WHAT WE SHOULD REALIZE or Preparing for success:
We are gathered here to celebrate another season with the Pioneer Crew. Not just another season but a very special one.
Sometimes we take for granted the things we have. What we don't often think about is what went on before us or what is going on around us that makes this all possible. Achieving success often comes at the expense of others. Let us remember those that have paved the road and made possible what we have. The Rowers, the Parents and the Coaches that have all contributed to this TEAM. We owe all of them all a very special thanks.
Let us also remember that success always seems to have a price. It often carries a burden that causes me to wonder if it is all worth it. I rationalize that touching a few sometimes out-ways losing others along the road. I tell myself that the impact I have will often be measured many years down the road.
I believe the success we have achieved was not an accident, but a designed plan that was executed through commitment and preparation. It has sometimes taken its toll on those that were not quiet ready to enter the house. I often refer to SUCCESS as the HOUSE , and as I have said before I wish more of us could enter it, but it remains an exclusive group.
I would like to thank Rich for taking the reins this year and running blindly down the road with it. It gave me an opportunity to step back and reassess what I love about the job and what I don't. I love coaching. I love working with young adults. And I love pursuing DREAMS.
The additional staff of Andy Forbing, Scott Nunn, Crystal Culp and Leigh Farrell was such a delight to work with. I believe the coaching staff became a team working together to make these kids a very successful unit.
Once again I could not do any of this with out my wife believing in me and allowing me the time away from home.
To the Senior Rowers:
At a certain point in the season I become aware that this will be the last time we will be doing things together. It is funny how you have become such a part of my life and I actually look forward to seeing you. I have seen many of you grow both physically and mentally thru these years. You are bigger, stronger and you are more confident. A new challenge awaits you and all I wish is that we have helped lay some kind of groundwork for you to meet these new challenges.
Most of life is routine, but routine is what keeps us going. Get up and do it again and again. Habits keep us going. If you wait for inspiration you'll be sitting in the boat and the rest of the race will be a mile down stream. DON'T WAIT!
I am not sure what awaits me down the road, but I know I have never in my life experienced such satisfaction just working and knowing all of you.
Grace Hollowell: Small in stature, but big in heart. You are the inspiration. Work hard, try to be patient and good things will happen.
Molly Junck: You caught my eye early. Your work ethic is extraordinary. You have never let me down and I revel in your success.
Emilie Lerner: Seemingly quiet and reserved, but a determination that is unmistaken able.
Claire Luczak: I still remember the day when you asked my opinion about your future in rowing. You made the right choice.
David Elner: I remember asking why is this guy here? I don't think he likes this. I was wrong. Great devotion to the team and worked hard to improve.
David Hamstra: Once again great devotion to the team and hard work ethic. The engine room guy. Loved your impersonation of me.
Matt Remsen: A total team player. Worked hard to make us the success we are.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Eric Wustrow: Would not have guessed he was a rower when he first came out. Impressed me with his ability to move a boat. Determination! Made me have to think.
Rob Graham: Came along later than we would have liked. Showed great capacity and fun loving attitude contributed to team dynamics.
Ben Postema: Seemingly just tagging along. We learned much about him and I hope he learned something about himself. Under it all he must have enjoyed us as well.
Jason Bernstein: The incredible HULK. A quick learner. The team's greatest wrestler.
Lars Zwaanenburg: Lars? Really? Quiet guys are dangerous.
Thank you seniors!
When we started this program I wrote down my list of goals and how I wanted to get there. I have personally achieved what I set out to do. I hope that you the coaches, the rowers and parents have bigger dreams and continue to work toward them. I personally am just exhausted and need time to let this all sink in and re-evaluate what happens next.
What I do know is that nobody can take this moment from us. The journey was very special and I hope to have many more journeys along this path of life. I once said that the way was easy, yet people prefer by-paths. I believe we found the way together here on this team. Some of us will find new paths and new journeys to begin. I hope that we can all remember when we stood together and called ourselves the Pioneer Crew - Champions !
Dove's Shipping News Number 13, June 11, 2006
Ann Arbor Pioneer H.S. Crew
PIONEER WOMEN'S FOUR WINS BRONZE MEDAL
AT
US ROWING YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Cincinnati, Ohio. - The US Rowing Youth National Championship was held this past weekend on Lake Harsha at East Fork State Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. There over 200 entries from 26 States and over 100 cities represented at the Championships. Heats were held on Friday, June 9 th , followed by Semi-Finals on Saturday, June 10 th and Finals on Sunday, June 11 th . The Pioneer Women's Youth 4+ placed third in the Grand Final, .52 seconds behind second and also received a Bronze Medal and bragging rights to one of the top three boats in the country.
