2004 Championship Results
City Championships- Varsity 2X- 2nd
Stotesbury- Junior 2X- 3rd
Stotesbury- Junior 4X- 3rd
Scholastic Nationals- Junior 2X- 2nd
5/28/2004-5/29/04 - Scholastic Nationals
Sacred Heart traveled to Orlando over the Memorial Day weekend to compete in the junior double, the senior double, and the junior quad at the Scholastic National Championships in Orlando Florida. The squad closed out an impressive season by bringing home a silver medal in the junior double. The regatta proved a challenge for officials as wind at the start, a motorboat propeller slicing through an eight, and numerous cases of heat exhaustion combined to put the first day close to over two hours behind schedule. Calls of EMT! were heard on a constant basis as rowers were pulled out of their boats at the starting and finishing lines with heat problems. The delays caused most boats to sit on the water in the blazing sun for an hour and a half before their races began. No thought of taking a dip, though, since the racecourse was home to many alligators, at least one of which was seen at the finish line.
The junior double of Gen Moser and Madeline Davis was the only Sacred Heart boat that did not go straight to a final and had a qualifying heat on Friday. There were 14 junior doubles entered and three heats were run, with only two boats to qualify out of each. Sacred Heart easily won its heat over boats from New York, Florida, and the ever present Notre Dame to pass through the dangerous two-to-move format and go on to finals. The final was raced on Saturday and turned out to be the closest finish of any final in Orlando. The race started cleanly and Sacred Heart gradually pulled out to a lead. Masterman, a good boat but previously beaten, broke a rigger just past the breakage zone and couldn't complete the race. Glen Este, the crew from Cincinnati that beat Upper Merion in their heat, went out with Sacred Heart and although Notre Dame hung tough, the race quickly came down to two boats. Glen Este and Sacred Heart were even as they approached the 750 meter mark and Sacred Heart began its flutter. At that moment the boat got hit by a wake, rendering the flutter useless. Now the race was on. The two boats closed on the spectator pier at about 50 meters to go with a slight advantage to Glen Este. As the boats passed the pier both crews were in their sprint and Sacred Heart was chewing up water, moving back on Glen Este with each stroke. With 10 strokes to go Glen Este hit another gear and started to pull away but Sacred Heart reacted within 2 strokes, raised the rate and began its relentless walk back. The finish line came too soon, however, and the race was undoubtedly decided by who was on the drive and who was on the recovery at the line. The crew didn't know who won until they arrived back at the trailer 35 minutes later to hear that it was Glen Este by less than a second. After the race the double was heard to lament, "Ten meters! Ten meters! One child for ten meters!"
The junior quad went right to a five boat final which consisted of all Philadelphia boats. The disappointment in traveling so far to race such familiar foes was offset by the opportunity to solidify Sacred Heart's place in the Philadelphia pecking order. The Sacred Heart quad of Caroline Foley, Susan Groff, Andrea Dormans, and Kristin Schumacher lined up on Saturday afternoon against Agnes Irwin, Springside, Conestoga, and Notre Dame. Irwin had been the boat to beat all year and was perhaps unbeatable in this race. Springside was also strong, Notre Dame had been beaten before, and Conestoga was a bit of mystery, never having raced Sacred Heart without some kind of mishap. The windy conditions at the start gave Sacred Heart some problems as Go! was called before the boat was quite ready. Irwin quickly moved out to the lead with Sacred Heart, working to recover from the shaky start, near the back of the pack. As the race went down the course, Irwin surged ahead of the field and finished first, 7 seconds ahead of second place Springside. Sacred Heart never quite got its rhythym and finished in fifth place, 23 seconds off the winner.
