Rockland Rowers Continue Ascent at Cooper Cup Regatta

Pennsauken, New Jersey - Rockland youth rowers turned in a dominant performance on the Cooper River ranking second out of 50 in the efficiency standings for medals won by teams on Sunday at the Cooper Cup Regatta. Races were contested over 2,000 meters with heats and finals in the varsity events and flights only in the junior varsity and novice events.

In the six-boat flight for the boy's junior varsity quadruple sculls stroke seat Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20, Jake Bardorf (3) Clarkstown South '19, Anthony Feteira (2) Clarkstown South '19 and Kevin McCabe (bow) Northern Valley Demarest '20 won gold in 5:08.09 eclipsing second-place Three Rivers by less than a second (5:08.72). Third-place went to Germantown Friends (5:16.21).

In the boy's varsity double sculls morning heat, stroke seat Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 and bow seat Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 came in first place to advance to the afternoon grand final. In the six-boat final they finished in third with a time of 5:14.25 behind second-place Baltimore 5:12.30 and first-place Malvern Prep (5:07.66).

The girl's varsity lightweight eight took silver in the straight final, coxed by Shoshana Ronen IHA '20, stroke seat Gabriele Welp IHA '19, Caroline High (7) home school '22, Lucy Jackson (6) Nyack '18, Georgia Young (5) Ridgewood '21, Olivia De Maria (4) Northern Highlands '20, Lucinda Carroll (3) Nyack '19, Leyla Arcasoy (2) IHA '20 and Michaela Davidson (bow) Clarkstown North '19. The crew posted a time of 6:07.2 behind Lower Merion (5:45.16) and ahead of third-place Syosset (6:11.43) and fourth-place Horace Mann (6:55.93).

In the girl's varsity single sculls Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 finished first and Welp finished third in their respective morning heats. In the afternoon grand final, Young captured bronze with a time of 6:28.94 closely behind second-place Three Rivers (6:26.52) and first-place Nereid (6:26.31) and ahead of fourth-place Ellis (6:29.53), teammate and fifth-place Welp (6:33.35) and six-place South Jersey (6:46.17). 

Rockland's boys are coached by Veli Etropolski and Melissa Boyd coaches the girls team. Next up, Rockland will compete at the Long Island Rowing Championships on Sunday, May 6 on Oyster Bay in New York. 

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Boatings

Rockland Rows Well at ISA Sculling Championships

West Windsor, New Jersey - Rockland's under 19 team raced well at the ISA Sculling Championships on Mercer Lake, ending the annual Earth Day with a bronze medal and advancing two boats to the petite and grand finals. The event attracts strong teams from Connecticut giving RRA an opportunity to race against teams they would not otherwise face.  

The morning started with the varsity girl's single sculls time trial which had 27 entries. Gabriele Welp IHA '19 finished fourth (8:25.07) and Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 finished eighth (8:52.50). The top seven advanced to the grand final and the next seven advanced to the petite final.

In the heat for the boy's varsity double sculls, three teams in the six-boat field finished within one second of each other in the battle for second-place to advance to the grand final. Being led by New Caanan (7:03.43), Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 and Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 finished in third with a 7:11.04, closely behind Baltimore (7:10.77) and out-finished Oak Neck Academy by six-tenths of a second thereby turning the tables on the Oak Neck duo who bested RRA at last weekend's regatta. The boys were coached by Veli Etropolski.

In the afternoon Welp raced again, this time in the girl's varsity lightweight quadruple sculls with teammates Caroline High '22, Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '18 and Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19. The crew captured bronze in 7:35.72 in the seven-boat field behind Row America - Rye (7:33.81) and New Canaan (7:19.90) while leaving nearly 12 seconds between them and Connecticut Boat Club (7:47.40).

The day ended for Rockland with the finals for the girl's varsity single sculls. In the petite final Young clinched second-place with a time of 8:50.42 behind Josie Coleman of Oak Neck Academy (8:43.02) and ahead of Dominique Marlin Andrews of Whitemarsh (8:50.72). In the grand final Welp finished seventh-place, her third race of the day, in 8:46.50. The grand final included Anna Matthes from Cambridge Boat Club who raced in last year's World Rowing Junior Championships (8:17.22).

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Boatings

RRA Medals in Six Events at the Met Youth Speed Order

Kearny, New Jersey - The Rockland Rowing youth team had an outstanding day on the Passaic River capturing six event medals where the girls medaled in every event entered. Races were contested over 1500 meters. 

Medals were awarded to novice crews based on time trial finish order. In the girl's frosh/novice double sculls Jacqueline Doherty Clarkstown South '21 and Shoshana Ronen IHA '20 captured the first medal of the day for the team. They finished in second-place clocking in at 9:27.2 ahead of Westfield (9:32.9) and behind Nereid (7:46.3). 

In the girl's frosh/novice quadruple sculls Georgia Young Ridgewood '21, Hannah Hely Tappan Zee '21, Olivia De Maria Northern Highlands '20 and Leyla Arcasoy IHA ' 20 finished in 6:31.2 behind Ridgewood (6:16.1) but ahead of Westfield (7:03.0) and three other crews. 

In the varsity events also run as time trials, bronze medals were awarded to third-place finishers and first and second-place finishers qualified for a side by side grand final to determine medal color. 

In the girl's varsity lightweight double sculls morning time trial Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '18 and Caroline High '22 covered the course with the fastest time in 6:43.6 to qualify for the grand final along with Nereid (6:50.4) who finished second. Rockland's Lucy Jackson Nyack '18 and Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19 captured bronze (7:14.1) and were well ahead of Whitemarsh (7:41.5) in the same four boat race. In the grand final Davidson and High went 6:51.7 knocking out Nereid (6:56.5) in the two boat race for the gold medal. 

Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 was second in the girl's varsity single sculls morning time trial with a time of 6:48.0 finishing less than one second back from Oak Neck Academy's Josie Coleman (6:47.2) and well ahead of third-place finisher Jordan Craig from Nereid (7:00.1) and five other competitors. In the dual race grand final, Young clocked in 7:19.2 as Oak Neck retained the top spot (7:11.4). Coleman was a single sculls grand finalist in the NY State Championships last year and this was Young's second time competing in a single.  

In the boy's varsity double sculls time trial Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 and Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 finished second in 6:02.4 behind Oak Neck Academy (5:59.5) clipping bronze medalist's Nereid (6:02.5) by one tenth of a second for a spot in the grand final. In the afternoon grand final racing only two abreast, 10th graders Rostek and Almond coached by Veli Etropolski finished a respectable second-place in 5:51.5 behind the 12th graders from Oak Neck (5:47.7). 

Up next, the team will travel to West Windsor, New Jersey for the Mercer Sprints Regatta on Sunday, April 22.

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Boatings

Six Medals for U19 Rowers at the HRRA Indoor Sprints

Poughkeepsie, New York -  The Rockland Rowing youth team made a great showing on Saturday medaling in every event entered. Over 250 athletes competed at the McCann Center at Marist College for the the Indoor Sprints Regatta hosted by the Hudson River Rowing Association.  

Coach by Melissa Boyd, eighth grade girl Caroline High raced first in the day in the combined boys and girls 7th & 8th grade 1,000 meter event. High won gold for the fastest time among the eight girls and finished second overall in the combined field of 18. All other races for the day were 2,000 meters. 

In the junior women's lightweight event heavy hitter Gabriele Welp IHA '19 had a decisive win, the fastest overall girls time of the day and set an event record. Joining Welp in the race to the podium was junior lightweight rower Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '19 who captured bronze in the field of 27.

In the junior women's openweight division senior Ariel Deljanin Northern Valley Old Tappan '18 captured bronze and senior Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 was not far behind earning fourth place of 52.

Coach Veli Etropolski led the boys to success. Sophomore lightweight rower Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 took silver in the junior men's lightweight division in a field of 44. Competing in the same event junior Matthew Davidson Clarkstown North '19 came in fourth and sophomore Kevin McCabe Northern Valley Demarest '20 finished seventh. 

Junior Jake Bardorf Clarkstown South '19 captured bronze in the junior openweight men's category, the most entered event with 58 athletes. The team secured another three top-10 finishes in the event with Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20, Anthony Feteira Clarkstown South '19 and Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20 finishing 5th, 6th and 9th respectively.

Overall it was an inspiring way to end the indoor training season. The rowers are anxious to be back on the water this month and harness the speed they cultivated on the erg this past winter.  

Full results (pdf)

Gold, Silver and Bronze for U19 at Ironmen Erg Classic 2018

Ramsey, New Jersey - Rockland Rowing proved hard work breeds success at the Ironmen Erg Classic on Saturday hosted by Don Bosco Prep. Rockland's under 19 youth rowers brought home gold, silver and bronze medals and set new personal records (PR). This year's race had 363 entrants from 19 clubs and competitors raced 2,000 meters on the indoor rowing machines.  Head Boy's Coach Veli Etropolksi said "Overall the team is strong, dedicated, committed and motivated... they will be strong contenders in the upcoming races throughout the year."

On the girl's side coached by Melissa Boyd, Gabriele Welp IHA '19 won gold in the girl's high school varsity lightweight category with a time of 7:40.4. Welp was off her PR by more than ten seconds but still defeated 16 rowers including last year's winner in this event to whom she was runner-up last year. Eighth grade rower Caroline High '22 took home silver in a field 16 and set a new personal record (3:56:1 for 1k). 

For the boy's team coached by Veli Etropolski Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 captured bronze in the men's high school novice race which saw 13 competitors (7:02.5). Two boy's team members also achieved personal records lightweight junior Matthew Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (7:11.0) and open weight junior Jake Bardorf Clarkstown South '19 (6:49.4). Bardorf said, "I was very happy with my time" and is already looking ahead to the next 2k as he is "excited to improve."

Up next, Rockland's competitive youth will travel to Poughkeepsie for the HRRA Indoor Sprints on March 17.

Full results (PDF)

Youth complete fall season on a high note

Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA. - The Rockland Rowing youth claimed gold in the boy's novice double sculls, bronze in the girl's varsity single sculls and a top-five finish in the girl's varsity double sculls to highlight the team's racing at the Head of the Schuylkill on Sunday.  

Competing in the boy's novice double sculls, Wilhelm McGinnis Nyack '19 (stroke) and Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (bow) rowed to victory turning in a time of 16:59.269 to defeat runner-up Steel City (17:02.442) and Malvern Prep who finished third (17:02.554) and fourth (17:02.755) in the 15-boat field. 

On the girl's side, competing in the varsity single sculls Gabriele Welp IHA '19 emerged in medal contention in the second half of the 2.5 mile head race and finished with a time of 17:55.529 in a 17-boat field, just about one second behind winner Steel City (17:54.173) and second-place Tredyfrinn Easttown (17:54.667).

Welp (bow) raced for the second time later in the day. She partnered with Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 (stroke) in the varsity double sculls and the duo finished in fifth-place with a time of 17:30.569 in an event with more than 30 entries. 

The team also finished in the top half of the field in the girl's novice double sculls. Olivia De Maria Northern Highlands '20 (stroke) and Leyla Arcasoy IHA '20 (bow) recorded a seventh-place finish, crossing the line in 19:17.687. The event had 17 entries. 

