Bowdoin Rowing

Remigio Delectate et Remigate Velociter

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Guts, Glory, and Gold!

From left to right, Katie Ross ’14, Catherine Yochum, ’15, Bonnie Cao ’13, Mary Bryan Barksdale ’15, Sam Burns ’13

At The Head of The Charles on Oct. 20th 2012, Bowdoin crews made Navy history as both the women and the men earned medals in this classic fall festival of rowing. Racing in the College Fours event, both crews pulled with enormous determination and just plain guts as they attacked the course from beginning to end. When results were posted, the men repeated a medal winning row from 2011, and the women won Bowdoin’s first gold at The Charles. It was glorious.

Starting with bow #4, the men were on track to challenge for the gold themselves. They won the Snake the week before and were the first college crew by over a minute in their silver medal row at the Textile. They took to the Charles rowing really strongly to Cambridge Boat Club but there they snagged a branch on the skeg which caused a brush with Fordham’s stern and forced the Bears to stop briefly and move to the outside of the slower crew. Coxswain Jen Helble ‘14 quickly brought her boat to speed, but the pause cost them valuable time. The University of Virginia repeated as winner, and Bowdoin came 5th with Michigan, Michigan State, and Milwaukee School of Engineering ahead of them. It takes an extraordinary effort to regain racing speed after a stop that late in the race, but these men had a gutsy recovery that earned them a medal for a second consecutive year.

And the women won the Gold for Bowdoin’s first trip to the Awards Ceremony! After winning both the Textile and the Snake earlier in the season, these women were convinced they could take the Charles. Senior coxswain Bonnie Cao called and steered an aggressive race for her ambitious crew. Starting with bow #5, the Bears left #6 Penn State in their wake early while passing Wheaton, U. of Chicago, and Middlebury before rounding through Eliot St. and closing on bow #1 Hamilton. Guts to glory: Bowdoin won by 5 seconds over Grand Valley State with Clemson and Trinity in 3rd and 4th.

Both these men’s and women’s crews set a standard of commitment and determination that carried over to Sunday’s racing. In another milestone for the Navy, Bowdoin entered both men and women in the College Eights on Oct. 21. Racing at the Charles has a way of transforming crews, and both these boats had their best races of the season as they mirrored the spirit and intensity of the fours.

Our alumni men were racing as Polar Rowing in the Club Four on Sat. and were sadly afflicted by The Curse of The Skeg, which seems to have found a home with us! Rowing to the start, they struck something lurking below the surface and sheared off the skeg and rudder, in an uncanny repeat of the 2010 men’s four at the Charles, and the 2012 incident at Dad Vail.  They docked at MIT where a boatman was able to supply a new skeg, but did not have time to replace the rudder, so these guys gamely cast off and rowed the course without steerage beyond what they could provide by pulling. They finished with 4 penalties on the buoys, worth 90 seconds, but still beat one crew!

The Charles offered up its usual surprises, dramas, and this year,  a victory for the Navy. Thanks to all the alums and families and friends who joined the racers for 2 days of historic proportions in the world’s most famous fall regatta. Soon enough it’s into the gym with anticipation of spring’s sprints, but for now, it’s time to enjoy the glories of this fall’s golden season.

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Fall Opener

The Fall Racing Season opened with The Textile River Regatta on Sunday 9/30, during Bowdoin’s Family Weekend.

On Sat. we welcomed rowing families at the Boathouse where we dedicated the Tafts’ gift of our new Pocock K4, announced a major gift to the endowment, and gave folks a chance to try a hand at the oar in the eights. Then we loaded the trailer to head to Lowell for the annual opener on the Merrimack River.

Many families made their way to the river and the great spirit of Sat.’s fesitivites made its way with them. And the crews were fast!

The Varsity Women won the Open 4 by :29 with an agressive row over the top of the course and impressive finish below the bridge.

The Varsity Men in the Open 4 zoomed to silver with a similar race plan, only :11 behind home course powerhouse Merrimack and :12 ahead of Riverside. WPI was the closest collegiate crew over a minute behind the Bears.

The Novice Men opened the medal run in the morning in the 4 with a silver, and two Novice Women’s 4’s dashed to bronze and a 5th.

Scott Mitchell powered his way to a bronze in the Club 1x, just 2 seconds out of silver.

In the eights, the both WN8 and MN8 were 4th, and the VM8 came 11th while the WV8 was 12th.

And a four full of alumni men prepping for the Charles came 11th in the Open 4!

All around, it was a wonderful fall weekend, and thanks go out to rowing families and the rowers themselves for making it so fun to race boats!

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Gold at The Snake!

The Bowdoin Navy again earned medals in each event it entered at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta in Worcester, MA on Oct. 15. Racing in the fours,  the men finished 1st and 7th in a 20 boat field, and the women took the gold with a 44 second margin over 2nd place Simmons. Three scullers competed in the Open 1x with Bowdoin’s Scott Mitchell claiming the silver.  Our Novice Men finished 17th overall and 2nd among the novice entries and the Novice Women were 6th and 7th, and first among novice crews!

The men squeeked out a 4 second victory over  Vermont,  so racing next weekend will have the added drama of this close rivalry.  Our Second Men beat all other B entries and A boats from Bates and Tufts in finishing 7th.  The women pounded up the course with aggressive catches to take advantage of the tailwind as they zoomed to an impressive victory.  After a big medal haul at the Textile earlier in the month, this was an especially satisfying day of racing in challenging conditions.  Heading into the Charles next weekend, the navy is eager and ready to mix it up with a national field.

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Cleaning Up at the Textile!

The Bowdoin Navy opened the fall racing season with an impressive showing at the Textile River Regatta on Oct. 2.  We had nine crews and a sculler entered in six events and took medals in five of them!  James Henry ’13 opened the run with a win in the Men’s Rec single, a boat he had only rowed for a couple of weeks. The Novice Women finished 2nd and 5th; the Varsity Men were 2nd and 11th; the Varsity Women took 3rd and 4th, and the Men’s Club 2x got a 3rd!  The Novice Men were 4th and 7th, just out of the bling.

1st Men win Silver!

The regatta came a week after a wonderful gathering of over 100 alumni, parents and rowers celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Restoration of Rowing at Bowdoin. Rowing was the first intercollegiate sport at Bowdoin, going back to 1858, and was active and successful into the 1890’s. Phin Sprague ’50, Coach Bill Brown, and Bill Harding  introduced rowing again in 1986.  Folks traveled from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, DC and even Switzerland to mark the re-introduction by dedicating a new hull to honor Coach Brown, row over the New Meadows, and feast on the friendships and accomplishments of the last 25 years.

Founder Phin Sprague ’50 with early rowers from ’89

Bowdoin races next at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta on Oct. 15th, and we have 4 college fours and an alumni men’s four racing at The Head of The Charles on Oct. 21.