The senior double of Courtney Hakanson and Alair Holdsworth also went straight to final where it faced 5 other boats from Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. At the start of the race the boats were relativley bunched, although Sacred Heart was near the back of the pack. Sacred Heart stayed near the back until the boats approached 250 meters to go by which time they had made a move to draw even. As the race passed the spectator pier (which by now was closed due to excessive weight) second and third were still up for grabs. With all boats pulling for the finish, Edgewater from Florida crossed in first, with Sacred Heart in fifth, 13 seconds back. Only seven seconds separated 2nd place from fifth. Our seniors closed out their career with a strong race and now go off to lend their rowing talents to Holy Cross and Fordham.
5/23/2004 - Dr. White Regatta
Sacred Heart entered a novice quad of Jill Nentwig, Meredith Mullan, Emily Greenwald, and Kelsey Hudome in the final race of the year for the novices, the Dr. White Regatta. The quad pulled off a blistering start and led the field at the 500 meter mark. Unfortunately as they neared the Canoe Club there was a crab on the port side, followed by a few more after they recovered. After the second 500 was used to steady the ship, Sacred Heart got its rhythm back and hung on to finish fourth out of five. As the novice season ended, Sacred Heart showed great promise and we're all looking forward to next year.
5/14/2004-5/15/2004 - Stotesbury Regatta
Sacred Heart continued its climb into the top ranks of high school sculling at the country's oldest and largest high school regatta. The weather for the two days of Stotesbury was warm and sunny, with a moderate headwind for most races. Two Sacred Heart boats rowed to the awards dock at the end of their finals, each getting there by different routes.
The first final for Sacred Heart was the junior double of Gen Moser and Madeline Davis. With 20 boats entered, Gen and Mad qualified out of their time trial and raced their semi-final in lane four. They rowed an uninspired semi, finding themsleves in the buoy line for the last 250 meters and unable to pull off a finishing sprint. Nonetheless, they finished third and qualified for finals. This third place finish, though, carried more meaning than simply qualification - it meant they would race the final in lane six. A quick history lesson on lane six - at last year's Stotesbury no boat won a medal from lane six, and only one boat managed to finish as high as fourth. Anyone watching Saturday's semis saw boat after boat finish last from lane six, open water behind fifth. Lane six is the dead lane. Gen and Mad went home Friday night both knowing that neither would speak the word six, look at the number six, or allow anyone to say six in their presence, until the next day at 1:40. In the final, knowing what lie ahead, Gen and Mad moved out at the start even with the field and stayed with the leaders through 1000 meters. At 500 meters to go they approached the island and lane six's dead zone. Knowing that the dead water is offset by flat water, the boat made its move and pulled even with the lead boats. The part of the course that served as the Bermuda Triangle to most other crews, become 200 meters of power for Sacred Heart. The double came out of the island into the wind and hammered its way to a bronze medal, four seconds off the winners. The curse was shattered by grit, power, and a good race plan. (For those interested, of 84 non-time trial races run at this year's Stotesbury, lane six was last or second to last in 70, and only five medals, including Sacred Heart's, were won from that lane.)
The next final for Sacred Heart was the junior quad of Caroline Foley, Susan Groff, Andrea Dormans, and Kristin Schumacher. With 20 boats entered, the quad qualified out of its time trial and also raced its semi-final in lane four. The boat got off to a good start in its semi staying even or slightly ahead of the field through 1000 meters. At that point in the race, disaster struck - or so it seemed at the time. Spectators watching through binoculars saw a port oar whip out to the side of the boat in an over-the-head crab. But the rowing gods work in strange ways, and the port crab was almost immediately followed by an over-the-head starboard crab. One such crab would have spun the boat sideways and left it off course and out of its lane. Two opposite side crabs, however, kept the boat straight in its lane, pointing toward the finsh line. In a remarkable display of teamwork the quad recovered and was back rowing within seconds. The engine powered back up and the boat qualified for the final in third place. In a (thankfully) less eventful final, the Sacred Heart quad continued to pull things together and powered down the course to third place, seven seconds off the winners. A boat that began the season wondering what it was like to look back and see other boats pulled into the awards dock for a bronze medal.
