Last weekend the Varsity took their top 3 boats to the Head of the Housatonic, this was PNRA/Mercer’s first appearance at this race. The girls’ 3rd Varsity boat got 9th in the 2V event, the 1st Varsity boat placed 5th and the 2nd Varsity boat placed 12th in the 1V event. The boys’ 3rd Varsity boat got 14th in the 2V event, while the 1st Varsity boat placed 7th and the 2nd Varsity boat placed 12th in the 1V event.
The varsity team has been shifting their focus to preparing for the Head of the Charles, which is only a week away! All of our teams had test erg pieces this week, which helped the coaches determine who would bring the heat to the Charles. Erg testing is usually followed by seat racing if Coach Justin or Coach Matt need more information to help them put together the strongest boat.
Coach Zach has been challenging the novice boys to choose greatness in their practice. Anyone can go through the motions and be average, but to succeed the team must decide that each stroke of every piece will be the best they can do at that moment. Zach has been moving the boys towards rowing by all 8 and making their way around the lake as many times as they can during practice. The novice boys had their first 5K test on Friday! Click for a video example HERE
The novice girls had their first 4K test on Wednesday, and they went out hard! We had some great times and learned about how to test on the erg. In boats we’ve been working on our feathering timing and rowing efficiently by all 8s. Next week we’ll lock in line-ups so our novice will know who’s racing at the Schuylkill and at the Head of the Halloween.
Reminder: Octoberfest is this Saturday! We’ll have dinner and BYOB for parents and alumni of PNRA! The event starts at 6 PM at the boathouse and is $30 per adult.
GO MERCER!