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Author: Hilary Gehman

Frostbite & Braxton Food sign-up, and volunteer shifts still available

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Hello Parents,

An email went out this week regarding food sign-ups for the Frostbite & Braxton. In case you missed it, read below. Also there are still a few volunteer spots (stakeboat holders) available. If you haven’t signed up yet for a volunteer shift, please see links at the bottom.

  • Frostbite and Braxton spectators:  We will be cheering from the marina side of the lake – great view of much of the race and the finish line!  Look for the big blue Mercer Juniors tent just up from the finish line.
  • Please double-check the signups for information about where and when to go to volunteer or to bring food for the Frostbite and Braxton.
  • For both regattas, the food tent will be up and available to all.  It is a great place to cheer on the racers, meet parents, enjoy good conversation and of course enjoy the food.   There will be fruit and nutrition bars at the boathouse on Saturday and Sunday. Varsity athletes who are racing twice will have a sandwich at the boathouse as well. Racers are invited and encouraged to join everyone at the Mercer tent on the opposite side of the lake after they’ve finished with racing and boat responsibilities.
  • Saturday we will be serving an Italian feast for lunch.  Please bring all items to the tent that are not marked athlete side by 11:00 am and if it is a hot dish please bring them hot. For the athlete items please give them to your racer and have the item at the boathouse by 11:00 am.
  • Sunday we will be serving breakfast and lunch.  For breakfast item, please bring all items to the tent that are not marked athlete side by 7:00 am and if it is a hot dish please bring them hot. For the athlete items please give them to your racer and have the item at the boathouse by 7:00 am. For the lunch items, please bring all items to the tent that are not marked athlete side by 11:00 am and if it is a hot dish please bring them hot. For the athlete items please give them to your racer and have the item at the boathouse by 11:00 am.

Here are links to sign up for food:

Frostbite lunch

Braxton breakfast

Braxton lunch

Thank you,

Hilary, Tamara & Mary Agnes

Also, here are links to sign up for a volunteer shift (8th grade program will not be racing and this is a great chance for them to see the races up close!):

Frostbite Volunteer 

Braxton Volunteer

Thanks!

Hilary, PNRA Events Manager

PNRA Fall Events: Sign up Today!

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We have some exciting fall events coming up, don’t wait to sign up!

First, Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. This is a chance to relax and meet other Mercer families at the boathouse. Dinner will be provided, you just need to bring a beverage! Tickets are on sale here (click link).

Second, the Fall Fundraising Event at Topgolf will take place on Sunday, November 19 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There are a limited number of tickets available for purchase. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Click here to purchase tickets. Click below for more information on the event.

PNRA Fall Fundraising Event FLYER

USRowing Membership and Waivers – MUST COMPLETE ASAP

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Hello all,

In order to be eligible for Mercer Lake Sprints this coming weekend, we need a number of you to sign the USRowing waiver. In order to do this you must become a USRowing Championship Member. YOU MUST GET THIS DONE BEFORE RACING THIS WEEKEND.

The instructions are as follows:

  1. Go to USRowing’s membership page, Link (http://www.usrowing.org/membership/)
  2. Find the join and renew button underneath Individual Championship.
  3. Once there, click on Individual. If you already have an existing account, click member. If you are a first time rower, or have not made a profile, click join.
  4. Go through the information boxes, the club name is Princeton National Rowing Association.
  5. When prompted for the club code, put in ACY67
  6. Complete the sign up process, which will require you to fill out the waiver.
  7. Race

If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of our staff members!

Thanks!

First Annual Mercer Indoor Row for the Cure Is A Success

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March 1, 2017

West Windsor, NJ – The first annual Mercer Indoor Row for the Cure took place on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at Peddie School’s Ian H. Graham ’50 Athletic Center. This is the only indoor Row for the Cure competition in the country. All proceeds from this event will go to breast cancer research supported by the Central and South Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen located in Lawrenceville, NJ.