The biggest heartbreak of the regatta was the senior double, which failed to qualify for the final by 0.6 seconds. The double of Courtney Hakanson and Alair Holdsworth rowed a good, clean race, but met up with a very strong field which included last year's runaway junior double winners. Sacred Heart also raced a senior quad of Jill O'Donnell, Jane Horstman, Kelsey Hudome, and Sam Cutler. Despite being one of the lightest boats on the water in any race, the quad only missed qualifying for finals by 14 seconds.
Next up for Sacred Heart is the Dr. White regatta for novices, followed by Nationals for varsity and JV.
5/8/2004 - Upper Merion Home Regatta
Sacred Heart travelled to Upper Merion and raced six boats, ranging from varsity to novice. The weather was great, the water was smooth, but the course was foreign. First to the starting line was the novice quad of Kristin Vasmanis, Meredith Mullan, Jill Nentwig, and Kelsey Hudome. This boat turned in its best performance of the season finishing second out of three boats, but narrowly missing a victory by half a length. It was an exciting, hard fought race. Next came the JV 2x heats, the first of which was won by the A boat of Gen Moser and Madeline Davis, racing together for the first time. The Sacred Heart novice 2x raced as JV in the second heat, where they rowed a game race but fell to the current JV City Champions, Upper Merion. When illness threatened the varsity 2x, Andrea Dormans was called into service and raced with Alair Holdsworth, rowing a strong race and finishing second of three. Two JV quads, the A boat of Caroline Foley, Andrea Dormans, Susan Groff, and Kristin Schumacher and the B boat of Jill O'Donnell, Kelsey Hudome, Jane Horstman, and Sam Cutler, faced off against each other and the City champion Agnes Irwin quad. Rowing in a close race, the A boat finished second, much closer to Irwin than at Cities, followed by the B boat. In the final race of the day for Sacred Heart, the JV 2x final, Gen and Madeline faced off against the Upper Merion crew. An unfamiliar course, an unfamiliar lane, and an opponent on their home course got the best of Sacred Heart and Upper Merion finished well in front, followed by Sacred Heart.
5/2/2004 - Philadelphia City Championships
The day turned out better than expected and Sacred Heart pulled off some surprises too at the City Championships. The weather was mostly overcast, somewhat humid, with a fairly strong headwind creating a bit of a chop in the water. Sacred Heart entered a full slate of seven boats, with four boats reaching the finals (one of which went straight to finals). The day began with a hard fought performance by Devon Byrne and Emily Greenwald in the novice 2x, rowing in their first race together. Despite limited time in the boat, they rowed confidently and showed promise for next week. Next up was the novice 4x of Kristin Vasmanis, Meredith Mullan, Jill Nentwig, and Kelsey Hudome. After what appeared to be interference by Conestoga early in the race, the referee ordered the boat to stop rowing. Once they started off again, they rowed an incredibly powerful last 500 to overtake the Ridgewood crew for 4th place. In a highly questionable decision, however, Sacred Heart was disqualified for interference! The JV quad of Caroline Foley, Andrea Dormans, Susan Groff, and Kristin Schumacher finished 3rd in their heat to qualify for the final, where they rowed a strong race to finish 5th in the City. The lightweight 2x of Jill O'Donnell and Jane Horstman went straight to finals where they rowed a great race to stay in the thick of things until the end. We had two boats entered in the varsity 2x race - the A boat of Courtney Hakanson and Madeline Davis and the C boat of Alair Holdsworth and Gen Moser. The C boat rowed an excellent race to win their heat and advance to the final. The A boat rowed a potentially disastrous heat, finishing third out of three but just making the final with the sixth fastest time. In the final, however, Courtney and Madeline stepped off the rollercoaster to finish 2nd in the City while Alair and Gen rowed another strong race to finish 5th. Sacred Heart finished the day as the home of the 2nd and 5th fastest varsity doubles in the city, the 5th fastest JV 4x and the 3rd fastest lightweight 2x. You can find the full results here.
