2005-2006 Varsity Boys' Crew

Coach: Eric Houston

When selection for the spring trip came around, the group was paired down to forty. The crews had great weather and the double sessions paid off as we did pieces against a strong Brunswick crew in Tampa on our last day. The third and second boats traded pieces and the first boat won every piece. The first race came the second week of the spring term, sweeping St. John’s and CRC in the top three boats and a sweep of Andover and Brookline the following weekend in all four boats.

Other highlights include coming in a close second place to St. Joes Prep in Delaware in all three boats while beating four other crews in the same race. Additionally, the boys program won five of the six events at the Founder’s Day Regatta where we divided the top three boats into fours for the week. For their success at this race, the boys won the coveted point trophy for the regatta. Following Founders Day, we found equal success at the CT. State Championships held at Lake Waramaug, winning in the first boat and second boat events out of six boats and placing second in the third and fourth eights.

With the New England Championship around the corner the race against Salisbury, St. John’s and Exeter at Salisbury would prove to be an exciting day and a pretense of things to come. The first and third boats both won their races with the second boat losing a heart breaker to Exeter but crossing the line before Salisbury and St. John’s. The fourth boat - made up of almost exclusively novice rowers - finished their season coming up short vs. St. John’s but beating Salisbury.

On May 27, six Kent crews raced in Worcester in the NEIRA regatta - celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Father Sill, in addition to a few other headmasters and crew coaches, started the regatta with only a handful of schools on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond (this year the regatta consisted of fifty-two races with 1,331 competitors). On year, every Kent crew medaled! The boys’ third boat won their morning heats and the afternoon finals, winning the third boat New England Championship for the first time. The second boat finished a very close second place and the first boat won their morning heat as well as a very close race in the final over schools such as Andover, Exeter and St. John’s. In addition to winning individual trophies for their events, the boys’ crew won the overall point trophy for boys eights. This was the first time that the boys won the point trophy - of special significance because the point trophy is named in honor of a Kent coach, Hart Perry, who was present to award the trophies. The boys’ first boat championship trophy was given in honor of Father Sill. It is with great pride that we will house the trophy in our new rowing center during the school’s centennial celebration and fifty years after the trophy was given to honor Father Sill. The boys’ first eight ended their regular season with an impressive 47-3 record The second eight also finished with a spectacular record of 45-3 and the third ,not to be outdone finished with a record of 38-3!

The boys’ first boat continued its season, representing the school at the National Championships held in Cincinnati the weekend following exams. They will then fly to London with five other rowers to represent Kent School at the Marlow Regatta on June 17th, the Reading Regatta on June 24th and the Royal Henley Regatta from June 28th through July 3rd.