Heat 1 of Varsity Junior Women in progress
PNRA/Mercer rower Chris Silva, 3rd place Varsity Junior Men

There were a total of 99 entries over 7 events including competitors from PNRA/Mercer, Peddie School, Navesink Rowing, Haddonfield, and Carnegie Lake Rowing. Winners of each event received a pink hammer. The Varsity Junior Women and Varsity Junior Men had the most entries with 32 and 26 competitors respectively. PNRA/Mercer Junior Emmanuelle Adamson won the 2000 meter race in a time of 7:15.3. Leila Shehab and Mia Barkenbush both of PNRA/Mercer placed 2nd and 3rd. In the Varsity Junior Men’s event, PNRA/Mercer rower Carter Levine won in a time of 6:10.3 followed by teammates Eli Kalfaian in 2nd place and Chris Silva in 3rd place.

PNRA/Mercer rower Mia Barkenbush (3rd place Varsity Junior Women) with dad Jeb Barkenbush

The Novice Junior events raced 1000 meters and PNRA/Mercer rower Sylvie Tuder won the Girls event in 3:53.6 with teammates Michele Granozio and Anna O’Neill placing 2nd and 3rd. For the Novice Boys, PNRA/Mercer rower Jake Bouldin won the 1000 meter race in 3:22.1 with Nick Cushman in 2nd and Will Griesinger in 3rd also from PNRA/Mercer. There were 4 competitors from the Trenton 9th Grade Academy Winter Erg Team. Ulises Quiñonez finished 14th out of 17 in the Novice Boys event. Marshella Thomas finished in 6th place out of 12 in the Novice Girls event with Trenton teammates Alisheh Mott and Rachel Marshall competing as well.

The Coxswain event was also a 1000 meter race with three PNRA/Mercer coxswains fighting for the title and the pink hammer. Kate Takacs came from behind to win in a time of 4:28.8 with Caroline Galati a close second and Kira Sung in 3rd.

There were two competitors in the Masters Men event – Steven Schultz of Carnegie Lake Rowing Association who won the race, and John McClatchy from PNRA/Mercer placing 2nd.

PNRA would like to thank Peddie School for serving as the host venue, as well as USRowing, RegattaCentral, Row2K, Concept2, Row for the Cure, and the Central and South Jersey Susan G. Komen.

About the Princeton National Rowing Association

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey.  The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs.  PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 30 area schools and the Mercer Masters Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for adults.  The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools. PNRA received generous support from Killarney’s Publick House, JLRacing, Bai, Holiday Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, and Residence Inn by Marriott.

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.

Saturday practice is cancelled

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Hello,

Due to the winter storm Decima and the predicted snow/slush/freezing rain, ALL Saturday practices are cancelled. Currently there is a Winter Storm advisory for Saturday morning and 1-2 inches of snow predicted. The snow may turn to rain later in the day which would make our roads icy and unsafe. A mass text was sent out using our texting system; if you did not receive one please text PNRA to 313131 to receive future messages.

Mercer Rowing competes at 52nd Head of the Charles Regatta

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The Mercer Juniors and Masters competed in the 52nd Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA this past weekend.  One of the most prestigious races of the fall season, crews race against the clock and each other over a curvy 3 mile course.  The regatta draws 2,256 crews representing 820 teams.

The Masters raced in the Men’s 40+ Four and finished 18th out of 23 entries. Rowers Miles Truesdell, Charles Gilbert, Michael Vaccaro, David Potts and coxswain Sarah Brune finished the 3 mile race with a time of 20:47.4. The Masters Women raced in the 50+ Four and finished 21st out of 42 which qualifies the boat for a guaranteed entry next year. This is the first time a Mercer Masters boat has received an automatic qualification! Huge congratulations to rowers Kristin Appelget, Sharon Waters, Cheryl Baldino, Terri Gruber McDonough and coxswain Lulu Herman. (A boat can qualify for the next year by placing in the top half of the field.)

The Juniors had mixed results given the high expectations leading into the race. On the boys’ side, the 8 placed 35th out of 84 entries which qualifies the boat for next year’s regatta, however was not the result that the crew and Coach Justin Ochal were hoping for. There was a very stiff headwind on the course which created tough racing conditions for the crew of Drew Hickey, Julius Ferenc, Jack Gallagher, Carter Levine, Chris Silva, Rex Berger, Enzo Couillens, Dan Stoddard, and coxswain Kate Takacs who finished in a time of 17:14.3.

