This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/03/2018 12:00 AMTessa LeMay joined the Valley Regional rowing crew on the ground floor when she was a freshman. Now a junior, Tessa is seeing the sport rise in popularity at the high school.
Tessa’s friends convinced her to sign up for the crew, and she was rowing varsity by the end of her first season. Tessa has worked her way into the first boat for the Warriors and also rows year-round with the Bloodstreet Sculls. She’s excited to see what this season brings for Valley Regional.
Tessa has seen some profound changes to Valley crew since joining in her freshman year. Originally, the program was a co-op with Old Lyme and had to share equipment, but after some hard work from Tessa’s mother Tracy LeMay and the Valley Crew Booster Club, the Warriors were able to field their own crew.
“This has been the first year that the teachers even knew about us as a team, really. Freshman year, we were with Old Lyme, and it was kind of rough. We would get the worst stuff,” Tessa says. “Then the next year, we grew the team a lot. My mom, Tracy, worked really hard with the booster club. She was able to find Bart Gullong, and he was helpful and funded a lot of our stuff. I’m a very proud daughter.”
Tessa had been a soccer player until her friends told her they were trying out for the Valley crew and suggested that she should, too. Tessa had no idea what to expect, but she enjoyed the atmosphere, being around her teammates, and the sport in general. Now, she rows on a year-round basis.
“I used to play soccer for most of my life. Freshman year, I joined the crew team. Then sophomore year, it kind of took over, and now I do it all year-round,” says Tessa, an Essex resident. “I always played soccer, and it was hard to say good-bye. But once I started crew, I loved the sport. It’s a better fit and because, I’m so tall, it works really well. The group of girls on the team are helpful and fun to be around.”
Tessa rows from the bow seat, which is one of the positions that’s relied on for power. Tessa’s height helps her generate a good amount of force to propel the boat past the competition.
“I row in the bow seat of first boat,” says Tessa. “You have stroke seat set the pace, and all the rowers behind follow stroke seat. You have the powerhouse in the middle and in the back.”
Tessa loves the big races like the Saratoga Invitational Regatta in New York. The Warriors attend the race annually, and it’s one of the biggest high-school regattas in the United States. Tessa enjoys the experience of being there with her fellow rowers.
“The Saratoga Invitational Regatta is always exciting. The whole team goes up and stays in a hotel. It’s a good bonding experience,” says Tessa. “It’s one of the largest high-school regattas in the country. There are 10 lanes across the whole lake, so you have 10 boats going at the same time. It’s really fun and it’s a great experience. It really gets you immersed in the sport.”
Valley crew Head Coach John Laundon has seen Tessa progress from being a novice all the way to the first boat. Laundon appreciates Tessa’s dedication to the sport, as well as her willingness to help her teammates and coaches.
“Tessa’s a team player, and she always volunteers to help out,” Laundon says. “She’s become a very accomplished rower. She rows during the summer and fall. She loves the sport, and she’s a huge asset to the team, not just as a rower, but as a teammate.”
Since Tessa has been involved with Valley crew from its roots, the experience holds a special place in her heart. She’s proud of what the Warriors have accomplished in a short amount of time and is ready to help out the new people who are joining.
“I have so much pride for this team, being able to see it grow and seeing these freshman with these opportunities,” says Tessa. “This sport is kind of crazy, but it’s also really cool. I try to help out where I can. I run the crew page on Instagram, and I try to be there for the kids who are just starting.”
Tessa believes that rowing offers some great opportunities at the collegiate level. By honing her skills from rowing year-round, Tessa increases her chances of receiving scholarship opportunities for college.
“In the summer and the fall, I row with the Bloodstreet Sculls in Old Lyme. I started last summer and plan on continuing through high school,” says Tessa, who thanks her coaches, her mother Tracy and father Ken, as well as Gullong. “I am hoping to row in college. I have one offer right now, but I’m not sure about it yet. It’s definitely something that I’m really working hard to earn, because of the great opportunity crew brings for college.”