Regardless of the sport, the sign of a quality program is one that can not only survive wholesale losses of talented athletes, but thrive with the newcomers who take their place.
The Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Rowing Club (PNRA/Mercer) women’s youth 8 plus coxswain crew seems to have reached that level. In October PNRA took third place in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) by finishing third out of 85 crews in Boston.
At first glance, one might think that’s not so great considering Mercer was second in the event last year.
Think again.
The West Windsor-based squad lost seven of its eight members from last year’s team, with Yardley, resident Kate Hickey the lone returnee from the 2014 runner-up.
“We knew we had big shoes to fill with their second place finish last year,” said Elise Gorberg, a senior at High School North. “We really just wanted to show that after losing the seniors last year that we still had a lot of talent on the team and that we still had a lot to show for. We weren’t thinking ‘Let’s just do the best we can.’ We were in it to win it if we could.”
Gorberg was one of four members from WW-P schools in the boat, along with South sophomores Sara Hansen and Mia Barkenbush and South senior Eileen Hu.
They are led by first-year coach Steve Baranoski, who took over when Ted Sobolewski left for a coaching job at Northeastern University. Naturally, there was some trepidation with a new man coming in, but it didn’t last.
“We weren’t sure what to expect because Ted had done such a great job,” said Gorberg, who has rowed with Mercer for five years. Sobolewski “established a mindset of striving for something bigger and never being comfortable with where we are in terms of rankings and results.”
Because of that, Mercer has developed a positive reputation at the big races, which is pretty impressive considering that this area is not a traditional rowing hotbed like New England or California. “It’s gotten to the point where other teams recognize us and know the Mercer name,” Gorberg said.
In winning its medal at the Head of the Charles — known as the biggest regatta on earth with 11,000 rowers competing in a three-mile race — Mercer rowed a time of 17 minutes, 22 seconds, despite wind gusts up to 12 miles per hour.
Gorberg is in the second seat and is one of the team’s more experienced rowers, though this was her first season with the first women’s 8 boat. “She’s the epitome of what you want in a senior,” Baranoski said. “She’s not afraid to take these younger kids under her wing and show them how to do it. She’s probably the most team-oriented athlete on our team right now, and she really sees the big picture.”
Gorberg, who is verbally committed to row for the Boston University lightweight team next year, feels that because of her experience she knows how to mentally approach things.
“A really big part of the sport is understanding how not to freak out and get really nervous before a race, or to not get beaten down when something doesn’t go right in training,” said Gorberg, a former gymnast. “That’s something the younger girls need to learn, that rowing is something that can really be fun and not all this pressure.”
Hansen was in the seventh seat at the HOCR and continued to show poise beyond her years.
“She’s a sophomore but has characteristics of a senior,” Baranoski said. “She’s extremely hard working. She’s one of those kids that doesn’t say a lot but just does it and others kind of follow because they see how much success she’s having. They see that her attitude and approach is what you need to succeed in this sport.”
Another stellar sophomore is Barkenbush, who was in the fourth seat after making tremendous strides this year.
“We’re excited to have her for two more years,” Baranoski said. “She started off the season very mediocre and just worked her butt off to earn that spot. She came up to me the first couple days saying ‘What can I do?’ She seemed so persistent and dedicated to achieving success, and she did. She ended up really showing herself and showing how strong she really is.”
The unsung hero of the HOCR was Hu, who is headed to MIT next year. When Celia Varga was forced to miss the big race due to injury, Hu was moved from the fours boat and took over in the bow seat, which forced several other seat changes.
“Three days before we’re leaving, I switched her into the boat, and she made a great transition,” Baranoski said. “What I saw from her in the fours was an ability to row very well with the others. She’s able to not change her style too much and she makes it very seamless for the others. When I found out (Varga) wouldn’t be able to race with us, I remember thinking ‘How will this work?’ But it couldn’t have been easier because of Eileen. Without her, we wouldn’t be in third place.”
Mercer is off from competition until hosting the USRowing Youth National Championship Regatta on Mercer Lake in June. But the girls will be busy.
“Winter is actually a pivotal season,” Gorberg said. “This is when we lay out our indoor training. Mentally, it’s the toughest season. But we’ll be staying motivated through this season to get through to the spring and see if we can get to the nationals.” After all, there is a growing reputation to uphold.
The men’s youth eight plus coxswain crew took seventh out of 85 teams at the HOCR, finishing with a time of 15 minutes, 41 seconds. Included on the team were senior coxswain Nikhil Modi of WW-P South, along with juniors Daniel Stoddard (South) and Tyler Harris (North).
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Christina Rancan and Tim Bason represented High School South at the state cross country Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park on November 21. Rancan placed 10th in 18:42 while Bason took 9th in 15:58.
Competing at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional on November 28 in Wapinger Falls, New York, Bason took second overall in 15:51 to qualify for the national championship on Saturday, December 5, in Portland, Oregon. In the girls’ race Rancan placed 10th in 18:55.
