By Lynn Worthy, lworthy@lowellsun.com
Updated: 05/16/2010 06:40:54 AM EDT
LOWELL — Rowing as a metaphor for life. That’s deep. Really deep for an 18-year-old who hadn’t even rowed up until three years ago.
When Rachel Walsh sat down to do her college applications, what came out was the experience of being out on the water struggling alone, and eventually with help from others fighting the water, a unit comes together in a boat.
The Lowell High School senior likened succeeding in rowing to succeeding in life, combining skills with others in pursuit of perfection on the water on in any other endeavor.
Lowell High interim head coach Kendra Bauer explained that notion of chasing perfection, saying, “You’re pulling your own weight in there, but you’re having to move in perfect synchronization with the other rowers in your boat. So that perfect stroke is what we’re always looking for, that perfect togetherness to be able to move your own individual body so that it’s perfectly in line with everybody else’s body.”
LOWELL — You may not have realized the City of Lowell has become a growing center for rowing. Well, this weekend the Mill City and the Merrimack River transform into the regional hub for a sport that appears to grabbing hold of the Merrimack Valley.
US Rowing, the national governing body for the sport, will hold the Northeast Junior District Championships in Lowell on Saturday and Sunday. At least 1,500 rowers are expected to compete. This event serves as the regional qualifier for high school/club teams in New England seeking a berth in the US Rowing National Junior Championships.
This year marks the first time the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Districts split their regional national qualifying events. Combined regional championships usually meant teams from New England traveling to New Jersey to compete.
This past weekend in Saratoga was a great day of racing. We made great
strides as a team and saw huge improvements over our first race times
against Essex and Wayland Weston. We are beginning to see great rankings
among the other MA public schools.
The Women’s ltwt. 8 placed 2nd in their flight and 6th out of 9 boats
beating Wayland Weston by 10 seconds with a time of 7:44.37 seconds.
The women’s first varsity 8 placed 1st in their flight and 12th out of 20
boats. We gained 11 seconds on Essex from the last time we raced two
weeks ago.
The men’s first varsity 8 placed 3rd in their flight and 13th out of 16
boats. The boys gained 15 seconds on Wayland Weston from the first race
this season.
The Women’s varsity 4 placed 17th out of 26 boats. Notably winning over
Chelmsford and Newton Country Day.
The Men’s varsity 4 placed 11th out of 17 boats. They placed 6 seconds in
front of Essex and 2 seconds in front of Northhampton whom they will race
again at the Lowell invitational.
The Women’s 3rd Varsity 8 placed 3rd out of 5 boats to pick up one of two
medals over the weekend. These girls placed in front of Boston Latin’s D
boat by 25 seconds, and their C boat by 6 seconds.
The Men’s Lightweight 4 placed 4th in their flight and 8th out of 12 boats.
The Women’s second varsity 8 placed 3rd in their flight and 10th out of 15
boats. They placed 2nd out of the Massachusetts public schools, and only
1 second behind Wayland Weston. This was a 26 second gain over the last
race against Wayland Weston, and a 30 second gain over Essex.
On Sunday, Arianna Rogers and Stephanie Beaudry stayed behind and raced
the pair. They placed 3rd and picked up our second medal of the weekend.
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LHS had it’s first race of the season today against Essex and Wayland-Weston. It was a solid start to the season. Click here for the full results.
The Lowell Girls’ 2nd Varsity Four (C.J. Valcich – cox, Lauren Blazon, Bryanna Laughlin, Kayla Montanez and Jordan Chamberlain) just ahead of Wayland-Weston.
Today the entire team participated in our spring fundraiser event – an awesome erg-a-thon. Athletes competed on teams, racing for the most meters rowed in an hour, best style, best theme, and more! We raised over $7,000, and had some great fun in the process!
Today was by far the most beautiful and warm day we’ve had yet! We awoke early and after eating another great breakfast, we jumped on the bus for our ride back into the city. Our first stop was the Coliseum. We had an amazing guide who walked us through the crumbling remains of the travertine structure. I assumed the chunks missing from each column were there because of age, but it turns out the pieces of each column were originally held together by steel, which was looted after the fall of the Roman Empire – hence the reason why the vast majority of chinks in the structure were along the seams of two pieces.
After our tour of the Coliseum, she led us to the ruins of the Roman Forum. We stepped inside the first Catholic Church allowed to be built within the walls of the city; the ruins of the old court; and spaces where people from all walks of life in the Roman Empire gathered to socialize and do business.
