Simsbury Crew Races at New England Tournament

SIMSBURY, CT — Simsbury Crew competed in the 76th annual New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA on Saturday, May 28, 2022.

This is usually a day-long event but this year the 46 clubs represented with 290 entries had to race in a truncated version due to bad weather predictions. The hundreds of athletes that would usually have qualifying heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon instead raced in finals in the morning because of the imminent threat of a lightning storm.

Simsbury had four boats that qualified to race. The boys V1 started off the day for Simsbury with an exciting race. They were the only Simsbury boat that raced in a petite final. They seized third place with a time of 4:56.284 nosing out St. Johns Prep by .69 of a second. 3rd out of 6. The Girls V1 came in third out of six in their heat. They battled with fierce contenders and crossed the finish line at 5:31.664 beaten by Hingham by 2.3 seconds.

Finishing up the day before the storms were Boys V2 and the girls V2. The boys came in 4th out of 6 crossing the line at 5:03.541. Hingham again narrowly edged Simsbury out by a mere 3 seconds. Unfortunately for the girls V2, they not only had to battle fierce competition but had to battle the start of the incoming storm. They got an impressive 3rd out of 4th crossing the soaking wet finish with a time of 5:56.038.

The majority of the races were completed before the rain except for the last few (GV2) that rowed through downpours. All of the day’s races were safely completed before the lightning – thanks to the Regatta committee. The rain didn't dampen the spirits of the Simsbury varsity crew teams and fans.

On June 1st, Farmington graciously hosted the Simsbury Novice boys and girl's boats. The dual race was held in the afternoon under good weather conditions. Both the Simsbury novice boys and girl’s boats came in first!

Simsbury crew has thrived with the dedicated coaching staff of Ann Carabillo (head girls coach), Adam Askham (head boys coach), Paul Carabillo, Andrew Hart, Molly Kottas, and Amy Carabillo. For all of the seniors, this was the final race of their high school careers. Although all participants of the crew team should be celebrated, the seniors deserve a special shout-out. They are the backbone of the team. They are not only leaders, but they are each other’s biggest fans. During the many challenges these athletes have faced, they have continuously been there to encourage their teammates. They have passed on the torch of the true meaning of crew: perseverance with dignity! Congratulations to our seniors: Matt Dacey, Jack Galt, Simon Green, Josh Phillips, Zak Schwarz, Jack Williams, Addy Bullen, Charlotte Derway, Elianna Doron, Mykayla Fluster, and Megan Palm.

For more information, check out www.simsburycrew.org or follow the team on Twitter at @simsburycrew.