Bowdoin Rowing

Events

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Clark Invitational and Knecht Cup 2016

On April 2nd, Bowdoin boats swept the Clark Invitational Regatta! Then we had a pretty cold week up here in Maine. This was for the best, though, considering the conditions we were about to face in New Jersey. The Bowdoin Navy withstood some crazy weather this past Saturday at the Knecht Cup, but, as one of our alumni said, the wind and sleet were merely a “calm day on the New Meadows”. Still, every boat managed to advance to either the Grand or Petite Finals!

Sunday’s races allowed Bowdoin to rake in five medals, and our other two boats finished top-three in their events.

In the Grand Final events, the women’s varsity A and B won gold and silver medals, respectively; the men’s varsity A and B won gold and bronze medals, respectively; and the men’s novice A won bronze. In the Petite Finals events, the women’s novice A came in second and the men’s novice B came in third. It was a nice feeling to come away from a day of racing where every single Bowdoin boat finished top three! Great job, Bears.

Thanks to all the families and alums who brought food and dogs and companionship to our trailer! And also a big thank you to the families who provided a much-needed rest stop on the way back up to Bowdoin. Everyone is safe and sound, ready to rig and get back to work this week.

Next up, the UMass Lowell Invitational on Saturday and the President’s Cup on Sunday.

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The 51st Head of the Charles

Bowdoin Rowing is proud to boast five consecutive years of medals at the Head of the Charles!

This year, the first varsity women brought home a fourth place medal after crushing the course in 20:05. The second varsity women passed several other boats for a fifteenth place finish in 20:40.

The varsity men tackled a very competitive field, with the first boat clocking in at 17:54 for an eleventh place finish and the second boat at 18:53. The alumni four men finished twenty-first out of fifty-three entries in their event with a time of 18:18.

It was a spectacular weekend down in Boston. We had typical New England weather, with sun showers on Friday morning and some capricious winds and current on Saturday, but after the Textile, our rowers and coxswains were hardly fazed. We were also lucky enough to be able to use Northeastern University’s beautiful Henderson Boathouse – thanks, Huskies!

To all those who were able to join us at the race, at the reunion dinner, and especially to those who hosted polar bears this weekend, thank you! Your support means the world to us.

The season’s not over yet… next up, CBB’s!

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The Quinsigamond Snake Regatta 2015

Saturday was one of those race days when every crew steps off the water with a big smile on their face. We enjoyed the crisp fall air, plenty of warm sun, and a whole bunch of medals to take home with us!

The women’s side performed very well, with varsity boats coming in third and fifth in their event, and the novice boats coming in third and fourth in theirs!

The men’s side put on a pretty good show, too, with golds in the varsity, novice, and alumni fours events! The three varsity boats came in first, sixth, and eighth; the novice boats came in first and fifth; and our alumni men came in first. What a day!

The Head of the Charles is no longer on the distant horizon but next weekend, and we couldn’t be more excited. This season has gone by so fast – the whole kit and caboodle will be over before we know it! Until then, we’re crossing our fingers for just a couple more mornings of agreeable water.

A big thank you to all of the families and friends who have been supporting us. Your cheers (and homemade snacks) get us to the finish line that much faster. Looking forward to sharing some more victories together. See you in Boston!

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The Textile River Regatta 2015

The leaves have barely started turning and we’ve already got our first race under our belts… sort of. The Textile this year was one unlike any other in recent history.

For the Bowdoin Navy, it included just as many non-races as it did races. The gentle breeze that kicked us into gear early Sunday morning ended up kicking us off the water by early afternoon.

Our novices, scullers, and club fours returned from mighty voyages down the Merrimack River with stories of being “slaughtered” by the waves and trying to dodge buoys that had drifted all around the course, yet all crews pulled through with remarkable spirit.

Our first novice men’s boat came in fifth in their event with a time of 25:30, with the second novice men’s boat following closely behind with 28:36. The first novice women earned second place with an impressive 28:36!

Next up was the men’s recreational single sculling event, which was demolished by our very own Lucian Black with a time of 28:25.

In the men’s club fours event, our third varsity boat came in eighth with a time of 23:32 after a penalty. Several course marker buoys had moved around in the tumultuous waves, so many crews were getting penalized left and right for “skipping” them. A similar thing happened to our women’s third varsity boat. Despite the odds, they had a great race with an adjusted time of 28:44!

By the time 1 pm rolled around, three more men’s boats and two more women’s boats were sitting pretty at the start line, ready to take a stab at it. 

The Merrimack had other plans…

Several boats had already flipped downriver due to the nasty conditions, and race officials deemed the whole project unsafe for the rest of us. In an exciting and thoroughly unsystematic manner, about thirty boats of all different sizes made a beeline (“paddling”) back to the dock.

Thankfully, all our rowers, coxswains, and equipment made it back safe and sound, albeit damp. Land ho!

This weekend, we take on the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta and, after that, the Chahhhles River! Stay tuned with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@bowdoinrowing).

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Head of The Charles Medals!

At The 50th Head of the Charles, Bowdoin earned third place medals in the Men’s College Four and Women’s College Four, while the Men’s Second Boat zoomed to 13/44 in the same event as the first boat.

The fall rowing extravaganza capped a speedy season for the whole Navy. Opening at the Textile River Regatta, Bowdoin’s men took 2, 5, 6, and 11 in a field of 25. The Novice Men were 3/5 for the first medals of their Bowdoin careers. On the women’s side, we came 1st and 9th in a 24 boat event, while the Novice Women were 4,5, and 7. Nora Hefner ’16 won the Women’s Club 1x.

The next weekend at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta, the varsity men were 2, 5, and 8th and the novice men were 3rd. The varsity women were 1st and 8th, and the novice women finished 3, 4, and 5! After a solid start to the racing season, the crews were excited to finally head to Boston.

The capstone of fall rowing, the Head of the Charles, attracts thousands of the best collegiate rowers in the country, as well as former and current National team members from over a dozen countries. The Collegiate Fours events included the usual powerhouse programs, but this year Bowdoin proved itself among them. In the men’s event, The Bears finished ahead of Michigan, UNC, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, and Georgia Tech to name a few.  Likewise, the women topped Brock, Clemson, FIT, Georgia Tech,  and Purdue among others.  Pretty good company for a small liberal arts college on the coast of Maine!

The men’s boat which won third was coxed by Claire Velez ’16, stroked by Cal Brooks ’15 and powered up by Mark Endrizzi ’15, Nathan Post ’15, and Joe Lake ’15.  In thirteenth place, Maddy Livingston ’16 coxed while Trevor McDonald ’15 stroked for Harris Fisher ’17, Phillip Maier ’18, and Arman Ashrafi ’17. In the women’s boat, Sophie Berube ’16 had the helm for stroke Mary Bryan Barksdale ’15, Emily Martin ’15, Courtney Payne ’15, and Liza Tarbell ’17.  Both men’s and women’s boats have finished in the top ten since 2011, and each side has earned two medals at HOCR in those years, including a gold by the women in 2012.