"The team has a whole showed great development over the course of the season," said head coach Melissa Boyd. "It's been one of the best seasons at Rockland Rowing."

The team will take their training indoors mid-month at the New York Sports Club to prepare for sprint racing in the spring season.

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Boatings

Rockland races at the Head of the Charles

Charles River, Boston, Mass. - The Rockland Rowing Association had two crews race at the prestigious 53rd Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday. The warm weather drew crowds and a light tail wind made for fast racing conditions. Rockland's women's youth four finished 54th in a 84-boat field and the directors' challenge men's quadruple sculls finished 15th in a field of 37.

This year marked the fourth straight season Rockland has raced in the women's youth four event.  Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 (stroke), Ariel Deljanin Northern Regional '18 (three), Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19 (two), Gabriele Welp IHA '19 (bow) and Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff '18 clocked in with a time of 20:28.695 on the 4800 meter course. The crew was competitive amongst regional foes, finishing six seconds ahead of South Jersey (20:35.166) and five seconds behind Mountain Lakes (20:23.293), but was 26 seconds back from the last qualifying crew to guarantee the entry for a fifth year. 

Deljanin was the only returning crew member while the other girls made their Head of the Charles debuts. "We had to replace four of the five crew members who rowed for us in last year's regatta," said head coach Melissa Boyd. "With this crew 54th place is good. It was an impressive effort by the girls against top-notch talent and the often-challenging course was well-navigated by first-year coxswain Mazzola."

Deljanin said, "It's really a once in a lifetime opportunity to go out and be amongst so many amazing people in the rowing community. Sitting at the starting line and seeing that many boats in one place is insane and I was so grateful to get to experience that for a second time. I am also so proud of our two novice rowers we had in the boat for keeping their composure at a race of that caliber!"

Competing in the directors' challenge men's quadruple sculls, Rockland's master's men covered the course with a raw time of 17:02.334 and an adjusted time of 16:21.334. The crew of Tom Chyla, Peter Klose, Justin Bohan and Ivan Rudolph-Shabinksy rowed for charity.

Rudolph-Shabinsky also raced in the men's seniors masters four with fellow Cornell alumni and finished fifth-place in a field of 43. His daughter Alice, a current Cornell rower and Rockland Rowing alumna, took silver in the women's championship four racing for the Big Red.

The rowers will rejoin their counterparts for the final regatta of the season on October 29 at the Head the Schuylkill in Philadelphia, PA.

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Boatings

Team excels at Head of the Passaic collecting medals in five events

Passaic River, Rutherford, NJ - The Rockland youth rowers captured one bronze and four silver medals on Sunday facing local competition at the Head of the Passaic, a 2.7 mile head race. The event is co-hosted by the Passaic River Rowing Association and the Nereid Boat Club. "The regatta provided an opportunity for our team to show its depth as we had favorable results across the board," said head coach Melissa Boyd. "It is always great to see hard work pay off for our athletes."

The morning started with the boy's varsity quadruple sculls finishing second-place with a time of 14:56.34 behind Ridgwood (14:12.25) and ahead of Nereid (14:59.25). The silver medal continues a successful season for the boat comprising rowers: Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (stroke), Anthony Feteira Clarkstown South '19 (three), Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20 (two), and Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 (bow).

Competing in the girl's varsity single sculls, Gabriele Welp IHA '19 recorded a time of 18:31.50 to finish in second-place, six seconds back of the winner from Nereid. Welp started second to last in the time trial race and had to work her way through several competitors while Nereid started first and extended its advantage over the other boats by steering through its home course well.

In the afternoon Welp (bow) earned her second medal of the day competing in the varsity double sculls race and was joined by teammate Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 (stroke). Young had also previously raced in the day, but the duo still showed good speed with a third-place finish for the bronze medal in a competitive 11-boat field. They clocked a time of 19:57.64, seven seconds behind Ridgewood and 23 seconds behind City Island. 

Rockland wrapped up its day with a strong showing by the novices. Rostek (stroke) and Grippi (two) earned their second silver medal of the day in the boy's novice four and were joined by Wilhelm McGinnis Nyack '19 (three), Cory Gorczycki Hackley '19 (bow) and coxswain Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff '18. The crew finished in a time of 22:25.15 behind winner Kearney (21:14.87) and ahead of Mountain Lakes (22:59.22).

The girls finished second-place in the novice quadruple sculls with Olivia De Maria Northern Highlands '20 (stroke), Leyla Arcasoy IHA '20 (three), Kate Bushell Pascack Hills '18 (two) and Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19 (bow) with a time of 24:09.14, 25 seconds ahead of the next best competitor. 

The team also finished in the top half of the girl's junior varsity double sculls with Lucy Jackson Nyack '18 (stroke) and Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (bow).

A select crew will next race at the Head of the Charles in Boston, Mass. on Sunday, October 22.

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Boatings

Youth continue fall season with two top-10 finishes at Head of Housatonic

Housatonic River, Shelton, CT - The youth rowers had a solid showing with two top-ten finishes on Saturday at the Head of the Housatonic on the Housatonic River, home of Yale's storied rowing program. The regatta is hosted by New Haven Rowing Club. The 2.7 mile course is notable for its lack of bridges and that crews have to wet launch from a sandy beach. The regatta included fierce competition from the Northeast with such powerhouses as the Cambridge Boat Club, Greenwich, and New Caanan. 

Gabriele Welp raced the varsity girl's single sculls, the first time RRA has ever entered the event at this regatta and finished fifth in a field of 19 with a time of 18:59.8. First-place went to Cambridge (17:29.7) and Greenwich took both second (18:24.9) and third-place (18:50.9).

