Saturday's continuous downpour was replaced by clearer skies and a slight wind on Sunday as the competition moved from the high school divisions to the collegiate and master's divisions.
More than 30 races were held in ideal fall conditions, leading to fast times for both local masters rowers as well as local alumni who returned to their prep rowing course now on collegiate teams.
The Saratoga Rowing Association master's rowing teams captured the women's master's eight second boat and the women's lightweight double with Skidmore Community Rowing's claimed the women's master's eight titles.
|
|
"Beating Ithaca was huge," Mersereau said. "It's a big thing and Williams also came here for the first time.
"This is the conclusion of our season and everyone gets to come," the Corinth resident and King School graduate said. "To win a gold medal after seat racing (starting spots) all week and to win a gold medal is great. We got a fish head!"
The Saints eight and coxswain were excited to pick up their fish head trophy, a baked, shellacked and painted fish head adorned with shells as ears with earrings. The team decided to name the trophy Gertrude because "she's a diva."
Both Mersereau and Burdett have adapted to the rigors of collegiate rowing after time spent rowing locally on the Mohawk River and Fish Creek.
"It's a lot harder," Burdett said. "We lift a lot more and there's no bs. You get up; you get to practice and row. If you're one person short, you run five miles."
With the fall rowing season complete, Burdett and her teammates will now look to train indoors for months, waiting for the weather to break and get back into their racing shells for the 2,000-meter sprint season.
"I'm looking forward to winter training," Burdett said. "We lift three times a week, erg (rowing machine) every day and cross train the others."
Sayles was happy to return to the sight of his New York State championship after a historic victory over rival Chaminade, now the Marist sophomore hoped to leave with the most unique trophy in sports, the fish head trophy.
"We were so close," Sayles said. "It would have been nice. For us the fall is about fitness and then translating that into better results in the spring."
While an all-star and captain with the Burnt Hills program, it's a level playing field on the collegiate varsity rowing level.
"At the varsity level everyone is good," Sayles said. "Our captain has been on the 1V (first varsity) since his freshman year and is one of the fastest guys I've seen. I hope that by my senior year I can go that fast."
Williams College claimed three titles on Sunday, the women's collegiate eight and novice eight along with the men's collegiate novice four. University of Massachusetts coach Jim Dietz returned to his own home course and captured the men's veteran singles final before watching his women's team capture the single and the lightweight eight races.
Some of rowing most ardent supporters, parents, friends and family of many of the rowers who took to the water Saturday got their time to shine on Fish Creek.
Saratoga Rowing Association masters rowers Jerilyn Hogan and Kim Delaney captured the women's masters lightweight double, covering the two-mile course in 15 minutes, 20.23 seconds.
"We won the open masters double last year, but didn't enter it this year," Hogan said. "I'm coming off the flu and chose not to row yesterday. It would have been too much for me."
The women's double proved that size doesn't matter, starting first in their division, but passing more than six boats ahead in the open division.
"We had a good race," Hogan said. "We had a good line after the 'S' turn. We like a head wind and we rowed well."
The Skidmore Community Rowing women's masters eight rowed its way to a fish head trophy as the pink ladies covered the course in 13:06.84 with the Saratoga Masters in second place at 13:28.04.
The Saratoga masters women's second eight earned a gold medal with a time of 14:45.59 followed by Skidmore Community Rowing at 15:22.90.
