So we here we are at the end of our racing season, a season that really went by too fast! Stotesbury Regatta 2010 is the largest high school regatta in the world and you were a participant!

We raced a Girls Freshman 8, who now look technically better than any other crew in their category. The plan is to begin building strength and endurance for the next year, because then we will really WOW everyone who focused only on strength and endurance leaving technique behind. Those teams will have to spend the next year learning how to correct themselves and stepping backwards is never good - we only have forward to go! Way to go Freshman Girls, I wish I had the video of your first row to show you, you would not believe the improvement. The Novice Boys 4, who couldn’t row this weekend, showed their spirit for the team by being present and cheering for everyone else.

The JV boys four, who relearned how to row this year will be coming back next year stronger and ready for a great season. They finished in the top 50% for their race. Starting the season, they typically were 1:00 minute away from first, improving so much by the end of the season, that they were only 30 seconds from the first place boat in their category at Stotesbury. They now, also, have a great base to begin next year.

We watched the JV girls row their race and the Varsity boys and girls struggle and not qualify for the semi’s. Bad day’s in racing do happen, so we learn and move on. It is like that practice where we can’t put a finger on what is wrong, but know we can’t get our swing.

But wait…we have to talk about the lightweight boys, who have progressed so much recently they have yet to peak. They made it to the semi’s and impressed us so much we are petitioning for them to race at Saratoga for the Scholastic Nationals.

Could that be all? Could I be missing a boat? Never, because how could I forget to talk about the phenomenal performance of the Lightweight Girls Four with coxswain! They just keep improving and showing us how professional they truly are. They dominated their head race to qualify for Semi’s, they delivered a commanding performance in their semi final, then delivered a powerful performance in the finals by not letting anyone impede their progress to a win! In the final, can you say SUPER? Because that is what comes to mind when you think of these girls. They inspired the boys to be so silly as to paint themselves RED and then stencil white letters on their bodies, “GO LM GIRLS!” Thank goodness it wasn’t permanent, because my son who was recruited to this motley crew, would have been in trouble.

So here we are at the end with a team who had fun winning, but never forgot “ Winning is only fun, if you have Fun along the way” paving the way for great memories, to cherish!

Thank you!

WOW!

Coach Kirk Beckman

Sunday was the last of the Manny Flick series regattas with the Novice and Freshman only Dr. White Regatta. At this early stage in rowing, we learned about commitment, to Family, Friends and now Rowing. Some of the girls had unexpected Family activities which prevented them from their commitment to their new friends and rowing. Hence, family comes first! This issue would have caused us two other issues for everyone else involved on the girls side of Novice rowing had Mother Nature not intervened…Thank you Mother Nature on Mother’s Day!

The winds gusted and swirled early causing some safety concerns by the racing officials. They cancelled all 1x (single sculling) races for the morning. The solution was to have the sculling kids row an erg to see who would win or not, with the thought of having to scratch a boat for the first time this season, Maggie and I reached out to various coaches in the room and offered a solution to have two of the sculler’s row with our eight. Though it might not have been the best solution for winning, it did allow all from our team who showed to race and to meet some girls from other programs, Dunnie (or Eve) from Germantown Academy and Kelly from Teaneck, NJ. The girls were great together. They supported the decision and did their best under the circumstances to race. In the end they lost the race but gained new friends.

We also raced two other boats: a Boys Novice 4+, which, with a tailwind in lane 5, came in second in their heat, only to draw lane 1 in a headwind (not the best place to be in this race). Lane 1 is dead or no current water and a strong headwind basically pushed them backwards. Starting the race in open water behind the other boats never allowed them to catch up. Our boys stuck it out, rowed hard and finished the race, their first opportunity to row in a heat and a final within 3 hours.