This was the first Grand Final and Medal by an Ann Arbor Crew in the Youth National Championship. This was the last Regatta for this Women's 4+ that has had an incredible season. The Crew was undefeated during the regular season and received a Bronze Medal in the Canadian Championship and a Bronze Medal in the US Youth Championship.
The following is Coach Dove's recollection and account of the Championship:
The progression format meant that the first two boats would advance directly to semi's while others would move to repechage round to try and advance to semi's. Not having to row in the morning rounds allowed the Pioneer's to rest for the semi's while other would have to row twice Saturday. The Pioneer's easily moved to their semi round by have the second fastest time of the day.
On Saturday a cross head wind greeted the rowers along with a steady rain. In the semi's the Pioneers had the third fastest time of the day and were in the Grand Finals for Sunday.
The fact that we had the second and third fastest times in the early rounds certainly boosted our confidence. As a coach I felt we were in position to make some history for the Pioneer Crew. The race strategy hinged around trying to take out Middlesex School who had been coming up with the fourth fastest times. We had hung with Peddie School in the heats and Pomfret School in the semi's. We would come out fast and stick our bow on Peddie, look for Middlesex who I suspected would try and break the field early. Our strategy was if Middlesex were up early we would try and gap them and possibly demoralize them leaving the race between Peddie, Pomfret and Pioneer. Our strategic calls would be "SEX" to leave Middlesex back, "FRET" to stick our bow out on Pomfret and "DIE" to bridge the gap to Peddie who I thought would be the favorite. Our bow person, Claire Luczak was told to make the calls and relay to coxswain Erica Macke who sat right in front of Claire.
The early race had us one and two with Peddie in the first 500. Middlesex did exactly what was expected and pulled up to challenge the lead at the 750 thus pulling the whole field with them. We answered the call and again challenged for superiority. The early effort took its toll and we drifted back to fourth at the 1000-meter mark. The crew re-gathered and again stuck their bow on Peddie with Pomfret moving back with us. The race once again was Peddie, Pioneer and Pomfret. Middlesex effort had pulled Community Rowing up and they paid the price as they began to drift back to fifth and Community in fourth. The last 500 was a sprint to the finish with the three crews jockeying back and fourth. In the last 200 Peddie had pulled a couple of seat on Pioneer and Pomfret. We kept that alignment into the last 100. Peddie would come out on top, with Pioneer and Pomfret going stroke for stroke to the finish line. A photo finish would determine our placement.
Finish photo to determine placement.
Pomfret Prep School in Lane 5 and Ann ArborPioneer High School in Lane 3. Final order of finish.
Final order of Finish Grand Final: Women's Youth Four
1 st - Peddie Prep School Gold Medal Time: 7:53:17
Boat: Vespoli M2
2 nd - Pomfret Prep School Silver Medal Time: 7:54:68
Boat: Vespoli M2
3 rd - Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Bronze Medal Time: 7:54:16
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak. Coach Michael Dove.
Boat: Vespoli Racer
4 th - Community Rowing Club Time: 7:58:18
5 th - Middlesex Prep School Time: 7:59:46
6 th - Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club Time: 8:16:07
PHOTOS by Almost Art Dove
Crew launch for final.
Final 250 meters.
PHOTOS by Almost Art Dove
The race to the finish.
Final meters.
The last push.
Congratulations.
Podium.
Posing.
Displaying Medals.
Celebration!
Photographs are available for inclusion in your article.
For more information, contact Michael Dove 734-973-0020, cell 734 730-0024
or at mdkealoha@comcast.net .
Dove's Shipping News Number 12, June 5, 2006
Ann Arbor Pioneer H.S. Crew
SIX BOATS IN GRAND FINALS
St. Catharines, Ontario: The Pioneer Crew competed in the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championship on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Saint Catharines, Ontario. The regatta had 158 schools and 3000 athletes competing for titles. The Pioneer's sent 10 crews to this event and placed 6 crews in Grand Finals.
Racing started on Friday with 6 boat heats with crews needing to place first or second to advance the semi-final round. Saturday's semi's featured 9 Pioneer crews trying to work their way to Sunday finals. Rain on Saturday did not deter the Pioneer's from advancing 6 crews to the big event on Sunday.
Sunday's Grand Finals started at 11 pm under sunny skies and light winds blowing down the course. Times for the finals were a bit slower than Saturday's semis, but the racing was fierce.
