Simsbury Crew Ushers In Fall Season with “Ergathon”

Simsbury Crew welcomed the Fall rowing season on Sunday, September 22 with its annual Ergathon, an event where athletes row on ergometers to raise funds to support the program, and where family and friends gather to socialize, tour the boathouse, and learn more about the sport of rowing.

Ergometers are land-based rowing machines that rowers use regularly as part of their training and conditioning regimen. In this fundraiser, team members get pledges from supporters to donate a specific amount for each 100 meters “rowed.” Funds raised from annual Ergathon pledges and donations are key to the program and are used towards the purchase and maintenance of boats, oars, and other pieces of rowing equipment.

In addition to “erging,” athletes joined their friends and families for a cookout, with parents manning the grills and providing many of the side dishes and desserts. Head Girls Coach Ann Carabillo welcomed visitors to the boathouse and formally introduced this year’s team captains, presenting each Boys captain (Dan Picarelli-Kombert and Mia Rakowski) with a traditional pineapple, and each Girls captain (Jessica Serra and Madelyn Dempsey) with a traditional bouquet of flowers.

While current water levels did not allow for “trial rows” on the river, guests were encouraged to try out the many rowing machines available, including those set up to slide in unison to mimic rowing in a boat. The boys second varsity shell, “Peterson Architects,” was also out for visitors to view up close, with Head Boys Coach Adam Askham available to answer questions about the components of an "eight" racing shell.

Simsbury Crew makes its 2019 fall racing debut on Sunday, October 6 at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta in Hartford. Crews will launch from Riverside Park (at the Riverfront Recapture Boathouse) beginning at 8:30 am. The race is a great local event to watch high school, collegiate, and masters rowers from around the Northeast.

For more information about the Simsbury Crew program, visit www.simsburycrew.org.