Haddonfield Crew team hits the water for the first time this season
A cold wind that was blowing off the Cooper River did not stop the Haddonfield Memorial High School Crew Club from practicing for the first time Monday, March 6. The team, which consists of 65 Haddonfield students, is comprised mainly of seniors and freshmen with some sophomores and juniors mixed in between.
After a two-year Cooper River dredging project forced the team to compete elsewhere, Haddonfield is back at the Camden County Boathouse.
“We are excited to be back on the water,” head coach Tim Hagan said. “It hasn’t been that bad of a winter, weather-wise, but the kids have been indoors since December, working on the rowing machines and doing a lot of lifting and cardio work. They are excited to be back out in the fresh air.”
Being the first practice, some people were on the docks for the first time. With other spring sports options such as baseball and track, crew offers unique challenges to the students other sports do not have.
“It is definitely a different sport than what people are used to,” Hagan said. “It’s not something you grow up doing. It’s something that you start in high school for the most part. The fact that everyone gets to the boat and everyone gets to compete. We don’t really have anyone sitting on the bench. We have different events, from varsity events to freshmen events. All the kids are involved, and it is fun to get out on the river. It’s a different experience than what they are doing when they are growing up.”
The team will be competing in races around the region. Some of the events include five Manny Flick races and the well-known Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia. They also will be a part of the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Regatta that will be held in Pennsauken.
“It’s a neat sport. It’s fun and it’s exciting,” Hagan said. ”The parents all come out and they have a food tent. They get to hang out and spend a day at the river, take it all in and be out in nature.”
Click on the box below to view more pictures from yesterday’s first practice
Haddonfield Crew Club First Practice
The team is preparing for the upcoming 2017 season and has its first event on March 19 at Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row.
2017 Season Schedule:
March 19 Manny Flick 1 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
March 26 Manny Flick 2 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
April 2 Manny Flick 3 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
April 8 Steve Neczypor Regatta 7 a.m. Cooper River Boathouse
April 9 Manny Flick 4 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
April 23 Manny Flick 5 7 a.m. Schuykill River
April 29 Garden State Championships 6 a.m. Cooper River Boathouse
April 30 Cooper Cup 7 a.m. Cooper River Boathouse
May 6–7 PSRA City Championships 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
May 19–20 Stotesbury Cup 7 a.m. Schuylkill River
May 26–27 SRAA National Championships 7 a.m. Cooper River Boathouse