The first final of the day featured the Junior Men's eight, which placed fifth. The next race was the Junior Women's Eight placing fourth.
The Senior Women's four came up next and the women did not disappoint anybody, giving us a 3 rd place and Bronze Medal. This was the first medal by a Pioneer Crew in 5 previous tries in this event.
The Junior Women's four raced next and came in fifth.
The final events of the day feature the big eight's. Pioneer had both of their senior eights in the finals. The Senior Women's Eight came down the course and charged to another 3 rd place and Bronze Medal. The Senior Men's Eight was a barn burner of a final with Pioneer charging thru from fifth place in the middle of the race to come up a close fourth by only a couple of seats.
The two medals were the first ever for the Pioneer since competing in this event. The team place 15 th of 158 schools and was the top American school over all. The Women placed 12 th of 158 in their division and the Men placed 21 st of 158 in their division. The Pioneer's turned a lot of heads and capped off an extraordinary season.
The season is over except for the Women's Senior Four, which will compete in the US Rowing Youth Invitational National Championship this coming weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Grand Final Results:
Junior Men's Eight 5 th Time: 7:00:98
Coxswain, Derian Kuneman. Rowers, Josh Foster, Justin Martini, Alex Spatzier, Sean Cafferty, Connor Luczak, Karl Deboer, Colin Shields, Ian Gardnier.
Junior Women's Eight 4 th Time: 7:59:32
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Jessica Rampton, Kristin Hagemeister, Angela Frakes, Lizzy Elner, Kristina Little, Ali Breeding, Kathryn Ashin, Hallie Dorsey.
Senior Women's Four 3 rd Bronze Medal Time: 8:00:65
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak.
Junior Women's Four 5 th Time: 8:46:32
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Angela Frakes, Lizzy Elner.
Senior Women's Eight 3 rd Bronze Medal Time: 7:17:41
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak. Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Lauren Weston, Emilie Lerner.
Senior Men's Eight 4 th Time: 6:21:28
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Eric Wustrow, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, Tor Berg, Mariano Sastre, David Elner, Matt Remsen, Rob Graham.
OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS:
WOMEN'S DIVISION PIONEER 12 th
MEN'S DIVISION PIONEER 21 st
COMBINED PIONEER 15 th
Women's Senior Four: Bronze Medalist, Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championship. From left to right: Grace Han, Claire Luczak, Grace Luczak, Molly Junck, Grace Hollowell.
Dove's Shipping News Number 10, May 14, 2006
Ann Arbor Pioneer H.S. Crew
PURPLE REIGNS
Cincinnati, OH. - The Pioneer H.S. Women's Varsity Crew finished 3 rd in the Women's Division and the Men's Varsity Crew finished 9 th in the Men's Division.
The Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championship Regatta, held on Lake Harsha, featured rowers and crews from 7 States, 33 Cities, with 51 Teams represented. Teams raced in heats of 6 to 7 boats on Saturday. Saturday's weather conditions were rainy, but the organization raced from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm. Heats and Semi's were completed as the sun was setting. All heats and finals were 1500 meters. Sunday finals started at 8:00 am under cloudy skies. The rain held off as the organization went 30 events with the culmination of the day being the Varsity Women's Eights and Varsity Men's Eights.
The Women's Varsity Crew was the highest placed Michigan High School from Michigan, while the Men's Varsity Crew was the second highest placed High School behind St. Mary's Preparatory. Once again Pioneer proved to be the top rowing team in the state.
The Pioneer Crew entered 14 crews and advanced 11 crews to the finals and medaled 6 crews. The Medal Count was 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals. .
"While we went into this Regatta with the intention placing as many crews in finals, the fact that we placed as high as we did was once again a pleasant surprise. We are just ecstatic to qualify one of our crew for the US Rowing Youth Invitational National Championship. We are just beside ourselves with the fact that we qualified 6 crews for the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga, New York."
"What we have accomplished here is just mind boggling. This team in the past 3 years has exceeded our expectations by a million miles. To say that we are just pleased would be an understatement. The hard work and dedication of the rowers and parents involved in this team has been overwhelming."
The contribution of the coaching staff cannot be understated. Leigh Farrell, Crystal Culp, Andy Forbing, Scott Nunn, Mike Dove and Rich Griffith have given a hug amount of time and energy to make this season so successful. "The fact that we are a complete team, with contributions from both the girls and boys crews has made this year a total success for everyone involved."
The Pioneers will compete in a Dual meet with Saline High School Crew next. We will consider our options and more than likely finish the year at the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championship in Saint Cathrines, Ontario in June.
