Coaches:
Head Coach Peter Washburn was a National
Lightweight rower and has coached rowing since 1972,
and he has been at Andover since 1980. In the spring, he
focuses his attention primarily on the Boys' 1st and 2nd
Varsity Eights. When Coach Washburn is not on the
water, he is teaches math and takes care of his nine
children, five of whom have rowed for the BIG BLUE!
Head Coach Sallie Langston Batchelor '99 rejoined the
Andover crew program in the spring of 2011;
she focuses primarily on the Girls' 1st and 2nd Varsity
Eights. Sallie rowed as a post-graduate student at P.A.
She went on to row at Princeton and continues to row
periodically with various club and alumni boats. When
Coach Batchelor is not on the water, she can be found
in the college counseling office.
Coach Dale Hurley joined PA 2006 as a math teacher
and crew coach. Coach Hurley is a five times U.S.
National Lightweight Rowing Team member and
coached at the US Naval Academy and Blair Academy
before coming to Andover. He reportedly cycles to the
boathouse faster than the bus.
Coach Joe Bouscaren P’14 was a four-year National
Team sculler and is an orthopedic physician. He is one of
four protagonists in David Halberstam's book The
Amateurs. Joe also coaches the masters scullers at
Community Rowing in Cambridge and is an avid cross
country ski racer.
Coach Kathleen Pryde returns to our rowing program to
help out with Fall crew. Off the water she is a very
popular physics teacher at Andover since 1994.
Coach Becca Waldo ‘07 began rowing at Andover the
spring of her upper year and has been either rowing or
thinking about rowing every day since. She graduated
from Bates College where she was a three time NCAA
runner up as well as a three time All-American. After
spending the summer ranging the wilderness of
California for the Forest Service, Becca is excited to be
back on the Merrimack coaching the Big Blue!
Coach Michelle Darby ’07 coxed Andover boys to the
semifinals at the Henley Royal Regatta in ’06 and
undefeated Interschols champions in ’07. Michelle went
on to cox University of Washington men’s boats to 3
undefeated National Championship seasons. Michelle is
thrilled be back helping Big Blue go fast.
Andover Crew
The crew program is over 50
years old. In 1955 Coach Bill
Brown’34 was teaching at
Andover. He had rowed for
Harvard and decided to start a
Crew program. He somehow
talked Harvard, Yale and
Princeton into donating three
boats. Crew was born at
Andover.
Coach Brown led Andover Crew
to victories at Interschols and
Henley, finally retiring in 1979.
Girl’s Crew was added in 1976
after Abbot merged with Phillips.
Pete Washburn has been
coaching at Andover since 1980.
Together Bill Brown and Pete
Washburn span over 55 years of
Crew at Andover. It is said that
the time spent at PA is
worthwhile if the person
discovers one real passion.
For many that passion is…Crew.
The gallant bands of coaches
over the last 55 years have
helped a multitude of students
discover their passion The
passion lasts a lifetime.
Go to http://www.andovercrew.net and also join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Andover Crew
Parents’ Weekend
Come to the river bank and share the
passion
3 pm Friday October 21st, 2011
New Boathouse
Crew Language
Directions to the Boathouse
And so 55 years after Coach Bill Brown
founded the program at Andover and 35 years
after he brought in the girls we still have a
thriving program that has hovered at roughly
100 rower but ready to move up to 120. Over
these 55 years we started in an abandoned
boat house just above the weir and then
moved to a metal shed upriver. After an
unbelievable act of vandalism that destroyed
almost all of our boats, we moved to the
current concrete boathouse donated by the
Greenway family. This proved vandal proof
and has served us well for thirty year.
RIGGER - An apparatus on the side of the boat to provide
a fulcrum for the lever (oar).
SLIDE - The tracks in which the rolling seat rolls
COXSWAIN - Their primary job is steering, but also
provides race feedback about location on the course and
relative to the other crews and stroke rate per minute. They
serve as an in the boat coach during races. They do call
“power tens” and encourage, but don’t go “stroke, stroke,
stroke.”
CATCH - The part of the stroke where the oar enters the
water.
CHECK - Bad technique that slows the boat down.
Essentially, the momentum of the rowers sends the boat in
the opposite direction.
DRIVE - Part of the stroke where the rower pulls the blade
through the water using legs, back and arms to propel the
boat.
FEATHERING - Rotating the oar in the oarlock so that the
blade is parallel to the surface of the water.
RECOVERY - Part of the stroke where the rower comes
back up the slide slowly towards the catch. The oar is
pushed away from the body by extending the arms,
reaching the body forward and compressing the legs so the
shin is vertical, preparing for the next Catch.
STROKE RATE - How fast a stroke is being taken. In
terms of strokes per minute
"READY ALL, ROW" – Coxswain call to begin rowing.
"WAY-ENOUGH!” - Coxswain call to have all rowers
stop rowing. Call actually sounds like "way-nuff".
"CHECK IT DOWN!” - Coxswain call that makes all the
rowers drag their oarblades through the water
perpendicularly, effectively stopping the boat.
ONE FOOT UP, AND OUT” - command for exiting a
team boat. Procedure: The outside hand holds the oar(s)
away from the body. The inside hand holds the gunwale to
the dock. The inside foot is removed from the foot
stretchers and placed on the step-in board, the body weight
is shifted forward as the athlete stands supporting himself
on their inside leg. The outside foot is placed on the dock
and you get out of the shell.
"POWER 10" (or 20 or 30 etc.) - Coxswain call to take a
certain number of power strokes. A power stroke is a stroke
that musters all the strength you can give.
1. From PA take Main Street (Route 28) north until you see
signs for the I-495.
It is now time for a new boathouse. We need
more space to expand the program. We also
had a modest wish list. Better security without
a concrete bunker, space for more boats, space
to repair boats, better toilet facilities for our
teams, visiting teams and supporting parents
and alumni. More time on the water by
eliminating the need to drag the launches to
and from the boathouse before and after every
practice.
With generous early donations we have
acquired a new site above the I-93 bridge hat
is currently a truck dealership. We now have
the enormous challenge of raising about $4
million before the end of the year to restore
the site and refurbish the building to house the
rowing program.
The school along with parents, friends and
alumni of Andover Crew a actively
canvassing for donations in an attempt to keep
on schedule to open a new boathouse in the
fall of 2012.
Success will help ensure a strong program for
the generations of students not yet Andover
rowers. Please help! Contact Ann Harris at
aharris @andover.edu or Sam Darby P’07 at
[email protected].
Go to http://www.andovercrew.net and also join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
2. Then take the entrance for I-495 South towards Lowell.
This will be on your left hand side.
3. Follow the I-495, one exit, until you see a sign for I-93
North. Take this exit and head north on I-93.
4. On I-93 take exit 45 for River Road. The exit ramp will
bring you to a set of traffic lights.
5. Take a left turn onto River Road and continue to the
second set of traffic lights.
6. You will see the Lawrence Vocational Tech on your left.
Turn at the lights into the school. Facing the building you
will turn right to follow the one way system around the
back of the school. As you are coming back towards the
main road with the school building on your left, you will
see a small dirt road on your right.
7. Please take this road. It will lead you away from the main
road and towards the river.
8. At the fork in the road, take the left hand fork and the
boathouse will be about 400 meters ahead. Please keep the
area between the boathouse and the river clear for boat
launching.