Hello Mercer families and friends!
With September in the rearview, our teams are turning their attention to the races ahead in October. This weekend will mark the beginning of head race season with 5 varsity boats competing at Head of the Housatonic, in Connecticut. More information about this race has been posted in a previous blog post. Many of our upperclassmen have been taking official visits to colleges, and we look forward to seeing where our seniors will be going next fall!
Our novice squads have been amping up their workouts and completing rigorous erg testing. The novice girls completed a 4k last week and the novice boys finished a 5k last Thursday, not an easy feat! Coach Amanda and Zach are very impressed with the progress they’ve seen in the novice so far and are looking forward to racing.
Our 8th graders are getting comfortable in the barge and in the octuple, hammering away at both sweeping and sculling. The 8th graders will be participating in the Head of the Halloween, so start working on costumes that won’t get stuck in the sliding boat seats!
Our Masters program gained four new rowers this fall after successful summer Learn to Scull programs. The men’s 4+, women’s 8+, and 4+ will be racing at the Head of the Housatonic this weekend and looking to improve their strong finishes from last year. Their sites are also set on their men’s and women’s 4+s that will be competing at the Head of the Charles, with our men receiving a last-minute bid that they will hope to defend for next year. The women’s 4+ secured a bid last year by less than .2 seconds, so you can imagine how tough this race can be and the excitement over a great finish!
We have lots of events coming up in October:
October 4th @ 6:30 PM- College Night!
- Hilary Gehman will provide athletes with a roadmap to rowing in college. Although this event is geared toward juniors, all grades are welcome to attend.
October 6-7th– Head of the Housatonic
- 3 girls varsity and 2 boys varsity boats will compete at this increasingly popular head race in Shelton, CT. Lineups will be posted after practice today, October, 2nd.
October 7-8th– Small Boat Challenge
- A great opportunity to volunteer and see the sport up close! This race is open to collegiate, juniors, and masters rowers.
October 14th @ 6 PM- Octoberfest
- This 21+ event is a great way to mingle with other Mercer families, dinner provided. Tickets can be bought here:
October 20-22nd– Head of the Charles Regatta
- One of largest race in America, held annually in Boston, is the premier head race for rowers of all ages. 2 girls 8+s, a boys 8+, and a women’s masters 4+ will compete at this exciting venue where only the top half of boats in each event have a secure spot for next year’s race.
October 28th @ 10 AM to 1 PM- Head of the Halloween
- This intra-squad race will mix up athletes from every team as they complete an “Around the Lake” course on Mercer Lake. Costumes are encouraged and snacks will be provided after racing.
October 29th– Head of the Schuylkill
- Masters and Novice rowers (selected boats will be announced) will compete in this head race in Philadelphia. This is a great event for spectators and will give the novice boats their first taste of competition.
Thanks for reading!
GO MERCER!!!