FINAL RESULTS:
Men's Crew Finalist and Medal Winners:
Men's Novice 4 6 th Time: 5:45.85
Coxswain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, Connor Luczak, Karl DeBoer, Colin Shields, Sean Cafferty.
Men's Novice 8 6 th Time: 5:26.81
Coxswain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, Connor Luczak, Karl DeBoer, Colin Shields, Sean Cafferty, Adam King, Jason Bernstein, John Kimick, Alex Rigney.
Men's Junior 4 2 nd SILVER MEDAL Time: 5:17.18
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Coxsain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Mahony, Josh Foster, Ty Gersh, Rich Boehnke.
Men's Varsity 4 2 nd SILVER MEDAL Time: 5:07.91
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Remsen, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, Eric Wustrow.
Men's Varsity 4 6 th Time: 5:28.66
Cowswain, Derian Kuneman. Rowers, Rob Graham, David Elner, Lars Zwaanenburg, Ben Postema.
Men's Senior 8 3 nd BRONZE MEDAL Time: 4:39.97
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Coxsain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Eric Wustrow, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, Tor Berg, Mariano Sastre, David Elner, Matt Remsen, Rob Graham.
Women's Crew Finalist and Medal Winners:
Women's Novice 8 4 th Time: 5:42.56
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Katie Korhman, Ali Breeding, Jessica Rampton, Kristin Hagemeister, Kathryn Ashin, Gen Goldberg, Hallie Dorsey, McKenzie Gardulescu.
Women's Novice 4 1 ST GOLD MEDAL Winning Time: 6:05.70
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Jessica Rampton, Ali Breeding, Kathyn Ashin, Kristin Hagemeister.
Women's Junior 4 2 RD SILVER MEDAL Time: 5:57.40
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Rina Manikas, Lizzy Elner.
Womens Varsity 8 4 th Time: 5:18.50
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Rina Manikas, Emilie Lerner.
Women's Varsity 4 1 ST GOLD MEDAL Winning Time: 5:43.83
Received invitation to Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship in Saratoga Spring, NY.
Received invitation to US Rowing Youth Invitational National Championship Cincinnati, OH.
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak.
FINAL OVERALL STANDINGS:
Women's Points Trophy
1 st Fox Chapel, Ohio 121 points
2 nd New Trier, Illinois 84 points
3 rd Ann Arbor Pioneer, Michigan 68 points
Men's Points Trophy
1 st St.Ignatius, Ohio 127.5 points
2 nd St.Marys Prep, Michigan 117 points
3 rd Upper Arlington, Ohio 77 points
9 th Ann Arbor Pioneer, Michigan 38.5 points
Team Points Trophy Detail Report
Regatta: 2006 Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championship, 05/13-14/2006
Criteria: Female Events Only
If multiple boats from the same team are in the final, only the top scoring team will get points.
Team Total Points
Fox Chapel Crew 121.00
New Trier High School Rowing 84.00
Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Crew 68.00
Upper Arlington High School 67.50
Loyola Academy 60.00
Marietta High School 51.50
Notre Dame Academy Crew 44.00
North Allegheny High School 43.00
St Ursula Academy Rowing Club 41.00
Cincinnati Country Day School 33.00
Oakland Catholic Rowing 32.00
Rockford High School Crew 30.00
Forest Hills Central High School 28.00
Grosse Ile High School 18.50
Riverview Community High School 18.00
Team Points Trophy Detail Report
Regatta: 2006 Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championship, 05/13-14/2006
Criteria: Male Events Only
If multiple boats from the same team are in the final, only the top scoring team will get points.
Team Total Points
St. Ignatius High School 127.50
St. Marys Preparatory 117.00
Upper Arlington High School 77.00
Loyola Academy 63.00
Central Catholic High School 54.00
North Allegheny High School 52.00
Marietta High School 48.00
New Trier High School Rowing 45.00
Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Crew 38.50
Fox Chapel Crew 38.00
St. Johns Jesuit Rowing Club 33.00
Forest Hills Central High School 29.00
Rockford High School Crew 22.00
Photos by Dove Art Renaissance.
Women's Novice 4: Midwest Champions.
Women's Senior 4: Midwest Champions.
Women's Junior 4: Midwest Silver Medalist.
Men's Junior 4: Midwest Silver Medalist.
Men's Senior 8: Midwest Bronze Medalist.
