Girls Crew Heads to Nationals Again this Year

June 2, 2009

The excitement is building for girls crew – the varsity-eight first boat is heading to Cincinnati, OH, for the 2009 USRowing Youth National Championships on June 12-14. "It feels amazing!" says Erin '09. "All season long we have been dreaming about going to Nationals, and the fact that our dream has come true makes all of the rainy days, freezing weather and aching bodies worth it."

April practice on the Squamscott River in Exeter.On May 24, countless hours of focused training allowed girls crew to dominate the recent New England Championships with their varsity eight boats. At Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA, the varsity squad took first place in the eights grand finals with their first, second and third boats. In the G1 boat, Exeter's nearest competitor was the Andover boat, which crossed the line approximately 4 seconds behind. The girls team also won the E.A.Gilcreast team points trophy for the fourth year in a row and seventh in 8 years.

Despite losing the experience of many seniors who graduated last June, this year's crew responded with a stellar season. "The team is great because of everyone's incredible spirit and determination," says Katherine '10. "All our boats were younger and smaller than last year's, but the work that all boats put in really turned around what could have been a building year into a first-ever, repeat sweep at New Englands!"

Coach Sally Morris and Co-captains Tamar Nisbett '10 and
Cathryn Courtin '09 celebrate at sports awards assembly.

The G1 crew knows the competition at the Nationals will be tough. Crews qualify by placing in one of the 18 Youth National Championship events. "The boats out West are very strong. We race 1,500 meters, whereas they race 2,000 meters all season. Nevertheless, our curve of improvement is so high, and we are already attacking in every practice," says Katherine.

"It feels a little unreal that we are going to Nationals," adds Ariana '09. "We are all very excited because none of us wanted to stop rowing together. It will be really exciting to compete against the fastest boats in the country."

The Championships will be held at Harsha Lake, outside of Cincinnati. In its 15th year and fourth year as an official national championship event, the regatta brings together more than 1,300 athletes from 140 programs competing for national titles in 18 events.

According to the stroke, Devi '10, the girls are going to enjoy the experience of such a big event – irrespective of the outcome. "I have never been to Nationals for anything before, so I am just excited to be going in the first place. No matter how we finish, I know that every girl in this boat will give everything that she has. There will be no regrets when we cross the finish line. That, for me, is enough."

Crew launching their boat on the Squamscott.

Crew heading to Cincinnati:

Cox'n Katie Courtin '09 (co-captain)
Stroke Devi Lockwood '10
7 Ariana Wakeman '09
6 Abigail Loucks '10
5 Katherine Burd '10
4 Grace Cassidy '10
3 Louise Breen '10
2 Erin Metcalf '09
Bow Tamar Nisbett '10 (co-captain)
Alternate: Nellie Peyton '10
Sally Morris (coach)
Keith Hereford (coach)

Interested in learning more?

For information on the upcoming Youth Nationals in Cincinnati, see usrowing.org.

For plenty of details on Exeter crew, including the recent New Englands regatta, see http://www.exetercrew.com/...

Learn more about girls and boys crew at Exeter...

Read about last year's story on Exeter at the Nationals...

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