When we were finished out tour, Jesus walked us through more of Ancient Rome, including a stop at the Pantheon. I was so happy to finally be able to go inside after missing out the last time I was in Rome! Originally a temple to the Roman gods, it eventually was turned into a Catholic Church, and is the final resting place of the great Renaissance painter, Raphael. Though it was constructed over 2,000 years ago, the dome of the Pantheon is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
We stopped for lunch, with most of us getting pizza and taking it back to the fountain in the square and listened to a local musician belting out beautiful opera. After lunch we made our way to the Spanish Steps – Piazza di Spagna – that connect the square to Trinità dei Monti, the church above. At this point, we split into smaller groups to enjoy free time in Rome.
Most of the kids went shopping, while Kendra, Jenn and I headed to a local restaurant and enjoyed pasta, bread and cheese at an outdoor table. Our waiter was a friendly, older gentleman who kept us smiling.
We met back up for dinner, and enjoyed yet another Italian meal of pasta and chicken. Our last event of the night was a beautiful bus tour of Rome by night. We stopped at all of the major sights and had the opportunity to spend some time taking pictures at each one.
Tomorrow we fly back to the U.S. – most everyone is glad to be going home, but there is no doubt we’re going to miss our days in Europe! I can’t wait until the next trip! Until then, here are the pictures from today!
Today we woke knowing that it was going to be a very busy and exciting day since it’s the last day of our trip. We woke up with the sound of the alarm clock going off everywhere and soon we were down in breakfast. The breakfast was very different from all the other breakfasts that we had. There was a range of food from eggs, ham, and cheese to having dessert for breakfast! After breakfast we headed out of the hotel and into Rome.
The first thing we did in Rome was we went to the Colloseum. The Colloseum was very unique; I have never seen anything before like it. We walk around the Colloseum for about an hour learning about the different parts of it. Everybody took great pictures of the entire Colloseum since it was such a nice day out; it felt like it was late summer. I’m sure everybody really enjoyed the weather since it was raining the past couple of days.
After leaving the Colloseum we headed out to the Forum, which is walking distance from the Colloseum. The Forum was very cool; there were still many parts of it that are not yet discovered. We walked around the forum seeing churches, monuments, and many other places that words cannot describe. It is really fascinating to see the details in all the structures around the Forum. Everywhere you turn you see very interesting things surrounding you and every time you look away and look back, you seem to notice something that you didn’t notice before.
The Forum was very beautiful, but we had to leave. The next thing we did was we went to visit the wishing fountain. At the wishing fountain everybody broke up in small groups and went shopping or went to eat. We had about 4 hours of free time, and everybody met up at about 5:45 pm to have dinner. The dinner was pasta with red sauce, chicken, bread, and we had flan for desert. After dinner we had a tour around Rome, “Rome at night.” Everything was very different at night, there were lights everywhere and everything looked so nice. The tour covered some of the areas that we visited in Rome during the day. We ended the tour with gelato, which everybody loves! Then we headed back to the hotel and it was a very fun day and a good ending to a wonderful vacation!
Today we had our earliest morning yet because we had a lot of ground to cover. We boarded the bus just before 8am, headed for Assisi. As we arrived, the sun came out, finally! What an incredible little medieval city – best known for St. Francis and St. Clare. Sadly, we only had enough time to visit the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, which also houses the tomb of St. Francis. Because tomorrow is Sunday, we need to get to the Vatican today, so after a tour of the Basilica, and a quick bite for lunch, we hopped back on the bus and headed for Rome.
As we drove into Rome, the sun was out in full blast. We met up with a local guide for our tour of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. She was an incredible guide, and explained the history and art within the walls of these two great buildings with immense depth and clarity. The kids seemed awed by the stunning frescos and sculptures. The walls were covered with paintings by Botticelli and other great Renaissance artists, while Michelangelo’s work covered the ceiling. We also saw one of his Pietas in St. Peter’s. Our guide walked us through each building, and also allowed us time to wander freely. I took a moment to rub the feet of the statue of St. Peter, which were worn smooth from the many people who had done so before me. We also learned that the Vatican is actually the country, and NOT the buildings we were in – in fact, it is the smallest country in the world. Amazing to think we visited the two smallest countries in the world during this trip!
As we walked out into St. Peter’s Square, we took in the setting sun over the Basilica. As Jesus led everyone toward downtown, Sara and I broke from the pack to stand on the two circular stones that provide the only vantage points for viewing the three rows of columns as just one. We caught up with the group as they walked through the streets of Rome, the sun now quickly setting over the river.