Dove's Shipping News Number 9, May 6, 2006
Pioneer Crew Third Overall
at
Wyandotte High Schools Regatta
Wyandotte, MI - The Pioneer H.S. varsity crew finished 3 rd overall and 2 nd in the women's division at the Wyandotte Highs Regatta in Wyandotte on Saturday. The Pioneer men's and women's teams combined finished with 172 points to finish behind Maritta of Ohio and E.L.Crossley of Canda overall in the 2 day-long event out of 25 high school teams participating from Ohio and Canada. This was the highest finish ever at the Wyandotte High Schools event for the Pioneer team. The Womens Crew finish with 102 points to Marittas 106 points.
The Wynadotte High Schools Regatta , held on the Detroit River, featured rowers and crews from Michigan, Ohio and Canada. Teams raced in heats of 4 to 6 boats during the afternoon on Friday, with the finals to be held on Saturday. Windy conditions of Friday forced the cancellation of rowing after the completion of 8 heats. Saturday required the regatta organization to run 63 heats and finals. All heats and finals were shortened to 1000 meters.
"We are surprised over how well the event went for us. Our expectation going into this event was for individual crew to tune up for Midwest Championship next week. Looking back we might have put more emphasis on trying to get the Women's point trophy and certainly the overall trophy. "
The Pioneer Crew entered 16 crews and advanced 14 crews to the finals.
FINAL RESULTS:
Men's Crew Medal Winners:
Men's Novice 4 2 nd SILVER MEDAL
Coxswain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, Connor Luczak, Karl DeBoer, Colin Shields, Sean Cafferty.
Men's Varsity Double 3 rd BRONZE MEDAL
Rowers, David Elner, Tyson Gersh
Men's Varsity Single 3 rd BRONZE MEDAL
Rower, Tyson Gersh
Men's Junior 8 2 nd SILVER MEDAL
Coxsain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Mahony, Josh Foster, Alex Spatzier, Rich Boehnke, Justin Martini, Will Diebolt, Ian Gardiner, Loui Gelinas.
Men's Varsity 4 2 nd SILVER MEDAL
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Remsen, David Hamstra, Tyler Sanderson, Eric Wustrow.
Women's Crew Medal Winners:
Women's Novice 8 2 nd SILVER MEDAL
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Katie Korhman, Ali Breeding, Jessica Rampton, Kristin Hagemeister, Kathryn Ashin, Gen Goldberg, Hallie Dorsey, McKenzie Gardulescu.
Women's Novice 4 1 ST GOLD MEDAL Winning Time: 4:15.1
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Jessica Rampton, Ali Breeding, Kathryn Ashin, Kristin Hagemeister.
Women's Junior 4 3 RD BRONZE MEDAL
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Angela Frakes, Lizzy Elner.
Womens Varsity 8 2 ND SILVER MEDAL
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Angela Frakes, Emilie Lerner.
Women's Varsity 4 1 ST GOLD MEDAL Winning Time: 3:44.0
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak.
FINAL OVERALL STANDINGS:
Women's Points Trophy
1 st Marietta, Ohio 106 points
2 nd Pioneer, Michigan 102 points
3 rd Dennis Morris, Canada 98 points
Men's Points Trophy
1 st E.L. Crossley, Canada 164 points
2 nd Orchard Lake Saint Mary, Michigan 134 points
3 rd Maritta, Ohio 83 points
Overall Points Trophy
1 st E.L. Crossley, Canada 245 points
2 nd Maritta, Ohio 189 points
3 rd Pioneer, Michigan 172 points
Photos:
Dove's Shipping News Number 8, April 29, 2006
PIONEER WOMENS CREW STATE CHAMPS
A Pioneer gathering at Wyandotte.
On Saturday, April 29, 2006 in Wyandotte, Michigan the 42 nd running of the Hebda Memorial Challenge Cup Regatta was held under clear skies, light wind and comfortable temperatures. Great day for rowing as 21 High Schools from around the state gathered for the bragging rights to all state titles. With 900 rowers and 400 crews the day started with heats at 8 am and continued till 12:30 pm. A short break in the action and finals began hot and heavy for the afternoon.
Rowing may seem on the surface to be a sport with little participation, but once you have seen what continues to happen in Wyandotte each spring you will realize how quickly the sport is growing. The city of Wyandotte shuts of part of its streets and welcomes the many teams from around the state with a warm welcome. The host of this event has a multi-million dollar boathouse on the Detroit River that house many of the high schools from the down river community. The Mayor of Wyandotte supports rowing enthusiastically, as does many of the business in the area, making all the schools feel apart of their city. They have single handedly grown the sport from their longtime involvement and dedication to youth rowing.
