Rowing News Rowing News
News | Roster | Schedules--Results | Archives
5/3/09Rowing
Eaglets defend Hebda Cup crew title
BY DAN O'MEARA • ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER
An old axiom states showing up is half the battle. You can't win if you're not present. Intent on doing just that, the Orchard Lake St. Mary's crew team showed up.
The Eaglets defended their championship in the 45th Hebda Memorial Challenge Cup April 26 and are looking ahead to the possibility of bigger achievements.
Severe weather forced postponement of the races until Sunday on the Detroit River. In the event hosted by the Wyandotte Boat Club, the Eaglets captured the men's overall and regatta overall trophies.
St. Mary's placed first in the varsity eight, lightweight eight, novice eight, varsity four and novice four. The lightweight four placed second and third in the six-boat field.
“We showed we had more speed than the crews we raced against, of course,” St. Mary's coach John Ray said. “The particular award we got Sunday was the award reserved for the people who just show up.
“The Hebda Cup was postponed Saturday, and the weather report didn't look very encouraging. A lot of people said, ‘No, we're not going to go.' The last time, we had won the Hebda Cup, and we had to defend it. There was no way I could not defend it.
“If there was going to be racing, we were going to be there. We didn't vote on it. We simply said that was what we came to do, what we do. So we showed up, and a few of our strongest competitors were not there on Sunday.
“If they had been there, it might have come out differently. We were not only a little quicker than the other boats, but we were there!”
St. Mary's competed in the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championships Saturday, and the Eaglets travel to Ohio for the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championships May 9-10 on Lake Harsha just outside Cincinnati.
St. Mary's rowers are setting their goals high with the intent of capturing the Midwest Regatta title and qualifying as many boasts as possible for the national championships May 23 in Princeton, N.J.
“The competition will be strong and fast,” Ray said of the Chicago event. “We hope it will be stiffer and will demand more of us.
“That's the way we usually go and the way the sport goes. You start very close (to home) and travel further. You find better competitors and, eventually, if you're good enough you have to wait til next year to find somebody to give you that really tight race.
“I'm sure we'll find some good competitors in Chicago, and we'll give them the best race we have in us.”
St. Mary's has won the Midwest Regatta in the past, but it has been a number of years since the Eaglets have done that.
“This year we will try to concentrate our talent in a few boats that will have the very best chances and not try to spread ourselves too thin,” Ray said, adding the Eaglets may have a shot at winning it.
The Eaglets also will compete in the state championships May 16 at Kensington Metropark, and have a trip scheduled to Ontario for the Canadian championships May 31.
The members of the St. Mary's team are Andrew Steele, Chris Veal, Chris Whalen, AJ Blazevic, Cameron Taylor, Donald Wright, Andrew Pope-Starmes, Trevor Dickieson, Zack Seelig, Ryan Johnston, Nathan Tajima, Kyle Sahutske, John Thiede, Sean Johnston, Eric Peart, Bret Anstett, Brad Burns, Robert Clemente, Luke Davis, Gabe Charette, Pierce Neimic, Aaron Glidden, David Hagopian, Eric Stock, Adam Stock, Max Montpetit, Kevin Manz, Richard Lee, Ken Jackson, Ryan Johnston, Eric Headrick, Justin Hulett, Austin Healy, John Mason, Luigi Murri, Connor Davis, Max Day, Tucker Shield, Joe Simon, Jameson Pietrowski and Jeff Petrucci. The assistant coaches are Chris Czarnecki, Mike Anton, Mike DiCiuccio and Rich Sadowski.
Copyright 2009, St. Mary's Preparatory, Orchard Lake, Michigan. All rights reserved.
No logos, photographs, or graphics on the site may be reproduced without written permission.