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Pound Ridge, Bedford Rowers Are Making A Splash This Fall

BEDFORD, N.Y. -- Pound Ridge and Bedford 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.

Pound Ridge residents Liam McDonough, left, and Kris Petreski, row to a first-place finish at the Head of the Merrimack.

Pound Ridge residents Liam McDonough, left, and Kris Petreski, row to a first-place finish at the Head of the Merrimack.

Photo Credit: Provided

Norwalk River Rowing was at the Head of the Merrimack in Methuen, Mass., at a September regatta with 148 entries from 27 clubs from seven states. Norwalk’s youth teams came home with six first-place finishes, five second-place finishes and one third.

Pound Ridge residents Liam McDonough and Kris Petreski teamed up to take first place in the lightweight double and also helped pull the varsity eight to its second-place finish. Fellow Pound Ridge resident Kaare Andersen helped power the lightweight four to its second-place finish.

Norwalk River Rowing participated in the Head of the Riverfront on the Connecticut River in Hartford, a regatta with more than 3,000 rowers and 608 boats held earlier this month.

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. Petreski and McDonough teamed up again in the double that took bronze and also rowed in the first varsity eight that took another bronze, while Kaare Andersen was in the second varsity eight that won a third bronze medal.

Norwalk River was in Shelton, Conn., Oct. 12, 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 gold medals and a bronze medal, and the masters had two boats finish fourth, just seconds behind the medal winners. McDonough and Petreski helped power the first varsity four to its gold while Bedford resident Jonathan Bell helped pull the novice eight to its first medal of the season, a bronze.

Norwalk River Rowing sent select boats to Boston Oct. 19-20 for the Head of the Charles, one of the premier “head” regattas in the world, attracting more than 9,000 athletes and 300,000 spectators. Norwalk River’s top-finishing boat was the boys' first varsity four, which came in 10th in a field of 84. The girls' first varsity four also earned an automatic bid to return next year with a finish of 37 out of a field of 85. The masters had five boats entered in the regatta, with the men's veterans (age 60+) single having the strongest finish, 29 out of 51.

Norwalk River's youth team closes its fall season at the Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 27.

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