In the beginning of 2012, the HB Crew Club was founded by Nick Sengstaken, ‘16. Sengstaken said, “I decided to bring Crew to HB because I wanted to show the students how fun and challenging crew is. Crew is a very unique sport because you have to rely on every other person in the boat to do well.” The club immediately became a hit with the students of HB, and has grown from eleven original members to a remarkable forty-eight members, as they wrap up their first fall season.

What is crew? The HB Crew website says, “Crew is the sport of rowing. The crew is a group of rowers positioned in the same boat to move their long racing boat/shell through the water using oars. A coxswain is the person who steers and directs the boat by moving the rudder and giving instructions to the crew using a microphone. The crew faces backwards to go forward. The coxswain faces forward to guide the crew.” Each race has a different distance that the team must row, ranging from, two miles to three miles. Every few weeks, the team competes in regattas (a rowing competition) all around New England.

Thus far this season, the HB Crew club has been very successful. In three consecutive regattas, the Mens’ Jr Novice 8+ team has won two gold medals, and one silver medal. The members in HB’s Mens’ Jr Novice 8+ boat include: Sengstaken, ‘16, Mark Siebert, ‘15, Davin Jimeno, ‘17, John McCubrey, ’17, Alex Claire, ‘14, Zach Creighton,’15, Jacob Scali,’15, Chris Lazich, ’15, and Greg Cowan, ‘15. The girls’ crew has also had a very successful season thus far, finishing fifth out of eleven teams at their most recent regatta in Worcester, Mass. The members of the crew which attained this award include Lauria Patz, ’14, Shannon Fitzpatrick, ’16, Abby Fitzpatrick, ’17, Carly James, ’15, and Mandy Graves ’14.

Although the team has been so successful this season, winning doesn’t come easy. Jane Eklund, ‘14, said, “In this sport, everyone has to be totally in sync with each other’s movements while rowing, and when we’re not working as one, everyone gets really frustrated.” In order to eliminate any possible frustration and solidify a consistent rowing rhythm, the team practices four days a week at the Lone Pine Hunters Club in Hollis. Eklund went on to say,

Come and support the HB Crew Club while they compete at theit final regatta of the season– the Merrimack Chase Regatta in Methuen, Mass. on the Merrimack River on November 9, at 7 a.m.to 2 p.m.

For more information, or to join the Crew Team in their upcoming spring season go to their website www.hbcrew.org.