OC Girls Crew wins big at King’s Head Regatta; Next Up – The Charles
OC Girls Crew bring home second, third and sixth from King’s Head Regatta as team readies two boats for The Charles later this month
By Kristen Dowd. Photo by Billy Mensch, a sophomore rower for OCHS Boy’s Crew
Even though the field was extra competitive at the King’s Head Regatta last Sunday, the Ocean City High School girls crew team showed they’re ready to row against the best – and still come out near the top.
The team – the only scholastic entry in the historic three-mile Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, event – brought home second-, third- and sixth-place finishes from their races along the Schuylkill River.
“We were a little outgunned, but somehow with a little bit of feistiness we were able to get the job done pretty well,” Coach Colin Stewart said. “That was our first race, and it was a good opener.”
The Ocean City Women’s U17 Four, which included coxswain Harper Petitgout, Marin Pearce, Kailyn Kelly, Aubrey Schlembach and Reese Hemberger, finished in second place at 20:09.0, with first going to the Nereid Boat Club in 19:41.9. The Ocean City Women’s A Youth Four – comprised of coxswain Ava Ruh, Marina Zappone, Margot Swift, Jada Smith and Marissa Trostle – took third with a time of 19:26.4, and the Ocean City Women’s B Youth Four finished sixth in the same race with a time of 21:09.1, with coxswain Anna Rice, Ava Ryan, Victoria Sakhno, Coryn Driscoll and Abby Smith.
“This was a good indication as a coach – can we crank down the course for three miles? Can we do it fast and efficiently? Is there anything to learn?” Colin said.
Going into the race, the coach said the teams just wanted to get down course and have a good race. He told them “anything that happens after the is gravy.”
“And the kids really showed up,” Colin said. “They put the work in every day, and it showed.”
Strong beginnings
The strong showing at the King’s Head Regatta gives the team a nice segue into this weekend’s Ocean City Chase Race at the 34th Street Bridge on Saturday. Ocean City will be joined by eight teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York this year.
“The motivation is to challenge ourselves, see where we stack up and see where we can improve,” Colin said.
When rowing at Drexel University, the OCHS coach would take part in the Princeton Chase, which was “hands down” his favorite fall race. It’s also what helped inspire the start of the Ocean City Chase. A few years ago, after a rainy season with a lot of canceled events, Ocean City decided to invite some teams out for its inaugural chase race. Haddonfield, Mainland, Egg Harbor Township and St. Augustine’s took part, and it’s grown since.
“Our team has become more competitive, and people are actually coming to use because they want to race us,” Colin said. “That’s the idea we’re trying to build here. We’re trying to build a competitive environment.”
The “Mecca” of Races
The team wants all the practice they can get before the Head of The Charles Regatta later this month. With new boats chosen based on a lottery, the OCHS girls crew team beat the odds. They have two boats – the U17 and Youth Four – competing in this year’s event, which is the largest rowing event in the world. Colin will be rowing the Men’s Club Singles, too.
Colin calls The Charles “the mecca” of races. This year’s event Oct. 20-22 will showcase the talents of 2,628 entries from 839 teams around the globe, including some of the tops rowers in the world.
While winning a race at The Charles is understandably “incredibly difficult,” Colin said, just the experience and honor of competing is an incredible experience.
“It’s well worth the travel to just get to breathe it all in,” Colin said.
This travel, of course, doesn’t come cheap, and it’s an added expense for which the OCHS crew teams are currently fundraising. Entry fees for The Charles are $360 per boat, plus there’s the added cost of the hotel, trailer space rentals, food and transportation.
In addition, the crew program is trying to rebuild a rowing facility and keep its fleets up-to-date.
For those interested in supporting the teams, there are fundraising opportunities on the Ocean City High School Crew Boosters Facebook page.
“In terms of what we need as a team, fundraising has been the biggest struggle the past couple years,” Colin said. “We want to make sure every kid is getting out on the water with the best equipment. We want to keep them competitive.”