RRA's eighth-place finish improved on last year's 12th-place effort in the varsity boy's quadruple sculls with Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (stroke),  Anthony Feteira Clarkstown South '19 (three), Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20 (two), and Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 (bow). The crew posted a time of 15:26.4 among a field of 19 crews. 

The team also entered the varsity girl's quadruple sculls which finished 12th out of 20 in 17:01.2.

The two boats which finished top-10 earned an automatic bid for next year’s Head of the Housatonic. 

The fall season focus is on building endurance and improving technique. The style of racing during the fall is called head racing, and takes place in a time-trial format, where the boats race against the clock, rather than directly against each other. Head racing also does not separate out the lightweight rowers from the openweights.

“It was a good way to gauge our mid-season progress and judge ourselves against some of the best crews in the Northeast region,” said head coach Melissa Boyd. "Based on these results I think our rowers are eager to see where their continued training will take them."

RRA will turn their attention to the next full-squad competition on October 15 for Head of the Passaic in Lyndhurst, NJ.

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Boatings

Team picks up four medals at Head of the Riverfront Regatta

Connecticut River, Hartford, CT - The under 19 youth rowers made a big splash at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta sponsored by Riverfront Recaputure on Sunday. Rockland Rowers captured four medals and a top half finish in five events entered. "We are happy with today's outcome," said head coach Melissa Boyd. "The rowers showed excellent team work and professionalism throughout the day. The results provided positive feedback into our training, race preparation and steering and the Rockland "B" boats comprising novice and junior varsity athletes gained a lot of experience."

Gabriele Welp IHA '19 raced her first ever head race in the single and took silver in the girl's varsity event finishing with a time of 20:24.42 behind Litchfield Hills (19:56:15) and ahead of Blood Street Sculls (20:51:34.) Welp said, “Head of the Riverfront was a blast. It was fun for me to see how my speed translated to long distance races and to test my ability to push for a final sprint to the finish.”

The boy's and girl's varsity "A" quads each placed third for bronze in their respective events. The girl's quad lineup of Lucy Jackson Nyack '19 (stroke), Ariel Deljanin N. Valley '18 (three),  Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (two), and Welp (bow) finished in 20:28.26, placing behind first-place RowAmerica Rye (18:37.54) and second-place Pelham Community Rowing Association (19:59.33) in a field of eight. 

The boy's quad race was competitive, with the top three boats finishing within 14 seconds of each other over the 2.25 mile course, as Norwalk River Rowing Association and Blood Street Sculls came in just in front of the RRA in a field of 15 boats. The lineup of Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (stroke),  Anthony Feteira Clarkstown South '19 (three),  Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20 (two), and Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 (bow) posted a time of 18:23.42.

Wilhelm McGinnis Nyack '19, won the boy's novice single (23:41.83) by default when his single opponent scratched. McGinnis put forth a gold medal effort in his first race having only started sculling in July and specifically training in the single just the week leading up to the race. 

The boy's second varsity four lineup of Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff '18 (coxswain) Almond (stroke), Rostek (three), Grippi (two), and Matthew Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (bow) raced exhibition because of regatta rules and clocked in with a time of 18:52.48 which would have put them in 11th place out of 26 crews ahead of Greenwich Crew and behind Northfield Mount Hermon. "Given our team sculls 95% of the time, this was a great result," said coach Boyd.

The team will be back in action when they travel to the Head of the Housatonic on Saturday, October 7.

Full results (PDF)
Boatings

Silver and gold at fall opener

Schuylkill River, Bridgeport, PA - The under 19 youth rowers opened the fall season at the King's Head Regatta hosted by the Upper Merion Boatclub. Much like the unseasonably high temperature of 90 on race day, the Rockland Rowers were just as hot capturing two medals, including one gold, and a top half finish in four events entered.  

This race kicked off a full schedule of head racing. Head races are typically two to three times longer than the spring sprint races and with most fall "Head" races, the athletes will proceed down the course in single file in a time trial format competing for the best time.

To lead off the day, in a field of 19 in the girl's varsity double sculls event, Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 (stroke) and Gabriele Welp IHA '19 (bow) were runners-up to Nereid (20:02.75) taking silver with a time of 20:04.70.  In their wake was over a half dozen crews from the Mid-Atlantic region such as third-place ACRA (20:27.10), Whitemarsh, Harvey's Lake and Germantown.

Having already raced down the 2.8 mile course, Young (stroke) and Welp (bow) joined Ariel Deljanin N. Valley '18 (three) and Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (two) in the girl's varsity quadruple sculls and posted a respectable top half performance finishing in 19:30.81, just 19 seconds off winner Whitemarsh (19:11.6).

The highlight of the day was an unexpected victory in dominant fashion in the boy's junior varsity four with coxswain where the crew of Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 (stroke), Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (three), Anthony Feteira Clarkstown South '19 (two), Matthew Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (bow) and Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff '18 (coxswain) took home gold in a field of eight. They finished in 18:58.52 nearly a minute ahead of second place Gunston School (19:54.68). "This result should serve as a confidence boost as they continue their training," said coach Boyd. "It was a solid start to our 2017-2018 campaign for all the Rockland rowers who raced today."

Next up is the Head of the Riverfront Regatta on October 1 in Hartford, Ct. 

Full results (PDF)
Boatings

Photos courtesy of Chris X. Carroll

Philly Youth Regatta

Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA - The under 19 youth rowers wrapped up the season with the third and final regatta hosted this summer by the Schuylkill Navy. Competitors were recognized by the Schuylkill Navy with tote bags for 1st in flight and were awarded 1st-3rd place medals for fastest overall times. "Our rowers really demonstrated their proficiency in small boats," said head coach Melissa Boyd.