The Junior Girls had two 8’s racing placing 13th and 37th out of 85 entries which qualifies both boats for next year. In addition, the ‘B’ boat had the second best performance for B boats finishing just .4 seconds behind CRI’s B boat. The ‘A’ boat of Katie Lustig, Celia Varga, Laila Shehab, Katryna Niva, Kieran Wild, Catie Vinch-Buck, Sara Hansen, Mia Barkenbush and coxswain Caroline Galati finished the race in a time of 18:28.5. The ‘B’ boat of Sheila Kennedy-Moore, Bridget Parker, Ciara DeVenuto-Wyeth, Sarah Closser, Emmanuelle Adamson, Erin Heyeck, Gwyneth Lavery, Julia Berdzik and coxswain Lauren Preston finished the race in a time of 19:21.8.

Mercer Junior alumni rowers also performed well at the Head of the Charles.  Geena Fram rowing for Brown University finished first in the Women’s Club 8+.  Eileen Hu’s MIT boat claimed third in the Women’s Lightweight 4 just edging out former Mercer team mate, Elise Gorberg’s Boston University crew which claimed fourth place.

Other Mercer Junior Alumni rowers included Laura Foster, Michigan 10th in the Women’s Championship 8+; Aaron Goodman, Northeastern 12th in the Men’s Championship 8+; Kelly Fischer, Notre Dame 10th in Women’s Championship 4+; Colleen Gillis, University of Miami 16th in the Women’s Championship 4+ Tom Walker, Wisconsin 11th in the Championship 4+, Katie Sessa, MIT 11th Men’s Lightweight 8+; Jack Gleim, Marietta 8th in the Men’s Collegiate 4+; Dan Gleim, Jacksonville 21st in the Men’s Collegiate 4+; and Glorianna Perrotte, University of Miami 20th in the Women’s Club 4+.

Full results can be found here for all races.

Next up for Mercer Rowing will be Head of the Schuylkill this weekend, October 29-30, for the Masters and Novices, and the Frostbite and Braxton Regattas on November 12-13 for Varsity, Novice and Masters. The Head of the Halloween will take place on Mercer Lake this Saturday, October 29 for all varsity rowers as well as novice rowers who are not competing at Head of the Schuylkill.

College Night – Tuesday, Oct 4

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Next Tuesday, October 4 will be the annual College Night. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Caspersen Boathouse. It is geared toward juniors and their parents, although anyone is welcome to attend. Hilary Gehman is organizing the presentation which will cover basic information about steps to take and things to think about if you are interested in continuing your rowing career in college.

Mercer Alumni Kyle James and Jack Gleim win Under 23 World Championship Trials

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Jack & Kyle_1

Mercer Junior Alumni Kyle James (University of Wisconsin, ’17) and Jack Gleim (Marietta College, ’17) won the Under 23 Lightweight Pair today at the USRowing World Championship trials. They dominated the regatta winning every race starting with the Time Trial on Monday, July 18, followed by an 8 second win in the Heat on Tuesday, and culminating in an open water win in the Final on Thursday. The Under 23 World Championships will take place August 21-28, 2016 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Mid-Atlantic Regionals Volunteer Sign-up

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We are still in need of volunteers for this weekend’s races. If anyone is available and interested in volunteering for the event this weekend, it would be greatly appreciated! There is a full day of racing on Saturday (8 am to 7 pm) and a half day on Sunday (8 am to 1:30 pm). Please take a look at the sign-up link for available shifts.  Contact PNRA Events Manager Hilary Gehman (202-236-9733) with any questions.

Mid-Atlantic Regionals Volunteer Sign-up

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We are still in need of volunteers for this weekend’s races. The race schedule is available and will include a full day on Saturday (8 am to 7 pm) and a half day on Sunday (8 am to 1:30 pm). There have been two additional shifts for stakeboat holders added (one on Saturday and one Sunday) which are crucial to be filled. Please take a look at the sign-up link for available shifts. As this is a Mercer event, each Mercer family is required to volunteer 4 hours and if you missed Mercer Lake Sprints, you can sign up for a double shift to make up those hours. Contact PNRA Events Manager Hilary Gehman (202-236-9733) with any questions.