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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Webmaster Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or ©2006 Chestnut Hill Local Winner of Three |
Mount lights deal clubs a losing hand at U.S. Rowing
regatta
BETHEL, Ohio – “Don’t make Philly girls mad!” Devon Stewart declared after her Mount St. Joseph Academy lightweight eight won the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships on June 11. The sophomore coxswain’s admonition came too late for one of the Magic’s chief competitors, who’d just learned that lesson the hard way. A very fast light eight from the Marin Rowing Association of California’s Marin County arrived at the championships outside of Cincinnati with high expectations. Their coxswain had gone one step further; before leaving home, she had told the Marin Independent Journal, “I think we’re untouchable.” The story in the California newspaper was picked up by ROW-2K, a popular crew website, and it caught Stewart’s eye. Then, on June 10, Marin won one of the two semifinal races by three-tenths of a second over Mount St. Joe, and the local oarswomen had all the motivation they’d need to carry them through the finals the following morning. Leading by as much as a boat length in the middle of the 2000-meter championship race, the Magic held off three hard-charging rivals at the finish, winning by almost two seconds in a time of 7:35.89. The real drama lay in the photo-finish sprint for second place, a dash in which three boats were separated by just five one-hundredths of a second. The Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club captured the silver medal in 7:37.66; Marin, the bronze in 7:37.68, and Community Rowing Inc., from Boston, fourth place, in 7:37.71. The Mount had become only the second true high school crew to win the lightweight class at Cincinnati. The Magic’s three chief rivals were clubs that draw from a large pool of athletes.
In the Magic’s lightweight eight, Stewart revved up an eight-oared engine consisting of (stroke to bow) Jenn Young, Liz Stanowski, Marykate Kelly, Mollie Flynn, Kelly O’Neill, Jenna O’Neill, Liz Keenan and Meg Farris. Kelly O’Neill is headed to Northeastern University in the fall, and fellow seniors Keenan and Kelly will both attend La Salle University. Flynn, Stanowski and Young are juniors, while Farris, like Stewart, is a sophomore. Katie Leonard, a 10th grader who rowed in the Mount’s JV eight this spring, traveled to Cincinnati as an alternate. Up through May, the MSJ lights won gold medals in every major regatta, including the Stotesbury Cup and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America. Cincinnati, however, would bring the toughest competition in the form of the top club crews, and they would be rowing on a 2000-meter course. While 2-K races are routine for club rowers, the Mount is used to the standard, 1500-meter high school events. The Magic lights are very fit, so a lack of endurance would not be a problem, but race strategy would. “It was different the first time [in the qualifying heats],” noted Marykate Kelly, “but once we got that first race under our belt we felt ‘Okay, we can do this.’ “ In the semifinal, the Mount went head-to-head with Marin for the first time, leading until the finishing sprint, where the California crew pulled ahead with roughly 30 meters to go. Marin was timed in 7:27.51; the Mount at 7:27.85, and Community at 7:29.27. Times varied from race to race at the venue on Harsha Lake, for although there was no inherent current, the skies were overcast through the weekend with fitful gusts of wind and bouts of rain. “For the most part, I was encouraged by the semifinal because it looked like most of the fastest boats were in our heat, and with a slightly better row we would have handled it,” varsity Coach Mike McKenna said. After the semi, Stewart told her rowers, “At the end of the race tomorrow, I want to have to pick you up out of the bottom of the boat because you gave everything you have.” Kelly said, “I think that [second-place result in the semifinal] was good for us; it made us more motivated.” As race time approached on Sunday and Mount fans filtered down towards the beach along Harsha Lake, the sun could be seen through a gauzy film of clouds. It might be a good omen, but for whom? The Magic got off the starting line well, and made a move about 500 meters down the course. Asked about the tone of the race, Kelly said, “It felt strong. When we took our [power] 20, Devon told us we broke them and we went from there.” The Mount led by a length midway through the race, but a late run at the leaders was expected. “We went out today dedicating everything to our [finishing] sprint,” Stewart said, “because we knew that’s where the other crews started to get faster.” Near the finish line, spectators strained against the orange plastic fencing that separated them from the officials’ stand and the timing apparatus. This barrier, and the crowd behind it, tapered in towards the water a little bit up the course, meaning that the Magic, second-closest to the shore in lane six, would be one of the last boats to come into view for the fans at the finish. Cincinnati, Community and Marin emerged, neck-and-neck in a final sprint. Finally, the bowball of the MSJ eight poked past the crowd, and a few seconds later, it was evident that the Magic was ahead of the pack. In the finish-line photograph used to sort out second, third and fourth place, Kelly O’Neill, rowing the fourth seat in the middle of the Mount eight, appears with her arms raised in triumph right alongside the bowballs of the next three boats. “I was definitely sure that we won the race,” she said. “Whenever we win, I automatically stick my hands up in the air. … I remember crossing the line and hearing beep-beep-beep [the audible timing signal from the officials’ stand] because those other three boats were so close together. “I’ve never felt like that before at the end of a race,” she continued, describing the physical pain generated by the final sprint. “It was like an actual 2K on the erg. My legs were all different colors, and everyone was looking at their muscles and saying ‘I can see the lactic acid!’ I wanted to cry, but I was too tired to.” With the victory, Mount St. Joseph earned the privilege of representing the United States in the Can-Am-Mex (Canada, America, Mexico) Regatta, scheduled in Mexico City in July. Stewart has a conflicting commitment to train with the U.S. Junior Team, however, and because there will be no weight restriction for the rowers going to Mexico, Cincinnati would be the last place the MSJ lights would race together as a unit. Kelly, one of the seniors, said, “It’s definitely emotional. I don’t want to leave them – they’re my babies, you know. I can’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now, but I know I’ll never forget it.” |
