Bowdoin Rowing

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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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Camp Bob 2016

Day 3 Greetings from South Carolina! Thanks to a series of late flights and some car trouble, it took us a little while to get everyone here, but we all made it! It’s been brilliantly sunny and about 80 degrees every day so far, except for a quick 30 minute blast of a thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon. The heat has definitely been a shock to the system, even after our warm Maine winter, but most of us are trying to soak in as much vitamin D as we can while we’re here.

The food at camp is significantly better this year, which has been an exciting plot twist for us. That being said, we definitely appreciated the delicious catered barbecue that was put together by the lovely Nancy Riley tonight! Pulled pork, barbecue chicken, rice and beans, baked mac and cheese, cobbler, and sweet tea… one can’t complain!

Practice has been going well, too. We’ve had lots of side switches for the rowers and lots of time in different boats for coxswains. We may be a little rusty, but it’s so good to be back at it again. Looking forward to a fast spring.

Will keep you posted re: alligator sightings.

Day 8 The first races of the season were completed on Thursday and Friday of last week. The first varsity women, first novice women, and first novice men all won their pieces, and we had some close finishes across the board in the other events.

A group of novice men spotted some serious alligators the other day at practice. No one was eaten. See Doug’s Instagram @sustainableathlete for pix.

Yesterday was our annual trip into Charleston. Camp Bob’s limp potatoes, fried chicken, and iceberg lettuce were replaced by she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, and many, many pigs worth of barbecue.

We had to part ways with Hide, one of our newest rowers, at the Charleston airport, but also got to welcome back two of our seniors, Martin and Julia. They’ll be thrown into the mix for our last week here. Approximately 200 other schools just showed up at Camp Bob this morning, too, so we’ll see how that goes!

Not to jinx anything, but we’ve been incredibly lucky with weather so far. The thunderstorms we anticipated in Charleston yesterday turned out to be a couple of grey clouds at worst, and today, the coldest day yet, is still around 50 degrees.

Day 11 Thank you so much to all of the amazing people out there who have sent us care packages! Crazy how fast this second week is going by.

Still 75 degrees and sunny most of the time, except for some chilly mornings. We hear you got some snow up in Maine…

More races lined up for tomorrow. Let’s go black!

Day 13 The final day has come!

The whole fleet made it out onto the water this morning for the famous Potato Creek Scramble, an epic 500 m mixed line-up dash. Coxswain Elena “Baby G” Gleed won the gunwale race by a landslide.

By now, all of our boats are packed up and ready for the trip home. Coachie, Edie, Doug, and two little carpools of roadtrippers have already departed. Drive safe, kids! The rest of us will hop on a bus to the Charleston airport at 3 am tomorrow.

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The last few days of fall

As of last Sunday’s banquet, our fall season has officially come to a close. We remembered our victories, celebrated our coxswains, and reflected upon how far we’ve come since September.

The coaches have referred to this season as a “rising tide” – not as in the local brewing company, but rather the way in which our young team has hustled to fill the shoes of the seniors who graduated in May. Their legacy lives on in our new boats (The 2015 and the MMXV) and in countless running jokes and traditions, but our current team is already showing some serious promise. We showed resilience at the Textile. Our men swept the Snake. Our women medalled at HOCR, and we guaranteed three entries for next fall. Not too shabby.

The spring season will be a whole new ball game, but we’re ready for it. The erg room is already bustling with eager winter trainers; the apple cider vinegar is flying off the shelves; the Hydration Club is scheduling meetings up the wazoo; and before we know it, we’ll be on a bus to South Carolina!

As always, a hearty thanks to everyone who makes this program as impressive and fun as it is – our tremendously talented coaches and captains, our families and friends, and everyone’s dogs. Thank you!

If you’re worried you’re going to miss us during the long, grueling, Maine winter, don’t fret. Social media is a wonderful thing – stay connected in the months to come!

It seems fitting to finish off this post with a quote shared with us by a member of the class of 2015.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” – Abe Gubegna

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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!