This past season, CRLS Lightweight Boys 4+ competed at 2017 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, FL, the first ever for a CRLS crew.  They are now the 10^th fastest Lightweight Boys 4+ boat in the nation!  The CRLS Varsity Boys (1V, 2V, & 3V) all took first place in the Massachusetts State Championships for boys 4+ and the Varsity Girls (1V & 2V) placed second and first, respectively, at the Massachusetts State Championships.  With exceptional coaching and strong, committed student-athletes, CRLS Rowing is gaining recognition as a powerful program regionally and nationally.

Every year, rowing is one of the most popular sports at CRLS.  With three Varsity Boys boats, three Varsity Girls boats, and several novice boats, the team has up to 50 students each year.   Teams row in the fall and spring, and the equipment takes a real beating.  While the Cambridge Public Schools supports CRLS Rowing as much as they can – this year the city purchased a new coach’s launch for the program – we must supplement this with roughly $40,000 in operating costs per year to keep our rowers on the water.

To help keep this program running smoothly and accessible to all students at CRLS, we would appreciate a generous donation from you to the Spring Parent Appeal.

Donations help us purchase new boats, new cox boxes, new oars, and other vital gear necessary to keep our kids safe and fast on the water.   But, donations are not only for equipment.  They also help pay for race fees, travel expenses, and other expenses to keep our rowers in top condition.

Unlike other high school rowing programs, whose fees may approach $2,000 per student each year, CRLS Rowing does not charge fees to participate. CRLS Rowing is committed to making the sport available to all students, regardless of their economic circumstances.

Rowing at CRLS gives students lifelong friendships and enduring habits of hard work, dedication, and fitness. We hope that you appreciate these attributes as much as we do, and recognize that every donation contributes to a vibrant and successful rowing program. We are within $12,000 of our 2016 – 2017 goal, and with your help we can make it. Please contribute what you can.

You can contribute online at https://www.firstgiving.com/FOCACrew

Or, send your contribution by mail to:

CRLS Crew

PO Box 400116

Cambridge, MA 02140

On behalf of the students, thank you very much for your contribution.

Sincerely,

Adam Mitchell, President
for the CRLS Parent Board

By Kate Smith

This spring 130 Lightweight Boys 4+s, hailing from all 50 states, fought for a bid to compete at USRowing’s Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida. Only 20 crews across the nation earned their way to the National Championship and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School attended as the fastest Boys Lightweight 4+ representing the Northeast Region.

On Friday morning, June 9th,  the CRLS 4+ came in 8th place in the time trial, qualifying them for the A/B semi-finals later in the afternoon. The weather conditions were miserably hot and humid, a stark contrast from the 48 degree and rainy weather the boys had left behind in Cambridge. With minimal rest between races, the CRLS boys ventured back onto the course for the A/B semi-final. There they faced who would be the ultimate winners of the boat division, Rye High School. After pulling themselves out of last place in the second half of the race, the CRLS boys finished 5th, narrowly missing 4th place, and qualifying themselves for Sunday’s B Final.

Saturday, June 10th, was a much needed day of rest so the boys could prepare their bodies for the biggest race of their rowing careers thus far, and in the case of stroke seat and senior, Chris Johnson-Harwitz, his final race. Major thunderstorms delayed a majority of the races on Saturday so the regatta officials were forced to alter the race schedule for Sunday. This change actually put the boys in a better position because their race was now scheduled for Sunday morning, which, as lightweights, is beneficial because the boys would not have to wait until the afternoon to weigh-in and then subsequently eat and hydrate.

On Sunday, June 11th,  as the crews lined up at the start line for their final race, nerves were high. As the starting light flashed green the crews shot out of the stake boats with lightning speed. It was the fastest start the CRLS boys had executed all week and it helped put them into a leading position with the top crews for the first 500m of the race. Soon after, Pacific began to assert their dominance over the field and the fight for second place was on. CRLS was solidly in third and making impressive moves over the other crews at 750m into the race and at the 750m to go mark. Greenwich, the other crew representing New England in the B Final, started making a move in the last 500m that CRLS powerfully fought against in the last 250m sprint. Both New England crews started to walk down the crew in 2nd place, Gonzaga College Prep, stroke by stroke, nearly pulling the crew out of its second place position.

