Calling All Coxswain!

The fresh fall air, the dramatic stroke of dozens of oars in unison, the thrill of a tight race: there are few things more memorable than autumn rowing competitions, and this month one is coming to Forge Pond.

Westford Academy and Littleton High School’s Community Crew (WACC) teams will be hosting a September 18^th, all-day event in order to raise awareness and funds for their sport of choice – crew.

From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., WACC and its supporters will take to Forge Pond for a 500 meter fun race and they're asking for Westford natives and beyond to come down and experience the excitement of rowing crew by jumping alongside the teams and coaches and participating in the event.

Teams of six will be paired with two accomplished crew members and a coxswain in order to race against other teams. Participants can be any age and require no previous rowing background.

“Crew is such a different experience for Westford,” detailed event Publicist and crew mother Andrea Cuggino. “It's such a total workout and a fantastic time, I think people are going to love it!”

The reason behind the September 18^th regatta is to not only raise more notice about this emerging sport in town, but to gather some funds for a new safety boat for coach's Eddie Bruce and Assistant Coach Dan Brooks so they can row alongside the team.

“We are all new to crew as a town,” mentioned Cuggino. “We have all used equipment from UMASS Lowell and the (city) of Lowell and we also have to save up for future boats and also pay regular entry fees for all the regattas we enter.”

This marks just the third year that WACC has been active in crew, with the crew year is broken up into two seasons: Fall and Spring.

Fall races are called head races and are usually longer, more endurance-testing trials, while the Spring sees sprint races take over as competition; a quicker, more strength and speed based contest. However, sprint races will be the competition of choice for the competitors on September 18^th.

Although the regatta will be the main event at the WACC crew extravaganza, those that want to stay out of the water will be treated with a cookout, raffle, 2 p.m. treasure hunt, beach bash, a chance to test out the WACC's Ergs (practice rowers) and can even scramble through an obstacle course.

For those wanting to learn more about crew itself, coaches and crew members will be on-hand to give demonstrations concerning rowing and boat safety.

Andrea’s daughter Marissa, currently a sophomore at Littleton High, told Patch why she finds crew so engaging when she said,“I did football for a while, a lot of the time with football though is spent on the sidelines. Crew is very involved all the time and very physical […] Most days, it's just fun being out on the water.”

It also teaches dedication. Marissa explained that the morning of every race, the crew members themselves are responsible for setting up or breaking down the boats and equipment, sometimes having to venture out to races as early as 6 a.m.

Parents are no slouches either, as very involved crew mothers and fathers prepare rides and food for all participants as regattas typically last an entire day.

More information on WACC's upcoming crew event is available at www.druidskeep.org.

Those interested in participating in the regatta should register on the WACC's website or call 978-692-5532. Be prepared to start your safety training the day of the regatta, 10:30 a.m., September 18^th at Forge Pond. The regatta begins at 11:30 a.m.

The cost for this aquatic adventure with fun for the whole family is $5 per person.