Lastly, we have our Girls Novice 4+(this stands for 4 rowers, plus a coxswain, if you didn’t learn this abbreviation this year) They also rowed an excellent heat, coming from last to finish in their heat well enough to gain a spot in the final. They, unfortunately, also drew a tough lane with no current and a strong headwind, suffering a similar fate as the boys. This might be disheartening for some, but our girls put their best foot forward and pointed out they had only rowed together in this boat 2 times prior, once this morning and other being in at Upper Merion the day before, whereas the other girls had been rowing their boats all season.

So again we show improvement and progression as the year moves forward. In a note to Motherhood I want to thank all the mothers that took their day and came down and supported their children today! You gave us a warm place to gather and rest on your day, so Thank you from all the rowers, Maggie and myself.

Kirk Out

…and that is what the Girls lightweight varsity 4+ were feeling today. They rowed two blistering races, saving the best for last, or should I say first because that is what they got when they crossed the finish line this afternoon! They rowed a strong race and held off a sprint by Harriton! Well rowed Girls!

The Boy’s Novice 4+ rowed their race early in the morning, again improving their time, despite the head wind, over their previous race. Each race these boys are getting better and better.

The same can be said for the Girls Novice 8+, they were rowing well together today with good catch timing You can almost feel the magic coming together in their boat. Each race their strength builds and they row technically better.

The Boys JV 4+ rowed a solid race down the course and finished again ahead of 50% of the other racers. Which, in a deeper field of entrants, shows how much they continue to improve and hold their own.

Today was a good day for some and a difficult day for others, with the temperature high and the gusts of headwinds down the course making higher rates difficult. Next week we have two races to compete; Saturday at Upper Merion and the Dr. White Novice regatta on Sunday. Since we can only boat a couple of crews for this regatta (Varsity and non-lightweight category Junior Varsity, not allowed) we will need to plan how to organize ourselves of post race camaraderie!

That is all for now! I look forward to working with you in the coming week!

Coach Kirk Beckman

So today was a day of Highs and Lows. Our Girls Varsity Lightweight 4+ and Girls Varsity 4+ crews rowed to their potential and won the gold! They rowed with such poise and determination, it almost looked to easy, though we know they had to work hard to get to finish. The girls so impressed the Varsity Boys, that they derigged and put their boats on the trailer for the girls while they went to collect their medals. To the winners go the spoils!
The boys, having made it to the finals and falling short showed such grace and honorable behavior. Do I dare call them Gentlemen? Either way, thank you for helping gentlemen!

We had other racers too! The Boys Novice 4+, who had never rowed a 2k race before, though they lost, looked technically better than the other crews. So as their strength and endurance builds, so will their standing in races. The Girls Novice 8+ , struggled with the race length again, but worked their boat together, not giving up any length on technique. These girls also have yet to see their peak. The Girls in the JV 8+ have the endurance for such a race yet struggled with their rhythm, as do we all at times. Boys Varsity 4+ and Boys Lightweight Varsity 4+ put together a strong showing in their heats to make it into the finals. However, they had more difficulty than they thought was possible.

As a rower I have had great races and bad races, though as much as I enjoyed the win, I always felt I learned more from the races I lost. I don’t try to think about the what if scenario, you can’t change the race, it is over and done, time to move on and prepare for the next race. I always think of only one thing I could have done better, something to adjust during a race, one behavior that I make a commitment to change over the coming weeks of practice. Whether that was learning how to control my recovery on the slide, working on upper body structure to maximize my drive, or just keeping focus by not looking out of the boat, in the end it was always just one thing to work on, which is all I am in control of while rowing.

“ Amateurs do it until they get it right, Professionals do it until they can’t get it wrong”

Again, I take away from a long very wet race day, not just French Toast made on good bread and kept warm, by the parents, who wake early and spend the whole day keeping the booster tent welcoming for all the rowers and their entourage, but the team spirit you have for one another, how you cheered each other to the finish as a team and stayed together through the day, raising your voices in unison “Go LM”. Because with rowing, our true strength shines as a team together, parents, friends, siblings, rowers and coaches.

