As the cold of March gives way to April and the spring, so marks the beginning of another season for the Wayland-Weston rowing team. Beginning practices officially in mid-March, the team begins their spring racing schedule in mid-April.

The beginning of the season consists of scrimmages and time trials in order to test boat speed, lineups, and many other factors that will eventually go into the formation of several competitive boats hoping to make an impact on the regional and national level.

On Sunday, the first of these unofficial races took place at Lake Cochituate in Wayland. Wayland-Weston’s varsity boys hosted teams from Lowell High School and Essex Rowing Club for some early season head-to-head time trials.

The W-W men’s first varsity 8+ finished first over the 1500-meter race course with a time of 4:56, followed by Essex at 5:04 and Lowell at 5:25. The W-W second and third varsity boats finished with times of 5:13 and 5:25, respectively, in their event. They were followed by Lowell’s second boat at 5:46.  These early results show promise for a strong season, with the second and third boats once again showing the team’s depth and prospects for the future.

Despite the team being younger than average (there was only one senior in the first boat), W-W is looking to continue to build success and uphold its reputation as a perennial powerhouse, without going through a “rebuilding” year.

Head coach Brian DeDominici was pleased with the day, saying, “It was great to have Essex and Lowell out for some early season trials. I thought each boat did very well and was able to gain some valuable experience for our next race.”

The team will have another scrimmage race next weekend before traveling to Saratoga, New York, for their first official regatta