Fall crew reflects on their growth and accomplishments

The etymology of the word “crew” comes from the latin word crescere, which means to grow. As one embarks upon one’s crew journey, growing is a necessity. Whether you grow by learning a new technique, establishing chemistry with your boat, or pushing yourself to work harder every practice, growing is a necessary part of the sport. 

With the season nearing an end, the team has enjoyed many successes on the water. 

On October 23, select boats traveled to Boston to take on the Head of the Charles Regatta. The eight boat, led by the varsity rowers, finished in the middle of the rankings. 

It was a great experience, and as some of our guys grow older, we’re going to grow as a team and compete at a higher intensity and level.

Noah kanefsky ’25

Fourth Former Noah Kanefsky believes that they gave their all and that there is room for improvement. 

“Age played a significant factor, since we were going up against some boats with seniors. Although, we pulled our hardest and competed to the best of our ability,” Kanefsky said. “It was a great experience, and as some of our guys grow older, we’re going to grow as a team and compete at a higher intensity and level.”

A week later, the frosh-novice rowers fought defiantly in the first regatta of their careers at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. 

“I was bewildered,” Third Former Henry Biddison said. “It was a completely new experience for me because I’ve never been to a huge event like this before, and I was pretty much in a daze the whole time.” 

His boat ended up finishing fifth in the frosh-novice quad heat. For more experienced rowers, the event was just another race to conquer. 

“It’s about coming to practice each day, fixing your mistakes, and being conscious about what you’re doing on the water,”  Fifth Former Ryan Gibson said. 

The team just competed in the Hidden River Regatta to close out their fall season. Head Rowing Coach Mr. Jonathan Stefanik believes that the team can end the season on a high note and use this experience to reflect on their achievements as rowers. 

“The last race is a great opportunity for beginners to get a feel for what racing is like in the fall and to have the opportunity to go out there and represent Haverford,” Mr. Stefanik said. 

At Hidden River, Fords’ rowers won three events, the first quad, first four, and the second four.