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A Strong Year on the Water for Guilford Crew

With so many boats and team members this spring, some assumed the Guilford boys' and girls' crew teams were attempting to amass their own fleet. But the Indians were less concerned with size in numbers, instead focusing on winning regattas, something they did quite well in the spring of 2012.

With 80 crew members in total this spring, the varsity girls' team went 22-4, qualifying its first, second, and third boats for the state finals. The boys' side was 9-7, sending its second and third boats to the state finals on May 20 at Lake Waramaug in Litchfield County. All in all, Guilford had five boats in the state finals, but a crash disqualified the girls' previously undefeated third boat, and a bad lane tangled the girls' first and boys' second boats.

"Aside from the tough afternoon [at the state championship], Guilford's crew team had an excellent year," said Coach Will Thompson. "The girls' boats won all but one of their regular-season regattas and the boys' boats traded wins with opponents throughout."

On the water, the Guilford girls were led by captains Allison Tucker, Sarah Jonathan, and Ryan Morris, while the boys rowed for captains Connor Wallace, Tim Kowalsky, and Andrew Bonner. Tucker was named the girls' Most Valuable Player, while Bonner earned the same distinction on the boys' side. Victoria Koehler, Mike Shay, Wallace, Wollek, and Kowalsky all were given the team's Sportsmanship Award.

"The girls' captains set a very high work ethic and drove the boats to excel. All three levels of experienced boats had excellent chemistry," Thompson said. "The girls raised their fitness level early and this allowed their rowing technique to show better results. The first varsity has at least four girls planning to row in college. This boat included eight seniors and one junior who will be missed; it was one to be reckoned with. The second and third boats were equally competitive. The third boat was undefeated through the regular season."

The Indians' boys featured an equally impressive leadership group.

"On the boys' side, all five senior boys set a tone to raise their level of rowing this year," Thompson said. "These seniors were a unit that reminded all their teammates to make the most of every practice. Not only did the first boys' boat row better, the second boat rowed near the top of the league. This is a remarkable step up from last year."

The Guilford novice boats got a taste for high school competition this spring as the girls' boat was 0-4 and the boys' boat went 1-3.

"The novice athletes started to hit their stride by late season," said Thompson. "There are a number of very athletic rowers in this group. They will bring a lot to the team."

Thompson was assisted by Nancy Vespoli, Joe Paduda, Troy Puchini, Matt Wilson, Korina Garcia, and Bob Jaeger.

"The depth of the returning rowers bodes well for the team next year," Thompson said. "Many are in their third or fourth year. They will have the added power of some of the newer team members. It will be exciting to see what happens next."