During a quick stop for snacks and shopping
, we got to see the Trevi Fountain. Built by Leon Battista Alberti in the 15th century, it is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. Eventually, we hopped back on the bus to head for the hotel and dinner. On the way, we drove by the Forum and the Colosseum!
We were astounded with the rooms in the hotel – by far the best we have stayed in, each room is a suite! Dinner was, once again, a fabulous meal of pasta and chicken. You’d think we’d get sick of it, but the food is just that good! Tomorrow we have our last day exploring Europe before coming home. Until then, enjoy today’s pictures!
Today was a whirlwind. We awoke early and had a quick breakfast before meeting with our local guide, Niccolo. We spent the first two hours of the day with him as he led us through the city and provided us with a detailed history of the city and the art in Florence. I truly love this place – the birthplace of the Renaissance. We took time to stop in the Duomo (the cathedral), which was built during the middle ages. However, Filippo Brunelleschi designed the dome in the 15th century. The interior was lavish and beautiful.
After the tour ended, we split from the A-town group and headed to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David. It was as impressive as I’d remembered. We spent about an hour at the gallery admiring the sculpture, and the other artwork housed there.
For lunch, the kids got pizza while we dined with Jesus and some of the A-town chaperones. We had pasta, caprese salads and roasted potatoes. The food was excellent! We met up with the kids at the hotel, and after a quick siesta, we climbed to the top of the Duomo’s dome together. 463 steps later, we were rewarded with beautiful panoramic views of the city below.
Our next stop was for Gelato! We figured after the hard work of climbing so many stairs, we deserved the reward. However, Jenn and Jessica apparently hadn’t had enough of climbing, so while we ate and walked, they climbed the bell tower. As we wandered through the city, we made our way to the Uffizi Gallery. The artwork there is housed in the old office buildings of the Medici family, the ruling class during the Renaissance period. We saw many famous works, including paintings by Botticelli, Raphael, Da Vinci, Durer, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio. The work was phenomenal, and once again, the kids patiently listened as we explained the artwork, and asked lots of great questions. They’ve been soaking up everything they can!
Our next stop was dinner – another great meal of pasta and chicken! Jenn, Corey, Sara, Liz, Kate and I took the long way home and wandered through the streets of Florence. We couldn’t help ourselves, and we stopped for another round of Gelato’s. It was Corey’s first, and I think Gelato has replaced Nutella as his new love.
Tomorrow we leave for Rome! Until then, check out today’s pictures! And scroll down to the last post for yesterday’s pictures!
Today was a non stop workout, right after breakfast we went out and about in Florence for a walking tour with Nicilo (a temporary tour guide). During the tour he gave us an explanation of the statues in one of the main squares and went to the river to snap a few pictures.
At the end of the tour the A-town group went to a leather making factory but we decided to do a little exploring on our own. We went to see the David and it was breathtaking. The great detail of every inch of the body and the perspective was beyond amazing.
From there we ended up getting lost and had to call Jesus for help. He took our our chaperones for lunch and us kids went to a pizzeria and had true Italian pizza.
Back at the hotel I went with Daro to the little bakery a few doors down and I had a delicious chocolate cream pastry. We got back to the hotel and Bryanna had a bite of my pastry and decided she wanted to go, so I went back with her and got a mini-pie (the pizza wasn’t that filling). Later we met up with our chaperones and went on more adventures.
We went back to the Duomo and climbed to the top, all 464 of them. it was well worth it though because the view of Florence from the top was absolutely spectacular. Once we made the slow hike back down the stairs we went to revive our selves with the highlight of Italy.
Gelato. Ice cream can not even compare.
The next stop was the Uffizi museum where we saw great paintings by world renowned artists. What impressed me the most were the life like sculptures.
At 6:30 we met Jesus at the hotel and walked to dinner (and got lost, it made us feel better about earlier). The meal was pasta, then beef and a lot of peas. The unforunate part I that desert is fruit.
J-Bau, J-Hunt, Vargas, Liz, Corey and I fell behind the group going to the hotel so we could do a little shopping. But most stores were already closed despite the fact it was 8 o’clock on a Friday night. We got more gelato, because I for one can not get enough of it. At a little touristy shop Liz and Jen got a few things, and earlier Liz and I bought some nice cheap scarves. J-hunt tried to guide us back to the hotel non-chalantly but her plan was foiled, and we ended up doing a wee bit more wandering. Finally we made it back to the hotel and we are ready to sleep after a long day of eating, walking, and climbing. Wake up call bright and early tomorrow at 6 am.
