The Varsity quad of Mairead Mahoney, Claudia Loeber, Caley O'Brien, and Tori King raced well to finish 8th in their time trial and just miss the grand final by less than a boat length, finishing 4th to Our Lady Mercy in their semifinal; a boat that placed 3rd overall in the regatta. Hopefully this has given the girls a different perspective on what it takes to medal at an event like this. They are already outperforming their erg score with their technical ability, and mental toughness, with an extra year of training there is no doubt in my mind we can compete with the top boats at that level.
Our Varsity 1x, Greg Cuneo finished 3rd in his final by a microscope's margin. He raced incredibly tough in an incredibly tough event but got nipped by a late charge from an outside lane. Greg has had an incredible season this year winning the City Championships, 2 Manny Flicks, and placing in the top three at the Cooper Cup and NJ State Regatta in the Varsity Single. With a little more training, a little more size and strength, and a little more experience he will have a bright future in the sport.
Our Freshman 4x made the final by winning their time trial but made some Freshman mistakes to finish out of the medals. Although they had a rough final yesterday they raced a couragous race unafraid of making mistakes, which is what it takes to win at this level, but it didn't go their way. They have had an incredible season and hopefully this will give their Summer, Fall, and Winter Training some fire to come back and win next year as JV and Varsity athletes. If they keep training, they could be the group in the next 3 years that helps us win the Varisty Women's 4x at Stotes and perhaps, earn a trip to England to compete at Royal Henley.
All boats have had a great season and I can't express how proud I am of all of the hard work and great improvements all boats have made this year. I hope everyone sees this as just a stepping stone towards bigger and brighter things. We have taken on some ambitious tasks this year and we have accomplished an incredible amount. With the continued efforts of our amazing board; including our star fundraiser, Mary Ellen Cuneo, and an active and energized base of parents, we can continue on our path to reaching our potential as a club. The greatest thing about the sport and the team is, that it has a habit of bringing everyone together in a common goal. We truely can't do it without you... the entire parent base, our gracious sponsors, our community, and of course, our amazing athletes.