In the boy's novice single, Rockland's rising sophomores Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20 (stroke) and Kevin McCabe (bow) finished sixth and ninth overall, respectively in a field of 18. The boys only started rowing on the water in the spring of 2017 and already have demonstrated good command of the single scull.

Kayla Nueva (stroke) and partner Vanessa Even-Chen Ramapo NJ '19 (bow) left the entire field six boat lengths behind in the flight for the girl's under 17 double with a winning time of 6:14.43 and finished ninth overall in the field of 28. Chen raced not long afterwards in the girl's novice single where she finished second in her flight (4:34.02) and fourth out of 15 overall.

In the girl's under 17 single, Gabriele Welp IHA '19 won her flight in an easy fashion and took gold for the overall fastest time (6:19.70) in a field of 23. She also raced in the girl's under 19 single, where she finished just outside of the medals in fourth place (6:26.52) out of 29 overall.

Next up is the fall season opener, King's Head Regatta on Sept 24 near King of Prussia, PA. 

Full results  (PDF) 
Boatings

USRowing Club National Championships

Harsha Lake, Bethel, OH - The under 23 summer squad faced 115 of the best teams from across the country at USRowing's Club National Championships last week where more than 2,100 athletes and 1,750 boats competed over five days.  

There were 65 entries in the girl's under 17 single event time trial including Rockland's rising juniors Gabriele Welp IHA '19 and Vanessa Even-Chen Ramapo NJ '19. Welp had the tenth fastest time covering the course in 8:30.57 and Even-Chen defeated 31 rowers with a time of 9:01.77.  Both girls fared very well in an open field as lightweight rowers and Even-Chen stands out for having only started rowing on the water this calendar year.

Welp also raced the single in the women's intermediate lightweight event. The young athlete advanced out of the time trial and in the semifinal tried to maneuver out of her fourth place position with a big push near the 250 meter mark to secure a spot in the grand final, but was outclassed by older and more experienced rowers. She finished fourth in the semifinal with a time of 8:25.81 with OKC still five seconds ahead (5. Parati-8:41.83, 6. Nashville 8:45.31, 7. Wayland-Weston 8:50.64). Welp came in 7th overall in a field of 27 mostly collegiate rowers, an impressive feat for a 15-year-old. She said, "The experience allowed me to see what I am capable of doing on the race course and has shown me that anything is possible as long as you commit to it and truly want it."

Rising senior Ariel Deljanin N. Valley '18 stroked the girl's under 19 double with teammate Juliette Frank Ramapo NJ '17 in bow. The Rockland duo defeated a total of 27 crews in a field of 65 finishing with a time of 8:04.02. Frank signed to row with UCLA's Bruins beginning this fall and Deljanin is being actively recruited by Division I rowing coaches. 

In the women's intermediate lightweight double, Lucille Tasker Wisconsin '19 and Welp advanced from 26 entries in the time trial through the semifinal and on to the grand final where they finished in fifth place (8:05.38) ahead of Y Quad Cities (8:10.26). Lucille is a former Rockland rower and coxswain for Wisconsin women's lightweight rowing team. This past year she ran three marathons and is currently training for a half Ironman competition. 

Rockland newcomer and rising senior, Chloe Young Ridgewood '18 raced as part of the USRowing Junior Women's High Performance Camp where she finished 12th of 65 in the girl's under 19 double, 20th of 36 in the girl's under 19 quad and fifth in the grand final of the women's intermediate eight. "We're looking forward to having Young train with us in the fall," said head coach Melissa Boyd. "She's an incredible athlete and will be a great asset to our team."

Next up is the Philly Youth Regatta on July 22. 

Full results (PDF)

Independence Day Regatta

Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA - The Rockland Rowing Association had a strong showing finishing sixth out of 87 clubs in the team standings.

Anthony Rostek, a 15-year-old from Tappan Zee made his racing debut in the novice single and recorded an open water victory in the grand final for the win over North Jersey's Emerson Shatoughy (4:59.10) with a time of 4:50.20.

In the girl's U17 single grand final, 15-year-old Gabriele Welp IHA ' 19 finished runner-up to winner Hannah O'Neill from East End (10:19.08) with a time of 10:31.16 and outdistanced third place Victoria Moda from Essex (10:43.21) by 12 seconds. 

Welp joined U23 rowers Alice Rudolph-Shabinsky, Charlotte Buck and Lucille Tasker in the women's intermediate quad and the squad captured gold in the grand final edging out Arion (7:18.32) and Vesper (7:19.59) with a time of 7:15.90.

Next up is the USRowing Club National Championships at Harsha Lake in Bethel, Ohio beginning July 12.  

Full results (PDF)
Boatings

Three Golds at Schuylkill Navy Regatta

Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA - Rockland youth and U23 rowers competed at the Schuylkill Navy Regatta on Saturday where they won gold in three events: the women's novice single, women's intermediate lightweight double and the men's junior four. The conditions were perfect for the 2,000 meter side-by-side sprint races. "This is the first regatta in our summer circuit and the goal is to get out there and gain more racing experience," said head coach Melissa Boyd.

Vanessa Even-Chen Ramapo NJ '19 raced in the novice women's single 1,000 meter straight final and won gold by a four second margin over Nereid finishing in 4:25.80.  

Novice coxswain Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff '19 lead her crew to a gold medal in the junior men's four straight final finishing nearly a minute ahead of single opponent Bergen County with a time of 8:29.81. This was the crew's first ever sweep race. The lineup was Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20,  Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20, Kevin McCabe N Valley Demarest '20, and Alex Karanikitas N. Valley Regional '19.