Thank you all for continuing to inspire me!
Coach Kirk Beckman

Today was an interesting day, gusty winds, blowing every which way, but consistently leading to good results for our boats (the good news was the inconsistency provided a level enough surface of water for everyone to have a good race). The predicted wind direction would have resulted in a tailwind for the rowers and standing waves, which can be difficult to negotiate, but enough of the liquid logic.

The novice girls continue to show steady improvement in technique week to week. It is really amazing to watch. They rowed well, had good catch timing, and maintained a solid race.

The Novice Boys continue to improve and learn more about their true strength each week, improving their time each race. This week they raced 45 sec. faster than the previous week - and under adverse conditions!

The Boys JV4+ also improved their time losing close to 4 seconds, each week they become technically stronger!

Those JV Girls 8+ were on their game again this week dropping close to 45 seconds off their time from the week before.

The Girls Lightweight and Varsity 4 continue to perform well and as I watched them row past the trailer, you could see a change in technique which will benefit them in the weeks to come.

The Boys Varsity 8 came in the last heat down the course today, and improved their time by 5 seconds bringing their rate up at the finish to walk through and hold off the other contenders in the race.

I enjoy the racing but I especially enjoy watching the bonds they are building at the Spirit Dinners the night before the race. This week no one complained of a cupcake shortage, so the Parents were on their game too, providing an oasis amongst the spectators for the rowers to gather and cheer their teammates after their racing.

Thank you for allowing me to join the Fun!

Coach Kirk Beckman

What a Great Day for Racing, sunny with a breeze! Everyone seemed to have had a good time, with all the positive energy going around and round. One of the highlights was how much the Varsity Boys cheered the other crews, AWESOME! That energy just continued to pay it forward all day. The Varsity 8+ broke the 5 minute barrier in their race, finishing at 4:57. Way to work together Varsity.

The Novice boys and Novice girls had their first races today, both completed their races in one piece. They tried hard and accomplished good boat set, and swing. They also learned that they could row harder without all the nasty side effects they had conjured up (I won’t share the gruesome details).

The JV Boys continued to improve and rowed a race with a gusty headwind and still managed to improve their standing over the previous weeks.

Many of the boys and parents stayed to support and watch the JV Girls 8+, the lightweight Girls Varsity 4+ (what a sprint!) and the Girls Varsity 4+. Great races ladies!

Though the cupcakes disappeared before the novice girls arrived at the tent (a minor request that some be saved for the future, though I think my snooze you lose rule still applies), they did manage to recruit a bag of Doritos and a Prom date request on the way back from their race.

All in all I enjoyed the camaraderie and fun, though I do look like a lobster (3 coats of Sun block SPF 45, not enough) I look forward to seeing everyone improve in the coming weeks.

From David Greenspan:

I have to say that as a one time parent and many year contributor to the website, I was both thrilled and saddened by being at the tent today. Thrilled by the wonderful rowing of our 3 ladies boats. Saddened by the realization that I have to move on, that though I love the sport, will row as a master for many years (I hope), that LM crew is fading into my past. What role for an ‘alumni father’? A bit later for that.

The weather was excellent for racing. Whenever the wind is slight, the sun shielded, the temperature on the cool side, maximum performance is possible. And so it was today. Though LM didn’t bring the Frosh to compete (I wonder where they were hiding?) other crews did. Frosh and Novices are always a hoot to watch this time of year. With barely 4, maybe 5 at most 6 weeks of water time, these ladies did what most frosh do, show how much they are going to improve by the end of May! Some boats looked pretty darn good, frankly. I was especially impressed with the Mounts crews. Though they didn’t finish high in their heats (their best showing was a 4th place) they were well controlled, had good rhythm, and a slow slide often understroking the field, looking like JV than frosh in this regard. Other crews may have been faster, but at what expense? And if you never knew what a crab is, there were plenty so see out there today. 8 weeks from now, some of these crews are going to be very very fast. Just amazing. And our frosh ladies will be just like that.