4/18/2004 - 5TH FLICK-HORVAT
This week it really was a perfect day! The temperature was in the 80's and the water was calm and fast. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as perfect for Sacred Heart. Our novice quad led off the day with what was really their first full race. Facing crews that had already raced several times before, the quad of Shay Williams, Jill Nentwig, Meredith Mullan, and Kelsey Hudome finished last in a field of six. The next Sacred Heart race was the JV quad of Caroline Foley, Susan Groff, Kristin Schumacher, and Andrea Dormans which crossed the line in 4th place out of four boats. Our lightweight double of Sam Cutler and Jill O'Donnell found themselves on the losing end of a match race with a Conestoga double. Next across the line was the varsity double of Jane Horstman and Kara Wisely. This boat also finished fourth out of four. Our final race of the day was the varsity quad of Courtney Hakanson, Gen Moser, Alair Holdsworth, and Madeline Davis, which did manage to avenge last week's equipment failure loss to Montclair. Unfortunately they only managed to finish 3rd out of four boats. You can find the full results here.
4/10/2004 - Mercer Lake Sprints II
Back to New Jersey, but the gremlins followed. Sacred Heart raced a JV2x, a JV4x, and a V4x today at Mercer Lake Sprints II. The weather was sunny but windy, with water conditions varying from rough to whitecaps. The JV2x of Sam Cutler and Jill O'Donnell raced first. Their event was mixed with a V2x, another JV2x, and 3 Novice 2xs in the race. Sacred Heart rowed a strong race in choppy water, but finished behind the V2x and other JV2x. They easily outdistanced the 3 novice boats. Next up was the JV4x of Sam Cutler, Susan Groff, Jane Horstman, and Caroline Foley. Again rowing in choppy water, Sacred Heart finished third out of four. Our final race of the day was the V4x of Alair Holdsworth, Madeline Davis, Andrea Dormans, and Courtney Hakanson. Equipment problems continued to plague our crews as bow seat lost her top bolt and the rudder was stuck to port. Despite rowing across three lanes as a result of the stuck rudder, Sacred Heart was able to stay even with the other crew and was actually moving away at the 500 meter mark. At that point, in a highly unusual move, the referee instructed our crew to stop rowing because they were headed off the course. After that the race was lost and the official results show Sacred Heart succumbed to equipment failure. It was a difficult way to end racing at Mercer for the season, but the fires are stoked for next week.
4/4/2004 - 4TH FLICK-HORVAT
It was another beautiful day at the river, if you call rain, wind, and temperature in the 30's beautiful. Several rowers were evacuated to the emergency room for hypothermia (no CDSSH rowers, thank goodness). The novices attempted to race in their second Flick today, but injuries and the fin gremlins kept them out of competition. One novice quad scratched due to injury to one rower, while the other quad ripped off their boat's fin on the way to the starting line. The finless quad was towed to St. Joseph's boathouse where the crew was warmed up before their shoeless walk back to the tent. The JV4x enjoyed the scenery at the starting line for about an hour before the race finally started. The quad of Andrea Dormans, Susan Groff, Kristen Schumacher, and Caroline Foley plowed through the wind and rain to a fourth place finish. The events after the JV4x's were canceled, leaving the varsity lightweight 2x and the V4x without races. Who would've thought a cool, overcast day at Mercer Lake would look so good? You can find the full results here.
