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Health & Fitness

SHS 1st Boats Finish Strong at the National Schools Championship Regatta

Capping a winning season, the SHS 1st Boys and 1st Girls Boats, both state champion teams, competed against top crews from around the nation at the inaugural National Schools Championship Regatta held in Saratoga Springs, NY on June 6-7. The regatta, hosted by the National Scholastic Rowing Association, is a new two-day event featuring approximately 165 crews from 57 schools in 13 states. To qualify for the regatta, crews must have either won or placed in their regional or state championships.

Simsbury High School entered two boats in the 1,500-meter competition. Due to the large number of participants, some teams competed in qualifying heats in the morning to determine which crews would row in the afternoon finals. The top three boats progress from each heat progress to the final.

Racing against top crews, the SHS 1st Boys, advanced to the final after battling a fierce race in their heat and finishing a tight third-place with a time of 4:36.70, .65 seconds behind second-place BC High and 4.45 seconds behind first-place St. Joseph Prep. In the Final, Simsbury rowed powerfully but ultimately succumbed to faster crews, finishing seventh overall. The 1st Boys boat crew includes: Alex Picken (coxswain), Nicholas Carabillo (stroke), Jack Polizzi, Billy Fahan, Brendan Murphy, Daniel Sparks, Trey Proctor, Calvin Krikorian, and Zachary Korten (bow).

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The SHS 1st Girls Boat, which went straight to the Final, rowed to a seventh-place finish overall with a time of 5:26.67. The 1st Girls boat crew includes: Brenna Kelly (coxswain), Helen Moore (stroke), Rebecca Grandahl, Caroline Hendershot, Kaitlyn May, Allison May, Elizabeth Austin, Stephanie Sickinger, and Carolyn Croke (bow).

For a full listing of the race results, or more information, check out www.simsburycrew.org or follow the team on Twitter at @simsburycrew.

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