I watched all three races from the tent with 250meters to go or so. The Ladies JV 8 came in last in their event. They looked to be behind most of the way once they came into view under the bridge. In 1 and 2 was a real dogfight. Winning the event was Montclair nipping out a Holy Spirit crew. The Montclair 8 was made up of most of their top notch frosh 8 from last year an ‘insider’ told me. They looked long, controlled, and slow on the recovery. Frantic in the end, the Holy Spirit crew were game but not able enough. From my perspective, Montclair is going to be faster and faster all year. The Spirit is going to need something more than enthusiasm. And so our ladies trailed these two in their dogfight but looked much more like Montclaire than they did like Spirit. They were in striking distance of Merion Mercy and Agnes Irwin. They showed controlled technique for the most part. These girls are going to go faster and faster each week. The distance between them and Spirit if not Montclair is going to shrink.

The two fours were in similar form. I was very impressed with both boats and their control, length in the water, and steady pace (I wonder what they would say?) The Lady lightweights gave away 11 seconds over 1500 meters to the Mount, a crew they know they are capable of staying with and likely beating. Their long steady pace put them well into second ahead of Belleville and Egg Harbor. Their time was second fastest of the day. The Open 4 came in 4th a second out of third. A high stroking St. Marks crew won this one, chased a bit by Harriton that took second. Finishing last was Merion Mercy who was well out of it. I was, again, impressed by our ladies performance for so early in the year. Strong and long, they will pick up speed readily through the season given the way they are trying to move the boat.

I did not get to see the boys, but the JV 4 must feel pretty good about their piece coming in 3rd of 5. Though they trailed the winner Episcopal and St. Paul’s they blew away Peddie and Radnor. The 8 (what a surprise to see LM in a boy’s open 8 category) must also be very pleased. Though they came in 4th of 4 in their heat, they would have been in second if rowing in ‘flight 2′ instead of 3. Moreover, they were in it based on time. 7 seconds separated first and last (a bit more than a boat length) and 3rd was less than a second away! It must have been fabulous to watch.

It was nice seeing Sarah and Mr. Camitta at the river today. Sarah is at Tufts. Such a small world, as the Tufts head coach, Gary Caldwell, was my freshman coach at Trinity (his first coaching position just out of Yale) and now he coaches an LM alumni freshman. Cool. I can testify. It is hard to break away once the sport is in the blood. Watching the kids come along, wondering who, if any, will rise to the top in their event, who is going to show the most improvement, who has the spirit of the program, and who puts it all out there, fast or slow, win or lose? These are the same questions at this time every season, and only by coming to the river, enjoying the crowd and contributing to the tent’s comaraderie and its uncanny ability to put weight on people (you can blame Roger for that) will you ever get the answers.

I want to offer a special thankyou to our commodore, Jayne, and to our treasurer, Chris, who have been stepping up to make sure that everything ‘works’. And I can slip in a little word about the tirelessness of Tracy Katz who is struggling with software incompatibility. She WILL be getting the website going just superbly once that all gets taken care of.

And so let me end with a little bit of a sob as well as some goosebumps. Go LM Crew!

Several Lower Merion rowers took part in Center City Slams at
Drexel University this past Saturday.  The races seemed to stay on
schedule and we essentially walked in, raced, and left.  The men
warmed up lightly, stretching and erging, before the races began.  In
the Men’s Lightweight category, Junior Walker Mills took first place
and Sophmore Nathaniel Tarshish took third place.  In the Open Weight
category, Avi Molder came in third place. Pictures of just out about
every rower from this event can be found on www.row2k.com.  Both the
men and the women pulled hard and tried their best, leaving LM proud.
We are all looking forward to a successful Spring season, and most of
us cannot wait until we hit the water.

Daniel Cohen

Winter workouts are well on the way and everyone is working hard!
The ergs are getting their work outs at the church on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. And, new this year, Tuesday/Thursday workouts are cross training days in the weight rooms with some spinning or yoga too.

The countdown is underway for the first day on the water - MARCH 8th.

But first….more sweat and a swim test to come.

Enjoy the weather…it will be spring soon enough.

