SHS Crew Silenced After Taking Fifth

With success comes expectations. Stonington crew learned this the hard way Sunday at the Connecticut Public School Rowing Championships.

The Bears’ rowing program has established itself as the high school’s fastest-growing sport and the most productive in terms of producing Division I college scholarship athletes since 2000. Nearly two dozen SHS crew alumni have earned scholarship money to compete in college rowing, including University of Michigan All-America Karen Colwell (SHS ’04).

The program has become a fixture in the community, practicing and competing at the Seaport on the Mystic River. The crew’s track record of success has created as much positive energy as eight rowers pulling oars in synch.

This spring, third-year coach Mike O’Neill felt the boys’ crew was nearing its peak. The Bears beat most of the state’s top crews in various regular season regattas. After Stonington’s best-ever second place finish in the 2010 state public school championship, O’Neill expect to contend for the state crown Sunday at Lake Waramaug in New Preston.

That didn’t happen. Stonington finished in fifth place, placing behind teams it had beaten in the regular season.

“We had very high expectations, but the kids had a tough time dealing with being a favorite,” O’Neill said. “I’m surprised, because this was the worst showing we’ve had in any regatta. But there a few reasons why things didn’t go the way we planned.”

Stonington boys’ first varsity boat’s time over the 2,000 meter course was 30 faster than its second-place time of 5:08 last season. On Sunday, the Bears could not match the energy of boats from Simsbury, East Lyme and Old Lyme among others.

“We rowed really hard throughout the season when we were beating these teams,” O’Neill said. “I think what we did was make our opponents train harder. Now we have to up our game again for the New Englands this weekend.”

A long weather-related layoff did not help. After winning the Middletown Regatta May 7, weekend rain cancelled the Stonington Regatta a week later. Stonington’s varsity 1 and 2 boys’ boats were fifth. The boys’ third boat was third, and the novice boat won its race. The Bear girls showed similar results, placing sixth in the 1st and third in the 2nd varsity race and fourth in the third, while finishing second in the novice.

Rowing on the boys' first varsity boat were Mitch Apatow, Ethan Burke, Zac Goldberg, Eric Leclair, Ryan Lee, Jacob Sanda, Jack Wostrel and Marcus McCarthy. Ellen Peterson was coxswain.On the girls' first varsity boat were coxswain Bianca Baldelli, Morgan Arnold, Averie DeCarli, Victoria Georgetti, Evan Neslon, Aubrey O'Neill, Amelia Palmer, Sydney Porter and Sarah Santos.

The momentary setback in the state regattadoes not derail the SHS crew's remarkable momentum, O'Neill said. The program has achieved stature in the community, raising funds through rowing demonstrations and other functions to cover 75 percent of operating costs and and for all of new shell purchases.

The team has secured a home for training and equipment storage at Mystic Seaport Rowing Museum.Stonington crew is on solid ground, firmly established as one of the high school's most popular teams and as one of the top five scholastic crews in the state.

“The novice boat’s win shows the program has a solid foundation for the future and is the one positive we can take out of the state regatta,” O’Neill said. “We have another shot at redemption in the New Englands to see if yesterday was an aberration.”