New Trier Rowers Sweep Milwaukee Regatta

New Trier Rowing Steers Clear of Race Obstacles and Sweeps The Milwaukee River Challenge

MILWAUKEE, WI, September 16, 2016 –New Trier High School Rowing swept first place in every Junior category at the Milwaukee River Challenge. Over 900 athletes participated in the 3-mile course that ran along the Menomonee and Milwaukee Rivers. Crews navigated 90-degree angle turns, low bridges, steel columns and “no passing zones” as they headed to the finish line at Schlitz Park.

New Trier girls’ and boys’ crews finished with first place spots for Girls 2nd Varsity 8+ and Girls 1st Varsity 4+. New Trier Boys rowing to first place in their races were the Boys 1st Varsity 8+ and Boys 1st Varsity 4.

“It was a beautiful day for our team’s first regatta of the season. Each boat had a plan and our rowers and coxswains did an excellent job navigating a challenging course. This was a great start, and the coaches were happy to see the depth and talent of the team shown at the races,” said Varsity Coach Nate Kelp-Lenane.

Varsity Coach Sandy Culver praised her girls and noted that, “The varsity girls rowing team represented New Trier extremely well, sweeping the Junior 8 and Junior 4 categories in their first race of the fall season. Our coxswains in particular did a tremendous job navigating a fairly tough race course that includes a 90-degree turn and ‘no passing zones’ that require skilled steering and judgment.”

This challenging race was a true test to the fast thinking strategy of the coxswains as the unexpected must always be expected. Varsity 2V8+ Coxswain and winner of the Women’s Jr 8+ race, Nicole Pfocher, kept her crew in sync. “Going into the race, we knew that there was a lot of power and potential in our boat - even though it was our first time in our lineup. All of the 1V boats started ahead of the 2V’s, so our goal was to pass as many boats as possible before the 90 degree turn near the beginning of the long no passing zone. We were able to execute that plan until another boat didn't follow the rules and forced us to stop, and then continue pausing behind them in the no passing zone. Once we reached the end of that zone, we used our anger to our advantage and sprinted past the other boat. Throughout the race, we had to navigate around other boats, but ultimately reached the finish line having put our best race out there.”

New Trier started the season off with taking on the Milwaukee River Challenge and striking gold. Next up for New Trier crews is the Tough Cup Regatta where they will continue to prove that they are “tough enough” to keep their winning streak.