Program Notes 2009


Bates Rowing provides an environment in which teamwork thrives and student-athletes dedicate themselves to one of the most rigorous and rewarding sports on campus.  Bates College has taken great strides to support the belief that academic and athletic excellence must coexist as part of a quality liberal-arts education.

The rowing program reflects this notion, by offering dedicated student-athletes an opportunity to contribute to a nationally recognized NCAA Division III varsity program, while receiving a first-rate education.  Bates rowers take athletic competition seriously and pursue it with the same uncompromising energy that they approach their academic and career goals.  The team's dedication to this high standard of performance is the foundation for the continued success of the program.  Our students are excited by the challenges of rowing, thrive on the camaraderie of the team, and desire to compete at the sport’s highest collegiate level.

The Program

Bates has made two straight appearances in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, notching earning third place in Division III in 2007 and fifth place in 2008. (James Martin photo)
At Bates, rowing spans a 19-week season, divided into a seven-week fall segment and a 12-week spring segment. The team practices on a protected and picturesque stretch of the Androscoggin River, minutes from campus and amidst undisturbed Maine beauty.

The boathouse, constructed in 1988, provides access to 10 miles of water shared only with the occasional fishermen and wildlife.

The fall season involves competition at various head-style races such as the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, while the spring is characterized by sprint racing. Traditionally, Bates has emphasized the New England Rowing Championships (NERC) and qualifying for the ECAC National Invitational Championship. With the advent of a NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championship in 2002, the women’s focus has shifted to include this ultimate collegiate championship.  Bates competes throughout New England against some of the best Division III teams in the country, including Williams, Trinity, Tufts, Smith, Colby, WPI, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Spring 2009 Outlook

The Bates women's first varsity eight is ranked No. 2 in Division III by USRowing and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association, and the Bobcats are looking to back that up with a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships. Bates boasts two-time Pocock All-America selection and co-captain Nicole Ritchie '09 in addition to an outstanding remaining lineup: senior Emily Chandler at stroke, followed by Ritchie in the seventh seat, junior Josie Cutts (Kittery Point, Maine), sophomore Rebecca Waldo (Dracut, Mass.), sophomore Emma White (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), sophomore Ellen Patterson (St. Louis Park, Minn.), senior captain Caitlin Murphy (Duxbury, Mass.), junior Danica Doroski (Wayne, Pa.) at bow and sophomore Nora Collins (Kensington, Md.) at coxswain.

The men's first varsity eight is ranked sixth in the New England Rowing Championships Coaches Poll, with another outstanding lineup: junior captain Cory Sanderson (West Newton, Mass.) at stroke, followed by senior Matthew Martone (Concord, N.H.), junior Graham Pearson (Irvington, N.Y.), senior captain Brian Quarrier (Alstead, N.H.), junior Glenn Kelly (Chevy Chase, Md.), junior James Grant (Chevy Chase, Md.), senior Charles Biddle (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), senior Brian Klein (Longmeadow, Mass.) in the bow and junior Lindsay Thomson (West Hartford, Conn.) at coxswain.

The Fall 2008 Season

Cory Sanderson '10, left, and Interim Head Rowing Coach Peter Steenstra, right, present Olympic Gold Medalist Andrew Byrnes '05 with a painting of the Androscoggin River. (Photos by Brian Quarrier '09)
Over the summer the Bates rowing teams saw alumnus Andrew Byrnes '05 capture Olympic gold in Beijing as part of the Canadian Men's Eight team. On Sunday, December 7th, Bates College held a banquet in Chase Hall to honor its first Olympic medal winner.  Accompanied by fellow Bates alum and rowing Olympian Mike Ferry '97, Byrnes took the time to meet the team for a discussion about the Olympic experience and the values learned at Bates. Byrnes was given a commemorative oar and a two-piece framed painting of the Bates rowing course on the Androscoggin River.

The Bates College men's and women's rowing teams enjoyed great training and terrific racing success in the fall.  The fall marked the first season for interm coach Peter Steenstra. Steenstra served as Bates' assistant rowing coach during the 2007-08 academic year under former head coach Andrew Carter.

After four weeks of skills-based preparation, both squads opened at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta with a first-place performance on women's side for the second straight year. Meanwhile, the Bates men's A Varsity 8 crew made an impressive showing in their fall debut  finishing with the second fastest time in a 21-boat field.

In the Bobcats next regatta, the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the women's eight took second place out of 34 boats in the Women's Collegiate Eights. The result is the highest ever finish for a Bates crew.

The Bates women's first varsity eight defeated 32 of 34 boats in the Women's Collegiate Eights division at the Head of the Charles Regatta in October, 2008. (Photo by Lincoln Benedict '09)
In the annual CBB Chase at Colby College, the weather proved troublesome for the second straight year with strong winds picking up during the last three minutes of the race. However, the Bates men's and women's eights both crossed the finish line first ahead of Colby and Bowdoin.

The Bobcats concluded the fall season with the inagural Bobcat Cup, an intra-squad regatta. Although the Men’s Varsity Eight (MV8) rowed the course in the fastest actual time (6:06.2), the Women’s Varsity Eight (WV8) won the cup according to the adjusted time. Their actual time was 6:31.2 followed by the M2V8 (7:01.7), W2V8 (7:58.5), and W3V8 (8:26.2).