Deerfield Academy » Crew (Boys)

Deerfield Rowing Moves to the World Stage

Wayne Berger — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:00:57 +0000

Three Deerfield rowers, Brad Plunkett ’12, Rich Caputo ’13, and Claire Collins ’15, as well as Boys Head Coach, Wayne Berger ’84, were selected to represent the United States Junior National Rowing team at the World Championships in Plovidiv, Bulgaria. Selection required athletes to attend high performance camps and submit ergometer testing over the fall, winter, and spring of 2011-2012. Subsequently, athletes were invited to attend selection camps where they competed for seats in various boat classes. Claire Collins ’15, who remarkably only started rowing in March, sits in the four seat of the Junior Women’s 8+. Rich Caputo ’13, a member of the DA Boys National Championship 4+, tentatively will sit bow in the Junior Men’s 8+, while teammate and National Champion Brad Plunkett ’12 will likely stroke the Junior Men’s 4- (four without coxswain), one of the most competitive events at the Junior World’s. Coach Berger, one of five members of the USJNT coaching staff, will be responsible for coaching the 2- (pair without cox), which qualified by winning the US JR. pairs trials July 9-10.

The crews will be training at Princeton University until they leave for the World Championships August 8. Results, video, and information will be available online.

Additional News from Deerfield Rowing:
Libby Murray ’14 was selected to be part of US Junior Rowing’s High Performance group, which competed at Club Nationals this past weekend. Athletes in the HP group are identified as having the potential to compete at the international level.

Warner Brown ’13 is spending his summer rowing during New Zealand’s winter!!! Read about adventures rowing with New Zealand’s U23 lightweight national squad on his blog.

Champions! Deerfield 4+ Crew

Thiel — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 02:14:23 +0000

Writeup by Tee Johnson ’69: A set of low clouds delivered a light, slow drizzle from the start of the final race series today at 8:00 a.m.

Thankfully, there was just a hint of an easterly breeze (2+ knots) and the temperature on-shore cooled to 70 degrees. The course was fast, the crews were psyched, and the crowd was thicker than any other day of the series. You could taste the concentration of the men and women as they hunkered down to stake a claim on their last shot at the year’s national title.

All of the teams knew that whatever best time they posted in the previous two days, they were going to have to exceed it. Everyone was reaching deep, trying for that last-minute inspiration (the miracle of a third and fourth wind) to push them through.

The sky had just started to clear as Deerfield crossed the starting line at 1:00 p.m. with Los Gatos, Marina Aquatic Junior, Episcopal, and Saratoga, but everyone knew it was going to be a war of attrition between the Big Green and the Belmont Hill boat.

For the entire length of the course, it was a close race. All teams were well ahead of their previous best time(s), but the last 300 yards was the nail-biter. Deerfield ended up just stoking-through Belmont Hills’ pace to finish less than one half-second ahead and clinch the title with a best time of 6:40.967.

To add some perspective to the effort, the previous heat of Men’s Youth 4+ (Final B) was won by Bainbridge Island in a time that was a full 13 seconds off the pace set by Deerfield and Belmont Hill. That would have translated to a difference of 8+ (eight+) boat-lengths, an eternity in this type of competition.

This race series was not just a superior effort by the team and coaching staff, but a benchmark for Deerfield Rowing, showing that Deerfield has fully realized a strong program of national calibre that has every indication of reaching dynastic proportions. This team has not just “paid the rent” for the men and women that will follow–they have set a great example in the process. WELL DONE!

See you next year, race fans.

Well Rowed! DA Boys Crew Win Opening Heat at YNC

Wayne Berger — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 14:00:52 +0000

The DA Boys Crew won their opening heat in convincing fashion on the calm waters of Melton Hill Lake, Oakridge, TN. Racing from the front, Deerfield defeated second place crew, Los Gatos Rowing Club, CA, by five seconds and posted the fastest time of all 19 crews entered in the coxed four event. As a result of their win, Deerfield, along with heat winners Marina Aquatic, CA; Belmont Hill School, MA; and Saratoga Rowing, NY, move directly to one of two six boat semi-finals, while the remainder of the crews race Saturday morning in the repechage (second chance heat) in an attempt to qualify for the semi-finals. Morning reps start at 11:30 am and can be followed on Twitter at #ync or log into usrowing.org (click on the Youth Nationals Rowing Championships.) The afternoon semi-finals will feature live streaming video. Deerfield will race in the opening semi-final at 5:32 pm along with Saratoga Rowing, winners of the Stotesbury, Scholastic Nationals, and Canadian School Boy Championships, and four qualifying crews. The second semi, scheduled to go off at 5:37 pm, features New England power Belmont Hill School. They will clash with Marina Aquatic and four other qualifiers. The top three finishers from each semi-final will progress to Sunday’s final.

Well Rowed Deerfield!

Wayne Berger — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:58:21 +0000

The DA boys 5th and 6th boats came away victorious at the 48th annual Lower Boat Championships on May 23rd. Congratulations to all the rowers and coxswains:

5th boat: Will Darling ’15, David Lucente ’14, Travis Russell ’14, Will Beck ’14, Hyun Yang’ 13
6th boat: Ryan Kola ’15, Bryce Klehm ’15 , Matt Hrabchak ’15, Clayton Cordsen ’14, Cyrus Moghadam ’14
Coaches: Peter Field, Alex Berner ’11