Former Rockland rower and current Cornell rower, Cassidy McGovern stroked the women's intermediate double with bow seat Juliette Frank Ramapo NJ '17. They finished a close third, just over a second behind East End with a time of 8:05.86 in a six boat final. Last summer the duo raced together at USRowing's Club Nationals where they placed 8th in the nation in the women's under 19 double. Frank is rowing at UCLA this fall. 

RRA's junior women's double with varsity rower Frankie Fradianni Nyack '17 and novice rower Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19 finished runner up to Nereid with a time of 8:59.74. Fradianni is rowing at UNC this fall. 

Former Rockland rower and now Wisconsin lightweight women's coxswain, Lucille Tasker partnered with Gabriele Welp (IHA '19) in the women's intermediate lightweight double final where they commanded a 40 second led over Nereid in the dual race, finishing with a time of 8:25.52.

Next up for the team is IDR in Philly on June 30-July 2. 

Full results (PDF)

USRowing Youth National Championships

Sarasota, Florida - Rockland youth rowers Ariel Deljanin N. Valley Regional HS '18 and Gabriele Welp IHA '19 placed 20th in the nation in the girl's youth pair event at the 2017 USRowing Youth National Championships, a premier invitational regatta for over 1500 athletes representing over 150 teams at Nathan-Benderson Park June 9-11.

On Friday teams raced in speed time trials to determine placement in semis and finals. Of 21 crews racing, the pair completed the time trial 21st with a time of 8:46.07 following ACRA (8:22.27) and Utah (8:22.19). Their final was scheduled for Saturday, but inclement weather postponed it until Sunday. In the three boat D final the pair had a much stronger performance and finished second in 8:32.08 good for 20th place overall. They were runner-up to Utah (8:19.13) having closed the gap by 10 seconds, and finished 30 seconds ahead of ACRA (9:02.21).

The overall winner of the girl's youth pair was Connecticut Boat Club (7:30.89), a duo with international experience, second-place went to Artemis (7:51.24) and third-place was Vashon Island (7:55.08). The RRA rowers went into the regatta with about three weeks of pair training and about one year each of competitive racing experience, mostly in sculling boats. Deljanin helped earn the bid for the Youth Nationals entry with pair partner Frankie Fradianni Nyack '17 at the Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships in mid-May where they placed third behind ACRA. Welp was called up as an alternate when Fradianni could not attend. 

Next up for the youth team is the Schuylkill Navy Regatta on June 17 in Philadelphia.  

Full results

Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships

West Windsor, NJ - Rockland Rowing youth rowers concluded their spring season Saturday at the regional championships hosted by PNRA. Due to an unusual May Nor'easter the racing format was adjusted from heats to time trials for the opening round. The rapidly deteriorating weather ended the racing before the conclusion of time trials and all finals were cancelled. "The weather was a key factor in our results today," said head coach Melissa Boyd, "however there were some very bright spots for our team, specifically our upperclassman earned a bid to Youth Nationals, our younger rowers won a silver medal, and aside from the cancelled boy's U17 4x time trail everyone walked away with valuable race experience."

Three seniors raced in the varsity singles event. Julia Nelson Tappan Zee '17 and Juliette Frank Ramapo NJ '17 competed in the girl's single and finished 6th (9:41) and 7th (9:52) of 8 respectively. Nelson will row at Lehigh this fall and said, "Mid-Atlantics felt like the strongest and best race this spring; it was a great way to finish the season." Fran was recruited to UCLA this fall and concluded, "My last race as a high school senior was definitely not ideal. The weather was awful and it was not my best race, but I think it shows that regattas are unpredicable and you have to adapt and make the best of out it! It was a great run at Rockland Rowing as a high school student and I couldn't imagine rowing anywhere else!" Alexander Arcasoy Northern Highlands '17 raced in the boy's single and finished 10th of 15 in the time trial with a time of 8:29. Alex said, "I felt as if I was cooled down before even starting and only felt on my A game after the first 1,000 meters." Arcasoy plans to row at Northeastern in the fall.

All of RRA's three varsity doubles entries had last minute issues which required reworking the lineups. In the girl's lightweight double, Gabriele Welp IHA '19 (stroke) partnered with Michaela Davidson Clarkstown North '19 (bow) and they finished fifth out of six with a time of 8:47; Lucy Jackson Nyack '18 raced with Vanessa Even-Chen Ramapo NJ '19 in the varsity double and they finished 12th out of 14 with a time of 9:44; and in the boy's lightweight double, Dilan Lakhani Clarkstown '18 partnered with Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20 where they finished 10th, last in their time trial with a time of 8:36. 

In the girl's varsity pair, Frankie Fradianni Nyack '17 and Ariel Deljanin N Valley Regional '18 took third-place with a time of 9:30 which earned the team a bid to the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida. They finished 17" closer to the winning crew from Mountain Lakes from when they faced them last at Mercer Sprints. "This duo improved all season long and I'm really proud of them," said Boyd. Fradianni is a senior and was recruited to row at UNC an said, "Mid-Atlantics was a difficult race, we faced obstacles such as wind, rain, and cold. We put up a fight and I am so proud of us for qualifying for nationals. I have been rowing with RRA for almost six years now, so this race was bittersweet. I will miss all the memories and friends I have made, but I am prepared and excited to row in college. It has been a great experience rowing a pair this season."

In the girl's U17 single, Davidson had her second race of the day and narrowly missed a podium finish ending up fourth with a time of 11:33.82 behind Harvey's Lake (11:32.20).

