Rye High Rowing
By Mitch Silver
The Garnets Rowing team, under Coach Stan Nelson, traveled to Saratoga Springs two weekends ago to compete in the State Championships on Saratoga Lake. One boat in particular, the Men’s Lightweight 4 with coxswain, would be defending the title they won in 2016.
It’s no small thing to compete on home waters other than your own. Boats and gear of various sizes and descriptions make the trek on one trailer while food and the means to cook it for team members, family, and friends out at the course travel in another.
Out there on the lake, the boys in the boat — senior cox Zach Szabo and classmate John Dailey, plus juniors Tim Rudolph-Math, Jimmy Cronin, Jack Hartman — had the advantage of knowing they’d stood atop the podium 12 months earlier. And that, as New York champs, they’d rowed in both the SRAA Scholastic Nationals and the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals, where they’d been silver medalists each time.
This time it was a stroll in the park. Or, rather, a paddle on the lake: the Garnets took the lead early and were never headed. Not even challenged. The boat’s winning time over the 1,500 meters was 4:55.90, a full 100 meters and 21 seconds ahead of the second-place crew. In fact, Rye’s lightweights would have beaten the heavyweight 4+ winners by five seconds.
So it’s on to SRAAs once more today and tomorrow in Camden, New Jersey, and then Youth Nationals in Sarasota in two weeks’ time. But they won’t be making that trip alone. Jillian Breen and Clara Sutherland took the bronze in the Women’s Lightweight Double, the best scholastic boat in the race. They, too, advance to the Youth Nationals. And Men’s captain Dailey and Rudolph-Math, Rye’s entry on the male side of the Lightweight Double, will compete in Florida in that event as well thanks to their silver medal finish in Saratoga.
Other terrific Garnet results: Troy Gilman, James Keller, Lachlan Nelson, Parker Vanamee and coxswain Jillian Breen won silver in the Men’s Junior 4+; Hall Luthringer, Jake Moore, Troy Gilman and Alex Farres came in second in the Mens Lightweight Quad; Parker Vanamee and Lachlan Nelson were runners-up in the Mens Junior Double. All three crews were the top scholastic boat in this combined high school/club regatta.
Shannon Ryan and Felicity Johnson were also tops among scholastic boats and fifth overall in the Women’s Junior Double. And, finally, Kayla Patel, Shoshi Daniels, Iman Syed, Erica Kinstel, and cox Zack Szabo finished as the 2d fastest scholastic boat in the Women’s Lightweight 4+coswain.
An exhausted John Dailey, Tim Rudolph-Math, Jimmy Cronin, Jack Hartman, and cox Zach Szabo (left to right) savor victory.
Jillian Breen and Clara Sutherland busy earning their trip to Nationals.
