New Trier Rowers show speed at the Head of the Charles Regatta

NEW TRIER ROWERS SHOW SPEED AT HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA, OCTOBER 20th, 2019, CAMBRIDGE, MA

New Trier Girls and Boys Youth 8+ crews rowed fast races to place near the top of high school teams competing in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta October 17-18 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The race attracted approximately 11,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators from around the world.

Under partly sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-50s and wind, the two New Trier crews showed results that bested previous performances.

New Trier Girls rowed 1:35 minutes faster and were closer to the first-place finisher than last year, Program Director, Head Coach and Varsity Girls’ Coach Rose Marchuk said. “There were few high schools that ranked higher than New Trier’s 25th place finish. I am very proud of how aggressively they rowed and to the best of their ability in a field that continues to get faster.”

New Trier Boys, competing against a deep field of 86 other crews from the U.S., Britain and South Africa, were the second fastest high school and placed 13th overall. “Our Varsity 8 has been rowing very well this season, and I was happy to see them put out their best piece of the year on the Charles River,” said Boys’ Coach Nate Kelp-Lenane. He noted that his crew posted one of the fastest times from the Cambridge Boat Club to the finish line, which is the last time marker on the course.

Lily Feinerman, stroke for the girls’ boat, said it was “thrilling to race at a world-class regatta with a group of fellow senior girls I’m lucky to call my friends. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to experience such a special event and represent a team I’m proud to be a part of.”

The boys’ coxswain, junior Zakar Bayindiryan, said his crew achieved its goal of finishing strong enough to pass down a high bow number (start position) for the New Trier crew at next year’s race. “We knew Oakland Strokes, the crew behind, would try to pass us the entire race. The boat responded to each charge, especially when we needed crucial positioning to execute good turns under bridges. Toward the end, going under Elliot Bridge with 750 meters left, Oakland was overlapping our shell. Our boat dug deep and opened the gap to multiple seconds by the finish.”