In the girl's novice four the crew of Emilie Mazzola Briarcliff 2018 (coxswain) and rowers Lucy Jackson Nyack '18 (stroke), Celia Bernhardt Nyack '18 (three), Isabel Wecht Nyack '18 (two) and Lucinda Carroll Nyack '19 (bow) finished 9th out of 16 with a time of 9:58. This was the girls' first sweep race. "Having Emilie as our coxswain was beneficial . . . not only to give us commands but to provide us with that extra push of motivation for the last 500 meters," said bow seat Lucinda. "The resilience I felt with my boat though the rain and wind showed how committed our team really is."

In the girl's U17 double, Welp and Even-Chen took silver when they clocked in at 9:37 behind Whitemarsh (9:33) and ahead of South Jersey (9:39). This was their highest finish all season. "I want to congratulate them for getting a medal. Their perseverance paid off and in their first season of rowing together they have already made a big impact on the team," said Boyd. 

The boy's U17 4x time trial was cancelled on account of the deteriorating weather.  The crew of Ryan Almond Clarkstown North '20, Anthony Rostek Tappan Zee '20, Kevin McCabe N.Valley Demarest '20 and Billy Grippi Tappan Zee '20. "The rain, wind, and cold temperature was awful and seeing people shivering everywhere made my 2nd regatta seem like a war zone," said Roster.  "However . . . in an outdoor water sport like rowing you have to be prepared for all types of weather."

“I am very proud of the positive attitude across the entire team. Today's racing demonstrated a lot of grit and with more time I'm sure we will see more strides,” said Boyd. "I want to thank all the parents for cheering for our athletes in the rain to day and for providing support for this program day in and day out this season," Boyd added. "We couldn't do it without them."  

Next up is the USRowing Youth National Championships at Nathan-Benderson Park in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida June 9-11 for the girl's varsity pair. 

Full results

Cooper Cup Regatta

Camden, NJ - The Rockland Rowing youth team competed in its second race of the spring schedule on Sunday when it competed at the Cooper Cup Regatta hosted by the South Jersey Rowing Club. Senior Alexander Arcasoy (Northern Highlands/Northeastern) won a bronze medal in the varsity boys singles event.  "It was a tough day in terms of rowing small boats in the chop but we overcame it. The varsity crews were able to identify things from the last race that we wanted to improve on for this one, and all of our novices learned about competing since this was only their first or second race ever," said head coach Melissa Boyd. 

The varsity girls double posted fourth in their heat with a time of 9:10.05. The boat was made up of Frankie Fradianni (Nyack/UNC) and Ariel Deljanin (N Valley Regional 2018).  "All the technique work we did at practice last week definitely paid off," said Ariel. "The girls were able to close the gap on teams they raced at Mercer by rowing better and improve their overall standings. This was a step in the right direction for them," said Boyd. 

In the varsity girls single, Juliette Frank (Ramapo/UCLA) advanced to the final where she finished sixth with a time of 11:22.64. "It was great to see Juliette row more aggressively and find a better racing rhythm in the single which is still relatively new to her," said Boyd. Julia Nelson (Tappan Zee/Lehigh) also raced in the same event and finished fourth in the heat with a time of 10:48.30. 

In the varsity boys single, Alexander Arcasoy edged out Haddon Twp by one second to advance to the final where he won bronze with a time of 9:30.38. "It went as well as I could have hoped. I'm very happy with my results," stated Alex. At Mercer Sprints Alex narrowly missed advancing to the final. "Alex went into this race with the mentality that he could be more gutsy and dig deeper than last time. He treated this race with championship caliber effort," said Boyd.  

The varsity girls lightweight double of novice rowers Gabriele Welp (IHA 2019) and Vanessa Even-Chen (Ramapo 2019) advanced to the final despite catching a boat stopping crab in the heat and went on to show their tenacity by finishing fourth overall despite a missed cue to start. "We felt strong in our races and even though we faced some setbacks, we weren’t willing to accept defeat," said Gabriele. Stroke seat Vanessa said, "Cooper was a great learning experience, that you can always row faster than you think you can, and that the race isn't over until you cross the finish line regardless of any setbacks you face in the middle."

The varsity boys lightweight double of Dilan Lakhani (Clarkstown 2018) and Alex Bondorowksy (Northern Highlands 2019) finished fifth in their heat with a time of 9:24.65. "The boys had a disappointing result and allowed the conditions to affect their rowing. Hopefully this experience is going to make them hungrier to keep their composure next time around," said Boyd. 

The boys novice quad finished third in their flight with a time of 9:28.27.  The lineup included two rowers new to the water this season and comprised Aidan Bohan (Briarcliff/RIT), Anthony Rostek (Tappan Zee 2020), Kevin McCabe (N Valley Demarest 2020), and Billy Grippi (Tappan Zee 2020). Billy recapped his experience at the regatta, "I enjoyed this . . .  It was great to see so many people that were interested in rowing. Even though it was competitive everyone was friendly and helpful towards one another. It was also a good time as to we were able to hang out and bond more as a team. We did much better than I expected and I hope to improve even more than I have so far this season." 

The girls novice 4x finished fifth in their flight with a time of 10:16.05. Three of the four rowers began rowing on the water last month. The lineup was Leyla Arcasoy (IHA 2020), Isabel Wecht (Nyack 2018), Emilie Mazzola (Briarcliff 2018), and Lucinda Carroll (Nyack 2019).  Lucinda described the experience as "extremely fun" and she "felt an incredible sense of camaraderie."

Kate Bushell (Pascack Hills 2018) and Celia Bernhardt (Nyack 2018) raced in the girls novice 2x and finished fourth in their flight with a time of 13:26.45. Celia described what it was like to row with Kate, "Working together made the two of us more powerful - we pushed each other to be stronger and were able to support each other throughout the process."

