The weather could have been better, especially when the crews were starting to launch Sunday for the Merrimack Chase in Methuen, Mass. Fall head racing is often a roll of the dice. It can be warm and sunny and then, well, it can be like Sunday in the Merrimack Valley. Cold, breezy, overcast and wet.
But the Annual Merrimack Chase Regatta is Essex Rowing Club's way of ending the season with a laidback race, one that drew just enough clubs - 16 - to send about 104 crews of mostly middle and high schoolers, with some masters mixed in, down the Merrimack River.
It started early and ended early, with just enough time to set up food tents, light a few campfires to stay warm and do homework by and provide a first actual race to the group of pre-teens entered from Essex and Methuen Rowing Club's Middle School program.
Leave it to kids not to care about the weather, or the wind, or the fact that there were a few trees to dodge along the bank if they strayed off the course. They were the first and the last to race and it was clear from the way they lined up - at the least the boys - that balancing their trainers while lying on their backs was as important as racing.
"They just love laying down," said coach KariAnne Kulig, who runs the middle school program. Just watching Kulig marshal her group of 15 boys, it was clear she and they enjoyed what they were doing.
"When you're on the start line, I'll tell you," Kulig instructed. "The buoys are in, so hug the buoy line. You've been doing this for weeks now, so chose the wisest course and I'll see you at the finish. Good luck to everyone. Row hard. Row well and look out for each other.
"We'll get started in two minutes. "Or whenever I'm ready."
Once the goofing around started, the parade of kids in trainers led the way for a final day on the water for the clubs and crews that made the trek up from Boston and Rhode Island to celebrate their last day on the water before moving indoors for the winter.
"These guys are great," Kulig said. "We have fun. It's a short course for the middle schoolers and it's small boats so they're rowing against each other as teammates and friends This is where they start learning to row. The U.S. model is to have kids in big boats, fours and eights. This is like the European model, where it's more sculling. I think sculling is better for kids when they're young. It's more symmetrical and it teaches them better balance," she said.
"They did really well and a lot of them had their first race today. I'm proud of them. I'm always proud of them. It's big deal for them. Olympics 2020, here they come."
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