Megunticook Rowing’s Varsity program is in full swing, half way through the spring season and showing great promise. 

The team started out with a friendly scrimmage with Neponset Rowing Club (NRC) in Milton, Mass., on May 5. 

The course on the Neponset River was of about 900m in length, with a salt marsh on one side and mansions on the other. The start and finish lines were flexible because it was  a scrimmage. Winning was relative and there was no official call on any race.  Megunticook raced mostly against NRC boats and a couple of Dexter-Southfield boats.

The boys team hung in there and the girls team had a couple of clear wins in the coxed 4 and coxed 8. With many new rowers in the program, it was a relaxed warmup for the rest of the season.

Everyone raced with no stress and the scrimmage introduced new rowers to the regatta atmosphere.

“It gave us a good baseline, was a good learning experience, and showed us what we need to work on,”  said Coach Meredith Currier, in a news release. “We caught some crabs, won some races, and rowed as hard as we could at our highest rating so far this season.  It's one thing to practice swing and technique by ourselves on Megunticook Lake, but quite another to push the limit when the power is on. Everyone did a great job.”

Next up the teams traveled to Medford, Mass., for the Mayor’s Cup, a longer course of 1,400 meters on the Mystic River.  It was a bit windy and as Coach Will Schaetzke predicted,

“The Mayor’s Cup is always a bit wild but in a good way,” he said.

The girls double-placed first and the girls coxed 8 placed second. The boys double of Jake Roux and Tanner Carson came in third out of eight boats and continue to improve but were out of the medals this time. 

The teams were back on the water Monday morning to gear up for U.S. Rowing NE Regional Championships in Lowell, Mass., May 18 and 19 on the Merrimac River.

To see these rowers in action, mark your calendars and plan on attending the Dirigo Sprints, Saturday May 25, on Megunticook Lake. There is great viewing on Route 52. Take your cow bells to cheer them on.

Interested in Varsity or Club rowing next fall? Rowing is the ultimate team sport. Whether in 4s or 8s, singles, doubles or quads, the athletes embrace the rigor, discipline and pure grit of this sport. There are so many benefits of rowing: mental and physical discipline, improved communication skills, commitment to teamwork, and the excitement of competition and all experienced on the waters of beautiful Megunticook Lake.

Many of our rowers have gone on to row at college programs including Bates, Dartmouth, Connecticut College, George Washington University, Nova Southeast, Simmons, Skidmore, Trinity College, University of California Berkeley, University of Maine and Wesleyan. The lifelong benefits and gifts of rowing are immeasurable. 

For more information email row@megunticookrowing.org 

Megunticook Rowing is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The mission of Megunticook Rowing is to strengthen minds, bodies, and community through rowing. Since Megunticook Rowing’s inception, hundreds of rowers have enjoyed getting on the water with us. We continue to realize the dream of our founders, value the significance of our stewardship of Megunticook Lake, and appreciate the lifelong benefits of rowing.