4/3/2004 - Mercer Lake Sprints I
Sacred Heart crew ventured into northern New Jersey today, and raced on Mercer Lake, an official US Olympic Training Site. The weather at the seven lane buoyed race course was overcast with a slight breeze, leaving the water relatively calm. It was a successful day for our crews, as both the JV4x and the V4x won by open water in match races. The JV4x of Andrea Dormans, Susan Groff, Kara Wisely, and Caroline Foley, took the lead right off the line, and never looked back. They rowed a strong race to win by about 2 lengths of open water. The V4x of Alair Holdsworth, Madeline Davis, Gen Moser, and Courtney Hakanson, found themselves 3 seats down after the first 500. By the 1000m mark, though, they had walked through their opponents and won by about one and a half lengths open. Both crews borrowed boats from Upper Merion, the V4x feeling at home in a Vespoli and the JV4x racing in an older Kaschper. We're grateful to Upper Merion for allowing us to use their boats. Mercer Lake Sprints II are next week, following the National Selection Regatta, and we plan to be back. Mixed in with the high school races were collegiate races featuring Navy, Columbia, and MIT men's heavyweights, and the Navy and Yale men's lighweights.
3/28/2004 - 3RD FLICK-HORVAT
The Sacred Heart novices opened their season today at the 3rd Flick. The weather was sunny and breezy, with occasional gusts, but for the most part a good rowing day. The Sacred Heart novice quad of Kristen Vasmanis, Jill Nentwig, Meredith Mullan, and Shay Williams got off to a good start, but immediately ran into trouble when the boat veered out of its lane and headed into the far shore. Subsequent examination of the boat revealed a severely bent fin rendering attempts at steering all but useless. Despite the equipment failure, the novices recovered and finished strongly, showing technique and power at least the equal of any other boat in their race. It was a promising start to the season. Next up was the varsity lightweight double of Courtney Hakanson and Madeline Davis. This boat posted the fastest time of any women's double on the water today on their way to a 30 second victory. The varsity double of Kara Wisely and Susan Groff finished up Sacred Heart's racing for the day. Racing for the first time together in a double, they turned in a strong finish to take second place. You can find the full results here.
3/14/2004 - 2ND FLICK-HORVAT
A spring break depleted Sacred Heart crew took to the waters of the Schuylkill River for the 2nd Manny Flick today. Official conditions - WEATHER: COLD AND BLUSTERY IN 40S; WIND: GUSTY 10 TO 15 MPH; WATER: CALM. Those who were there know this description is somebody's idea of a joke. Water calm? The wind was steady at about 20 mph and gusted much higher, creating near impossible conditions for crews rowing through Girard from Boathouse Row. Nearly all novice races were canceled, including the novice 4x, resulting in the varsity 4x becoming the lone Sacred Heart entry. Sacred Heart jumped off the start in 2nd or 3rd place, but drifted between 4th and 5th for the body of the race. As they moved through the island, the 4x brought up the rate and gained a boat length on the field, resulting in a 4th place finish. On a non-racing note, we owe a debt of gratitude to Episcopal, who clearly follow that age old dictum: To anchor a man's tent for a day, let him tie it to yours, to anchor a man's tent for life, give him sticks and twine. You can find the full results here.
3/14/2004 - 1ST FLICK-HORVAT
Sacred Heart crew opened the 2004 racing season at the 1st Manny Flick. This is the first time Sacred Heart has raced this early in the season and it was an excellent low pressure way to get some early racing experience. Official conditions - TEMPERATURE 40'S, WIND STRONG, WATER HIGH AND FAST. First up was the JV2x. Sam Cutler and Jill O'Donnell turned in a credible performance, especially considering that this was only their second day in the boat together. We entered two roughly equal boats in the V4x race, which had a surprisingly full field of six boats. The A boat consisted of Alair Holdsworth, Kara Wisely, Gen Moser, and Courtney Hakanson, while the B boat was Kristen Schumacher, Susan Groff, Madeline Davis, and Caroline Foley. As the field closed on the tip of the island, both Sacred Heart boats were in the thick of it. The B boat was solidly in 3rd place until catching a crab with 10 strokes to go, but recovered nicely to only drop one place. The A boat followed their teammates across the line. You can find the full results here.
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