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Community Corner

Darien Rowers Powering Through Fall Season

Darien High School and Master rowers are showing strong results this fall season, bringing home numerous medals for Norwalk River Rowing through the lion’s share of the season’s regattas.

On September 29, Norwalk River Rowing competed at the Head of the Merrimack in Methuen, Massachusetts, at a regatta with 148 entries from 27 clubs from seven states.  NRR’s youth teams had an incredibly successful day coming home with 6 first-place finishes, 5 second-place finishes and one third.  The second-place finish in the first varsity eight was particularly sweet because the boys overheard an oarsman from another team explain to a teammate, who was unfamiliar with Norwalk River’s colors, that the boat was from Norwalk and was likely to come in last.  Norwalk River Rowing beat that boat handily on its way to its second-place finish.  Darien High School senior Taylor Stauffer and fellow Darien High School senior Alex Sedlack helped pull the varsity eight to that sweet second place finish and also teamed up to take first place in the varsity double race. 

On October 6, Norwalk River Rowing braved the cold and driving rain at the Head of the Riverfront on the Connecticut River in Hartford, a regatta with over 3,000 rowers and 608 boats in competition.  The youth team came back with the DiscoverRe Cup for its first-place finish in the boys varsity four plus coxswain, along with two silvers and three bronzes in other events.  Not to be outdone, the masters team (adults) came back with a gold in the mixed eight plus coxswain.  DHS’ Alex Sedlack and Taylor Stauffer were in the varsity four that captured the DiscoverRe Cup and also helped power the first varsity eight to its bronze.  Fellow Darien High School sophomore Charlie Cragin was in the second varsity 4 that took a silver, and Darien residents Rob Walker and Don Loomis were in the masters mixed eight that won a gold medal. 

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October 12, Norwalk River Rowing spent a gorgeous fall day in Shelton Connecticut at the Head of the Housatonic, one of the largest single-day head races in the country with approximately 700 boats competing.  The youth team brought back two golds and a bronze, and the masters had two boats finish fourth, just seconds behind the medal winners.  DHS’ Taylor Stauffer and Alex Sedlack were in the first varsity four that took gold while fellow Darien resident Rob Walker rowed in the master four that come in fourth. 

This last week-end Norwalk River Rowing sent select boats up to Boston for the Head of the Charles, one of the premier “head” regattas in the world, attracting over 9,000 athletes and 300,000 spectators.  Darien’s top finishing boat was the mens youth first varsity four, which came in an impressive tenth in a field of 84 and was powered, once again, by Darien High School’s Alex Sedlack and Taylor Stauffer.  The girls first varsity four also earned an automatic bid to return next year with a finish of 37 out of a strong field of 85.  The masters had five boats entered in the regatta, with the mens veterans (age 60+) single having the strongest finish, 29 out of 51.  Darien residents Don Loomis and Rob Walker helped crew the masters’ boats, with Don Loomis responsible for the strong finish of the veterans single. 

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This coming weekend NRR' youth racing team will close their fall season at the Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia.

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