The Pioneers in 6 short years have grown from a club on 24 rowers to a Varsity sport and 70 girls and boys rowing. The fact that the Women's Team is now State Champions and the Boy's Team third in the State speaks volumes to the time and dedication that these young athlete's have put into the sport. Many of the rowers rowed thru the fall and trained during the winter to peak for this event. The Pioneers stayed focused on the goal of taking away titles and bragging rights.
We knew last week at the Grand Rapids Invitational Regatta that we had prepared ourselves and we were on the right track to success. The Women had come off winning the points trophy and the Boys 5 points from winning their trophy. The practices all week had been tuning up boats and preparing crews for the Hebda Cup.
Head Coach and Boys Coach Rich Griffith along Assistants Scott Nunn and Andy Forbing prepared the Boys Varsity, Junior Varsity and Novice Crews. The competition would come from Forrest Hills Central and Orchard Lake Saint Mary's, but the boys remained confident all week. The practices during the week included seat racing as the coaches tried to sort out crews. The novice boys made huge strides in boat speed and the staff looked for a balanced attack from the novice, junior and varsity crews.
Girls Coach Michael Dove and Assistants Crystal Culp and Leigh Farrell worked on fine-tuning the girls. The performance from the prior week had established crews working hard to improve on boat speed. Coach Dove put an emphasis on a Girls Lightweight Eight comprised of four varsity rowers and four novice rowers. The key to our success would hinge on establishing a lightweight crew that could win or score much needed points. The girls rowed together for the first time during the week and the coaching staff felt confident in the ability to come thru with a winning performance.
Racing started with heats Saturday morning. The women's lightweight crew with the first race of the day started things off in the right direction, winning their heat. From that point on Girls and Boys moved thru their heats giving the Pioneers great performances after great performance. Fifteen crews entered in events and twelve advancing to finals. This was absolutely un-heard of for the Pioneers. Confidence is the key to success and the Pioneers seem to have it in abundance.
Finals in the afternoon would start once again with Girl's Lightweight Eight. A hard fought battle to the finish between Forrest Hills Central and Ann Arbor Pioneer would be the pattern for the rest of the afternoon. Forrest Hills came out on top in this event, but the Pioneers were on their tail for a much need second place.
The next event was the Boys Novice Eight. The boys came away with fine 4 th place.
The Girls Novice Four coming off and second in the heats new the work was cut out for them. A winning row from the girls and girls team new they were going to get the kind of effort needed to take the girls division. A State Title and Gold Medals for a girls novice crew always boosts confidence.
The Girls Junior Eight followed with Forrest Hills Central on top and Pioneer once again right behind. More points!
Girls Varsity Four followed with open water win over Rockford who has made great strides in the crew. State Title and Gold Medal number two.
Girls Novice Eight raced against their rival Rockford and came away with a second to Rockford first. The girls have been racing each other for the past three weeks and each time the Pioneers have come closer to knocking them off.
The Boys Varsity Four had two Pioneer crews in this event showing the kind of strength the boys are establishing for themselves. A State Title for the boys varsity A crew and a third for the boys varsity B crew.
Boys Novice Four coming off a second place finish in the heats came away with a 6 th place finish. Fifteen crews had initially entered this event and a sixth place row made Coach Forbing a happy man.
Girls Junior Four followed with two sophomore and two junior girls winning the State Title in this event. The girls pulled off an astounding row with open water between them and the other crews. They rowed straight to the dock with no celebration three of the girls jumped into the Pioneer Senior Varsity Eight.
The Girls Varsity Eight hustled down to the start of Varsity Eight race. A seven boat final had the Pioneer going right into the starting blocks with hardly a chance for the girls to recover. The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead and rowed away from the field. State Title and Gold Medal number four the girl's crews.
The final race of the day had the Pioneer Boys Varsity Eight rowing against six-boat field. What a way to finish the day but with another victory, a State Title and Gold Medal number two for the boys.
Tabulation of points began and crews gathered for the ceremony. The Boys Point Trophy went to Forrest Hills Central with Orchard Lake Saint Mays second and Ann Arbor Pioneer third. The Girls Point to Ann Arbor Pioneer for the first time, followed by Forrest Hills Central and Rockford in third. The Overall Points Trophy went to Forrest Hills Central with 55 points to Ann Arbor Pioneer 50 points. A 5-point margin gave one of the closest finishes imaginable.
The Pioneers have put themselves on one of the top rungs of the state crews rowing ladder.
Coach Griffith and Dove feel there is still room to grow, but find themselves astonished at the fact that the Pioneers are now a team to be reckoned with.
