pomfret maintained a high rate and only caught one crab. They struggled with setting the boat, but had decent timing. In the coming weeks before their next race, this boat will have time to put in much more work on improving their technique and building a race mentality of "focus".
Girls Rowing thanks Mr. Martin, Mr. Rossolimo, Mr. Ring, Mr. Aguilar, and all the parents who came out to make the race a blast. Thank you for all your help!
1V4:
Aubrey Benzing-Plourde '18, Ali Narracci '18, Victoria Hirsh '21, Abby Conway '18, Ellie Sangree '20
Deerfield, Taft, and Groton came off the line fast, pulling away quickly and continuing to extend that lead throughout the race. However, the Pomfret first boat still performed well and impressed the coaches. They came off the line aggressively and looked to have found their groove. As a boat, they beat the first boat PR from the 2017 season, which had been established in the last race of last season. Beating the previous PR only three races into this season shows the potential this boat has for the rest of the season. They look forward to improving and testing their limits at the Founders Day Regatta next Sunday.
2V4:
Sydney Dubitsky '20, Lisa Gorbolskaya '18, Amaya Smith '21, Alessandra Zwack '19, Chelsey Castle '19
In the Girls Second Boat race, Groton, Taft, and Deerfield flew off the line, as they did in the first boat race, and moved away from Southfield and Pomfret early on. Pomfret stayed even with Southfield up until the 500 meter mark, at which point Southfield began to pull away. By the 1000 meter mark, Pomfret had exhausted its energy trying to keep pace with Southfield and lost steam, finishing in fifth place. After the race, they resolved to double down on their efforts to improve before Founders Day.
3V4:
Yubing Yang '21, Lexa Lee '21, Blake Coppola '19, Crystal Obuobi-Donkor '20, Anastasiia Eremina '20
The third boat faced only the Taft novices in the novice boat race. Pomfret maintained a high rate and only caught one crab. They struggled with setting the boat, but had decent timing. In the coming weeks before their next race, this boat will have time to put in much more work on improving their technique and building a race mentality of "focus".
Girls Rowing thanks Mr. Martin, Mr. Rossolimo, Mr. Ring, Mr. Aguilar, and all the parents who came out to make the race a blast. Thank you for all your help!
May 12, 2018 du Pont Cup
May 19, 2018 vs. Middlesex