The girls JV 2x of Lucy Jackson (Nyack 2018) and Michaela Davidson (Clarkstown 2019) finished fourth in their flight with time of 10:41.40. "I enjoyed yesterday's race and I definitely think that Lucy and I work well together," said Michaela. "I know we can pull harder next time in order to catch up to the other boats."  This was their first time racing a double together.

The boys JV 2x finished fifth in their flight with a time of 11.57.19. Alex Karanikitas (N Valley Regional 2019) shared his experience racing with partner Matthew Davidson (Clarkstown 2019), "The race itself was an exhilarating one. Matt and I communicated almost perfectly when racing. It showed how good of a team people could be together."

"Thanks to South Jersey Rowing Club for hosting," said Boyd. "Today's racing was a good tune up for what to expect when we get to our regional championships. If we can keep the focus and continue taking little steps forward I think we will race well at the regional championships."

Rockland's third and final race of the spring season is the Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships on May 13-14.

Full results

Mercer Sprints/ISA Sculling Championships

West Windsor, NJ - The Rockland youth rowing team opened the 2017 sprint season on Sunday at the Mercer Sprints/ISA Sculling Championships where the boy's varsity lightweight double won bronze. The 2,000 meter course conditions were flat for the singles races, but the wind touched down and created a slight crosshead for the remaining races.  

The morning started with the varsity girls suffering an early defeat. Julia Nelson Tappan Zee '17 and Juliette Frank Ramapo NJ '17 raced in the varsity singles and the duo of Frankie Fradianni Nyack '17 (stroke) and Ariel Deljanin N Valley Regional '18 (bow) raced together in both the varsity pair and varsity double, all finished last in their heats. "The girls fell short this morning and didn't do what they are capable of doing,” said Melissa Boyd, head coach. “It is only the first race of the season. I have a lot of confidence in these girls and know from experience that they have much better races in them. Over the next few weeks we will work towards making some changes to help them execute fully on race day."

The day turned around when novice rowers Vanessa Even-Chen Ramapo NJ '19 and Gabriele Welp IHA '19 made their 2k racing debut and finished fourth in a pair of events. "Mercer was a great first race for Vanessa and me," said Welp who felt they held their own. "We really kept our place and added to the competition." The girls raced in the varsity lightweight double and shortly thereafter the second varsity double. "I thought they did great," Boyd said. "They are relatively young and were up against more experienced competition. They took a big step forward as a far as their confidence goes and showing us at what level they can race. We can look forward to them developing and they will be a fun duo to watch."

Alexander Arcasoy Northern Highlands '17 raced in the boy's varsity single against strong opponents. "I was able to throw in a few extra power tens," said Arcasoy who had an aggressive race, but dropped a close gap of less than two seconds to advance to the finals. "I'm personally hoping to improve much more before qualifiers and I think that this race was an eye opener to how far we all have come but also how far we still have to go to be the best we can."

The highlight of the day was the boy's varsity lightweight double of Dilan Lakhani Clarkstown '18 (stroke) and Alex Bondorowsky Northern Highlands '19 (bow) who captured bronze. "They put together a solid race and demonstrated the work and improvements we made in practice," said Boyd.

"A huge thanks to PNRA/Mercer for hosting and great competition," Boyd said. "The regatta provided an early season measure for how we compare to the teams we will race later on.  We are looking forward to the next three weeks and taking a few more steps forward before the Mid-Atlantic Championships." 

Rockland is back on the water at the Cooper Cup on April 30.

Full results

C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship

Boston, Massachusetts - Rockland Rowing braved the roads Sunday in spite of a winter storm to compete at the CRASH-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship.  The 2,000 meter race was held at Boston University's Agganis Arena where there were over 2,000 registered competitors. Given the size of the arena, quality of competition, and number of spectators the environment is overwhelming for most.  

Juliette Frank, girl's team captain finished a program best 11th place in the junior women's open weight division, which saw 191 athletes compete, while setting a new personal record of 7:21.1.  Her time would have placed inside the top 40 in the women's open division, an event heavily subscribed by top collegiate, club, and international talent alike.  Juliette is a senior at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, NJ and has been recruited to row at UCLA this fall.  Leading up to the race Juliette felt she was capable of executing a great race, "I knew I was prepared because I had trained hard throughout the season and all I needed to do was do that work justice." Rowing director and head coach Melissa Boyd coxed Juliette through the race and had this to say about it afterwards, "Juliette is an amazing athlete with impressive drive and motivation. Her execution of the race plan was flawless."

Lightweight rower Gabriele Welp, a sophomore at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, NJ decisively won her heat, with a personal best of 7:56.5.  Overall she finished in the top quarter of the lightweight junior women's event in a competitive field of 106 rowers. Coach Boyd said, "Gabby is a young rower who has a ton of potential and incredible work ethic. She's definitely a rower to watch."

Alexander Arcasoy, boy's team captain and a senior at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, NJ finished in the top third of the junior men's heavyweight division.  He narrowly missed setting a personal record, but showed great improvement since last year at CRASH-B's. This year he finished 30 seconds faster with a time of 6:46.7. "I've always been impressed with Alexander," said coach Boyd, "He has high expectations of himself. I think he's just starting to scratch the surface of his rowing potential and we anticipate big things from him."

Ryan Almond, a freshman at Clarkstown North High School in NY won his heat and established a new personal best with a time of 7:21.9 in the junior men's lightweight division. "Ryan is a fierce competitor and side-by-side racing brings out his best effort," said coach Boyd, "this will serve him well when we return to the water in the spring."

Overall it was a successful day for Rockland. The team will resume winter training in search of even more fitness and speed over the next several weeks before returning to Rockland Lake in March.

Full results