DBMS Crew Kicks Off Spring with First Race of Season

DBMS High School Crew raced this past weekend and had a terrific time braving the wind and cold.  “It was great start to the season. We were racing against great competitors and even with being blown off the water the past couple of days, the team was able to pull it together. We set a great foundation for the season.”  said girls 1V coxswain & team co-captain Kate Reynolds.

Girls Varsity Coach Betsy Davenport was very excited to be on the water facing competition despite the lack of on-the-water time due to recent weather. “I’m grateful that we were able to race this early in the season. The girls showed poise in very windy conditions and demonstrated that their hard work over the winter has prepared them for a competitive spring. The Duxbury girls rowed at a lower stroke rate than their competitors and as the season progresses they have the potential to uncover more speed”

On the boys side, 1V rower & team co-captain Ethan Donnelly walked away from the day feeling very excited about their results, but knows there is much work to be done to continue their progress. “It was an awesome first effort from both of our boats today.” said Donnelly. “Beating a team that raced at the New England Championships last spring puts us in a great spot to qualify for that race in May. We performed great but we all have a lot of speed left in the tank to get even faster as the season progresses. We’re all excited to keep training over break and race again in a couple weeks.”

Boys Varsity Coach Oli Rosenbladt was very pleased with the team’s ability to rise above the fact that weather has kept the team indoors and on the ergometers. That can make for a disadvantage when racing against teams who have been on the water practicing the past few weeks. DBMS crew chose to overlook this fact and rely on their fitness, of which they have plenty, to carry them across the finish line. “Getting through the season opener in one piece is usually a relief more than anything else, but this was strong racing by our kids.  We had some iffy weather this past week that really impacted our water time.  I was impressed with how our athletes responded today against some higher-level competition than we’ve previously seen.  This was a strong start to the season, and I’m looking forward to our first full team race on April 28th, when we have the whole Duxbury fleet in action.”