As the crews crossed the finish line it was a photo finish between Gonzaga and Greenwich placing 2nd and 3rd respectively, with times of 6:45.717 and 6:45.865. CRLS finished a close 4th place with a time of 6:46.849, 1.132 seconds behind 2nd, and less than 5 seconds behind the winning crew, Pacific, who finished with a time of 6:42.061. CRLS’s 4th place finish in the B Final declared them the 10th fastest Boys Lightweight 4+ in the country.

The boys couldn’t be happier and we couldn’t be prouder.

 The crew is comprised of:

• Coxswain: Thomas McNulty ’18
• Stroke-seat : Chris Johnson-Harwitz ’17
• 3-seat: Caleb Mitchell ’18
• 2-seat: Harry MacArthur ’19
• Bow-seat: Simon Leek ’19

The crew is coached by:

• Head Coach, Kate Smith
• Assistant Coach, Emma Conover
• Assistant Coach, Emilio Gutierrez

The crew is supported by:

• Novice Coach, Mary Kay Kenney
• Novice Coach, Bill Becklean
• Athletic Director, Tom Arria
• The CRLS Parent Board
• Team family members, teammates, and friends
• Former Head Coach, Theo Pritz
• Former Strength Coach, Brian Stephenson
• The Cambridge Boat Club
• Community Rowing Inc.
• Friends of Cambridge Athletics
• The Cambridge School Committee
• The City of Cambridge
• Independent donors

Spring 2017 Athlete and Parent Contact Information Needed:
Please Fill in HERE!

From the coaches:
—–
Hi All,

Registration has officially opened for all Spring 2017 sports!! Please take a few minutes to go over this process so that we can get off to a smooth start. The deadline for FamilyID registration is March 13th with no exceptions.

As per usual, instructions can be found on our website, www.crlsrowing.org/registration

We have omitted the crew-specific google form in order to simplify the process, and with it we have done away with our old check-mark registration table.

Let us know if you have questions, but please fill out FamilyID before asking if your physical, concussion course, ImPact test, or academics are in order (we cannot see any of these things until you’ve entered yourself in the system).

Thanks,
Theo and Kate

From Jess Jackson, parent volunteer:
—
Although the spring crew season seems far away, now is the time to purchase crew uniforms if we want to have them in time for the season. We encourage everyone returning for a second season to buy the CRLS crew unisuit if you don’t have one already. All varsity athletes are required to own or sign up to borrow a uni. (Novice athletes wear a loaner tank top.) Note: if you buy a uni, but do not make the varsity team, we can buy back your uni and it will join our loaner supplies.

We will be ordering the unis from JL Racing. JL Racing will open a special web store for CRLS rowers; it will only be open for a week or so. I will let you know when the site goes live and what the deadline is for ordering. We need to know beforehand approximately how many athletes will be buying unis. If you are planning to buy one, please fill out this (very brief) Google form, so we know who will be buying and have a contact email for you.

The more we buy, the better the price we can get on the unis, so here is a moment when we encourage consumption! But of course it’s not required. Let me know if you need to borrow a uni [and the size] so we can set one aside for you.
Whether you are planning to buy or borrow, please let us know as soon as possible so we can be prepared for the spring season.

Thank you!

Best,
Jess Jackson
CRLS Crew parent volunteer

From Coach Kate:
—
Our winter indoor regattas are coming up soon. Please make sure you register on time. For those of you doing Winter Training, you are expected to register for both regattas.

January 28th – Northeast Erg Sprints
February 12th – CRASH-B

Northeast Erg Sprints registration closes January 21st
(register for and prioritize the 2000m junior event, other events may be entered at your own discretion)
Northeast Erg Sprints Registration

CRASH-B registration closes January 20th
CRASH-B Registration

If you need assistance with registration, please email me.

Best,

Coach Kate
—
Head Coach,
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Crew