By Kristen Loszewski
On September 23, 2023—a balmy fall Saturday—the Ann Arbor Pioneer High School crew team competed in time trials against two other regional high school rowing clubs on a roughly 1,900-meter course on Orchard Lake in Oakland County, Michigan. St. Mary’s Preparatory School of Orchard Lake hosted the friendly three-school scrimmage with Pioneer and Ann Arbor’s Skyline High School. The scrimmage was limited to fewer teams than in previous years to allow for the teams to focus on strengthening their competitive times. Pioneer coaches seized the unique opportunity presented by the broad range of tightly scheduled races to give athletes the chance to practice in both a 4+ and 8+ boat, and to mix athletes of various skill and experience levels in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and–in some instances–4th varsity boats.
Boat start times and finish times were recorded for the day’s head races, which are typical for fall scrimmages. Though medals were not awarded, rowing times were officially recorded and shared. Of the 23 Pioneer boats entered in 20 of the day’s 22 single squad events, two Pioneer boats placed first as fastest shells in their events; seven more placed second. To close out the day, St. Mary’s Prep invited athletes to participate in a just-for-fun mixer race that featured 12 randomly selected mixed-school, mixed-gender 8+ varsity boats. The fastest mixed school boat, composed of athletes from all three schools who had never rowed together before, finished with an impressive time of 7:15.083.
Conditions were sunny and mild during the day’s opening event at roughly 8:00 a.m., with temperatures at 54 degrees Fahrenheit and very light winds at 2 mph from the northeast. Cloudless skies ensured pleasant racing into the afternoon, with temperatures reaching 68 degrees Fahrenheit and winds increasing slightly to 5 mph from the east by the time racing concluded around 1:00 p.m.
“These longer head races define our fall season. They really give rowers the opportunity to hone their form and work on increasing their speed and power,” Pioneer Head Coach Scott Menoch said after the day’s events. “They will go home and reflect on what they did individually and as a team that contributed to making their races strong. We’ll continue to build on that this week as we prepare to row a course in Lansing that’s new to them.”
FIRST PLACE
Men’s 3rd Varsity 8+ with a time of 7:50.039: Alder Saran, Will Schumacher, Rowan Higgins, Cooper Duke, Timothy Wang, Aaron Womble, Alarcon Chuck-a-Sang, Jr., Paloma Edmonds, with coxswain Georgia Busse
Women’s 3rd Varsity 4+ with a time of 9:37.006: Chloe Parrish, Maeve Coffman, Kaytlin Steinman, Padme Barclay with coxswain Rocco Romeri
SECOND PLACE
Men’s Novice 4+ with a time of 10:23.974 (adjusted 90 seconds for missed buoys): Jason Soucie, Clyde Ankerson, Ethan Brady, Eren Özil, with coxswain Rocco Romeri
Women’s Novice 4+ with a time of 11:15.558 (adjusted 90 seconds for missed buoys): Michal Davis, May Thansin, Hanna Chang, Georgia Busse, with coxswain Soleil Ascani
Men’s 3rd Varsity 4+ with a time of 7:58.989: Calvin Ohi, Tyree Russell, James Stross, Oliver Germano, with coxswain Rocco Romeri
Women’s 1st Varsity 8+ with a time of 8:10.645: Anne Stroud, Madeline Houtson, Alita Cunningham, Emmanuel Davis, Jordan Davis, Sofia Mackler, Catherine Neal, Margaret Loszewski, with coxswain Cecilia Fortson
Women’s 2nd Varsity 4+ with a time of 10:19.149: Catherine Neal, Margaret Loszewski, Jordan Davis, Sofia Mackler, with coxswain Celeste Pinkleman
Women’s 1st Varsity 4+ with a time of 9:11.253: Anne Stroud, Alita Cunningham, Emmanuel Davis, Madeline Houston, with coxswain Cecilia Fortson
Men’s 1st Varsity 8+ with a time of 7:19.313: Will Schumacher, Alder Saran, John Gronewold, Cooper Duke, Gavin Bassett, Rowan Higgins, Foster Dugan, Timothy Wang, with coxswain Georgia Busse
MAIN PHOTO: Pioneer Crew’s winning Men’s 3rd Varsity 8+ prepares to row out for the start of their race (photo by Tomiyo Wemert)