The season is over (well, except for the boys going to the post season Canadian Schoolboys Regatta) and all is well with LM Crew. The Annual banquet is a lovely affair where parents, coaches and athletes gather, share memories, and say goodbye to a season of hard work, ups, downs, and lots and lots of camaraderie. Besides the lovely setting and the good food, the slide show of the season, and fabulous brochure for the event, the night is really all about the kids, their efforts, and acknowledging their growth as rowers and coxswains.

As always, the Comadore opens the night. Jayne Reicherter did a fabulous job all year and she did no less well guiding the proceedings tonight. First order of business, get the business meeting out of the way. Many parents were acknowledged for their awesome contributions in support of the program. Tents went up and went down, food was brought and grilled (and eaten!), board meetings were held, trailers made it to their various venues, fund raising succeeded… you get the point. The outgoing board members were thanked, the incoming board was announced. Parents are a crucial part of the rowing program. We cannot thank them and their contributions enough.

And the evening progressed from salad, to main course, to desert.

And then the real stuff began! Coaches took over and gave out their awards. Boats were introduced, seniors were cried over for the many years of contributions, and the infamous gag gifts were given out by the captains of the team, Gabby Mezochow, Sarah Camitta, Tom Mickler, and Casey Klein.

This year’s seniors were a special bunch. All were 4 year contributors to the program, a rarity in any sport. Gabby Mezochow, Aly Goldstein, Paulina Marcucci, Becky Wahrman, Sarah Camitta, Tom Mickler, James Buckmann, Casey Klein, and Dan Abrams will all be sorely missed. Many have already shared plans to continue rowing next year. We wish them all the best!

Dan Abrams was blushing with the rave reviews he recieved from his coach Brad Nathanson. And who wouldn’t when coach Brad announced in front of all these parents and peers that he is, “the best coxswain I have ever had the chance to work with.”

Aly Goldstein was in the spotlight when Sheila lets the crowd know about how her steady leadership was crucial for the lightweight comeback. Her overcoming 2 months of mono was inspirational.

Becky Wahrman will be missed due to her constancy in effort and attitude, so needed in the long and demanding season that is rowing.

Awards are then offered to the many special contributors to the squad. Anyone surviving to the end of a rowing season is a ’special contributor’ in so many ways. Yet, each year the coaching staff try to identify those athletes that represent the ideal. As coach Regan recalls the award winners:

Most improved novice - Afnan Blankinship and Avi Molder
Most improved JV/V - Alexa Kuentsler and Mike Lowney

Overcoming Adversity Award - Leah Greenspan
Spirit Award - Casey Klein and Paulina Marcucci
Leadership Award - Tom Mickler and Gabby Mezochow
Service Award - Sarah Camitta and Dan Cohen
Best Athlete Award - Julia Policastro and James Buckmann

This year’s ‘best boat’ award was given to the Women’s JV 8. Though this crew didn’t win alot of races, the determination of these athletes, their commitment to the program and each other inspired the coaches this year. Thankfully, its not all about winning.

Each of these awards had a story attached. Each athlete was honored for their contribution to the program, their growth as individuals, athletes and rowers, as a role model to their peers and for future members of the crew. Parent’s cameras flashed, lots of smiles and clapping and a few tears were shed.

The coaching staff deserve their honors too, guiding and shaping these young athletes. It starts with head coach Sheila Dyer who set the tone for the program. Brad Nathanson coached the varsity and JV men. Kate Freeland took hold of the Women’s JV program. Regan Broderick took our novice women and taught them the basics. David Florio created the foundation in the frosh of the Men’s program.

The goodbyes at the end of the night are some of the toughest ever. After investing so much, for some the dreams of the year started nearly 12 months earlier, for all the heightened commitment and excitement grew from the winter through the Jersey’s, Cities and then Stotes. For our seniors, the season didn’t come to an end until a very successful outing at Lake Mercer for the Nationals. All year focused on 5 minutes. And then it is done, having given it all on the river.

What a wonderful thing, crew. I already cannot wait for yet another season to begin!

David