Some amazing results this year.
Coach Rick Anderson of Rockford High School Crew had this to say.
Congratulations. Purple is tough. Six first place finishes!
Is the high school rowing landscape in Michigan is changing?
OLSM was completely shut out of the winners circle. When was the last time that happened?
Downriver teams won no races.
West Michigan teams won 9 out of 16 races.
AA's Huron & Pioneer won 7 out of the 16 races.
West Michigan team won the overall trophy.
A West Michigan team won the men's trophy.
A Mid Michigan team won the girl's trophy.
Final Result of the Hebda Memorial Challenge Cup.
Girls Lightweight 8+ 2 nd Place
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Angela Frakes, Inge Zwaanenburg, Hope Davis, Helena Parsonage, Katie Kohrman, Mckenzie Gardulescu, Hallie Dorsey, Derian Kuneman.
Boys Junior 4+ 4 th Place and 5 th Place
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Roweres, Josh Foster, Mariano Sastre, Ty Gersh, Rich Boehnke
Coxswain, Loui Gelinas. Rowers, Matt Mahony, Alex Spatzier, Justin Martini, Will Diebolt.
Boys Novice 8+ 4 th Place
Coxswain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, Connor Luczak, Karl DeBoer, Adam King, Sean Cafferty, Roy Jackson, Jason Bernstein, John Kimnick, Alex Rigney.
Girls Novice 4+ 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 6:59.08
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Jessica Rampton, Ali Breeding, Kathryn Ashin, Kristin Hagemeister.
Girls Junior 8+ 2 nd Place
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Angela Frakes, Inge Zwaanenburg, Kristina Little, Lizzy Elner, Rina Manikas, Yejide Myers, Hope Davis, Diana Hasler.
Girls Varsity 4+ 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 6:06.0
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak.
Girls Novice 8+ 2 nd Place
Coxswain, Colleen Macke. Rowers, Katie Korhman, Ali Breeding, Jessica Rampton, Kristin Hagemeister, Kathryn Ashin, Gen Goldberg, Hallie Dorsey, Mckenzie Gardulescu.
Boys Varstiy 4+ A Crew 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 5:00.68
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matte Remsen, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, Eric Wustrow.
Boys Varstiy 4+ B Crew 3 rd Place
Coxswain, Derian Kuneman. Rowers, Rob Graham, David Elner, Lars Zwaanenburg, Ben Postma.
Boys Novcie 4+ 6 th Place
Coxsain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, John Kimnick, Alex Rigney, Jim Fitspatrick, Tom Cramer.
Girls Junior 4+ 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 6:10.05
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Lauren Weston, Rina Manikas.
Girls Varsity 8+ 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 5:21.47
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Grace Luczak, Claire Luczak, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan, Lauren Weston, Emilie Lerner.
Boys Varstiy 8+ 1 st Place Gold Medal STATE CHAMPS
Winning Time: 5:05.31
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Eric Wustrow, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, Tor Berg, Mariano Sastre, David Elner, Matt Remsen, Rob Graham.
Final Team Result:
Ann Arbor Pioneer 1 st Place 36 points
Forrest Hill Central 2 nd Place 25 points
Rockford 3 rd Place 14 points
Forrest Hills Central 1 st Place 30 points
Orchard Lake Saint Mary 2 nd Place 21 points
Ann Arbor Pioneer 3 rd Place 14 points
Rockford 14 points
Forrest Hills Central 1 st Place 55 points
Ann Arbor Pioneer 2 nd Place 50 points
Rockford 3 rd Place 28 points
Photos of Winning Crews:
Novice Girls 4+ STATE CHAMPIONS
Girls Varsity 4+ STATE CHAMPIONS
Girls Junior 4+ STATE CHAMPIONS
Girls Varsity 8+ STATE CHAMPIONS
Boys Varsity 8+ STATE CHAMPIONS
Boys Varsity 4+ STATE CHAMPS
Photos by Almost Art and Dove Art Renaissance
Winners of the Women's Points Trophy at Grand Rapids Invitational Regatta.
The Pioneer Crew made an early season statement with an outstanding performance at the Grand Rapids Invitational Regatta, April 22, 2006 at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. With 12 High School Teams represented the Pioneers came out on top in the Women's Division and the Men coming up 5 points short in the their division.
Saturday's racing started at 7:30 am with heats and finals in the afternoon. Pioneer Crew came in first or second in all their heats with a very dominant morning. Eleven crews made finals out of twelve events entered. The morning greeted rowers with cloudy skies and occasional rain with a sunny afternoon and temperatures in 60's and light winds.
The performance in the morning heats showed the depth that the Pioneer Crew has this season. The afternoon performances confirmed that feeling. Finalist in each event came away with either a Gold or Silver Medal. Many of the rowers came home with two or three medals around their necks.
The Pioneer Crew has established themselves as one of the elite programs in the State along side of Forrest Hills Central who has dominated in recent years. The performance across the board was outstanding, and the determination unrivaled. The coaching staff was wonderfully pleased to be able to witness it all come together.
Medaling crews:
Women Junior 8 2 nd Silver Medal
Coxswain, Esther Barrett. Rowers, Angela Frakes, Inge Zwaanenburg, Kristina Little, Lizzy Elner, Diana Hasler, Hope Davis, Susan Murphy, Derian Kuneman.
Men Junior 4 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Mahony, Josh Foster, Ty Gersh, Rich Boehnke.
Women Novice 8 2 nd Sivler Medal
Coxswain, Natalie Ten Brink. Rowers, Katie Korhman, Ali Breeding, Kathryn Ashin, Kristin Hagemeister, Hallie Dorsey, Gen Godberg, Colleen Macke, Mckenzie Gardulescu.
Women Senior 4 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Julia Darnton, Emily Smalligan.
Men Senior 4 2 nd Silver Medal
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Matt Remsen, David Elner, David Hamstra, Eric Wustrow.
Men Junior 4 2 nd Silver Medal
Coxswain, Loui Gelinas. Rowers, Matt Mahony, Josh Foster, Ty Gersh, Rich Boehnke, Alex Spatzier, Justin Martini, Ian Gardiner, Miles Atwell.
Women Junior 4 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Katie Carito. Rowers, Lauren Weston, Lizzy Elner, Kristina Little, Susan Murphy.
Women Senior 8 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Julia Darton, Emily Smalligan, Lauren Weston, Emilie Lerner, Angela Frakes, Inge Zwaanenburg.
Men Senior 8 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Eric Wustrow, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, David Elner, Mariano Sastre, Tor Berg, Matt Remsen, Rob Graham.
Women Senior 500 meter Dash 1 st Gold Medal
Coxswain, Grace Han. Rowers, Grace Hollowell, Molly Junck, Julia Darton, Emily Smalligan, Lauren Weston, Emilie Lerner, Angela Frakes, Inge Zwaanenburg.
Men Senior 500 meter Dasth 2 nd Silver Medal
Coxswain, Erica Macke. Rowers, Eric Wustrow, Tyler Sanderson, David Hamstra, David Elner, Mariano Sastre, Tor Berg, Matt Remsen, Rob Graham.
News Release:
Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Women's Crew and Men's Crew would like to announce the commitment/signing of athletes to Division 1 Schools.
The following senior women will be attending and rowing in Ivy League.
Grace Hollowell, Senior, Pioneer High School Women's Crew will be attending Harvard/Radcliffe and rowing for the Harvard/Radcliffe Lightweight Crew. Grace is a fourth year rower with the Pioneer Crew and is a member of the first varsity eight, and the lightweight four.
Molly Junck, Senior, Pioneer High School Women's Crew will be attending Brown University and rowing for the Brown University Crew. Molly is a fourth year rower with the Pioneer Crew and is a member of the first varsity eight and four. Molly was also a member of the US Junior National Team.
Previous senior women signing.
Claire Luczak, Senior, Pioneer High School Women's Crew will attending University of Michigan and rowing for the University of Michigan Women's Crew. Claire is a fourth year rower with the Pioneer Crew and a member of the first varsity eight and four.
The following senior men will be attending and rowing in Ivy League.
David Hamstra , Senior, Pioneer High School Men's Crew will be attending Yale. David is a fourth year rower with the Pioneer Crew and is a member of the first varsity eight, and the varsity four.
Alumni from previous years that have gone to row.
2000
Leigh Maki Eastern Michigan University
Sarah Mabley Eastern Michigan University
Kelly Mertz Eastern Michigan University
2001
Alex Paglierre University of Michigan
2002
Mark Williams Denison University
Eleana Pollock Ohio State University
2003
Meredith Hanschu Indiana University
Laura Lunn Colgate University
Alicia Alamar University of Miami
Arthur Franke MIT
2004
Kate Burdick Michigan State University
Jessica Makolin Michigan State University
Julia Blessing Duke University
Jessy Meyerhoff Grand Valley State University
2005
Maren Greene University of Buffalo