Crew

Brewster crew began in 1989 as a recreational program. Since then, it has evolved into a multi-level competitive program. Because of school size, Brewster primarily races fours. The goal of the program is to develop student athletes into cohesive crews to be competitive in the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) and U.S. Rowing Association junior team ranks.

Fall crew is a long-distance season with three-mile races judged by time over distance. Crews race with a time interval between them, so there is little opportunity to know how fast you are going relative to another boat unless you get passed or you pass another. It is a grueling, mentally challenging racing season. Brewster races boys' 8's and 4's in the fall, and competes in major regattas such as the Head of the Fish Regatta and the Philadelphia Frostbite Regatta.

Spring crew is a season of 1500-meter sprint regattas, and Brewster races in boys' and girls' 4s. Boats are lined up in lanes to compete bow to bow, and crews know exactly how they're doing in relation to their competitors. It is a fast-paced race season with lots of action and intensity. In the spring, Brewster hosts the Northern New England Championships and competes in major regattas such as the Founder's Day Regatta and the NEIRA Championships.

Brewster crew emphasizes the importance of the relationship between being strong athletes and strong students. All members of the crew team are expected to stay current with their schoolwork and maintain either JBS or Citizenship status.

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Season Wrap Up Fall Crew ‘07

Boys' crew had unprecedented success this fall season, with it’s 1st varsity boat placing 4th at New Hampshire Championships out of its largest field to date (23), likewise with our 5th place finish in the Bill Braxton Regatta in Philadelphia (out of 54), likewise with our finishes at the Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, NY and Head of the Charles in Boston--hugely attended regattas, with crews from all over the country! As a crew, all boats have never moved so fast. At “the Fish” we improved (as a team) our over-all finish positions by 75%tile. The strong success of the 1st boat stands firmly on the broad shoulders of the lower boats. This season we boated six “4s”, including two novice boats. The hard work and fierce competition for seats in the upper boats provided keen incentive to get fast and stay fast. Throughout our season we gained appreciably on the competition ahead of us, passing most and closing the gap on Gunnery (the perennial northeastern powerhouse) down to a thin four seconds! With a strong junior group and talented novices moving up the ranks, the future is bright for Brewster Crew. We are now headed indoors to hit the weights and train in our newly acquired tank!

 

The Coach

Mark DeNitto
Head of Crew Program
Head Varsity Boys' Coach

Mark DeNitto comes to Brewster with extensive rowing and coaching experience. In 1983, at 14, he learned to row while a student at Brooks School in Massachusetts, where he was a four-year member of the varsity team. He also learned to scull at the Craftsbury Sculling Center in Vermont.

When Mark was a senior in high school he was ranked 19th in the world on the rowing ergometer for 1500m and was a New England Wrestling Champion who set three school records.He rowed for the varsity team at Division I Syracuse University, which in 1989 placed 3rd in the nation. Upon graduating from Syracuse, Coach DeNitto coached an undefeated season at the Groton School before starting up a full-time teaching career at the Kiski School where he coached wrestling, soccer, and track for three years.

After a four-year stint in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he taught English and earned a masters' degree, he moved to Lake Placid, New York, to teach at the Northwood School. At Northwood he coached soccer, cycling, lacrosse, and cross-country skiing and taught Spanish, English, and creative writing. In 2001 Coach DeNitto founded the crew program at Northwood. In the program's first three years, his novice girls won two New York state championships. In the third year, six out of six of his boats (including two single scullers) qualified for the state finals.

In 2001 Mark ran the Boston Marathon and completed the Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon. He is an avid 25k Nordic ski racer in the winter. He currently lives in Lamb House with his wife Diana and children Emerson and Marcella.

Lauren Shealy
Head Varsity Girls' Coach

Coach Lauren Shealy is a former member of the Boston University varsity crew team where she rowed for three years. She also spent a year rowing with the varsity crew team at Syracuse University, after which she was invited to join the first Eastern Development Camp coached by Harvard's Harry Parker.

In 1975 she was selected to attend the national tryouts for the first USA women's eight World Championships and a year later was one of 40 women in the country to be selected for the Olympic rowing camp.

The "Head of the Charles" regatta, held every fall, has been a 26-year tradition for Coach Shealy to meet with former teammates and row the three-mile race. Coach Shealy brings with her a great love of the sport, a strong competitive spirit, and desire to develop a strong rowing program at Brewster.

Coach Shealy, an instructional support teacher, is the mother of three Brewster graduates Ryan '07, Kate '07, and Collin '06.

Michelle Dodge

Michelle Dodge recently graduated from William Smith College, where she competed on the varsity crew team for four years. In the fall of 2006, she rowed in a four at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. In 2007 ESPN The Magazine named her an Academic All-American for scholastic and athletic achievements. During the same year, her team was invited to row in Knoxville, Tennessee at the NCAA Championships. She rowed as bow seat in the 1st Varsity boat, which placed 5th. Michelle is excited to help coach novice crew this year at Brewster Academy. Last summer Michelle worked for the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School where she interned in Ecology and assisted with the summer rowing program. Michelle teaches 9th grade Environmental Science and lives in Sargent II with her husband Shamar Whyte. She loves hiking, Nordic skiing, biking, and singing.

 

 

Nick Docter

Nick Docter is the boys assistant crew coach and the winter crew strength training coach. For both fall and spring crew, Coach Docter works with the lower boats and novice rowers. During the winter he works with all the rowers to increase their strength and endurance in preparation for the spring sprint season. He began rowing several years ago while attending Brewster Academy. As a Brewster rower, he was team captain, MVP, and was recruited to row at the University of California at Berkeley. At Cal he was a member of the 1998 National Championship Freshman Crew team. Later, he transferred to California State University, Chico to earn his BS in Exercise Physiology. He remained at Chico State and earned his MA in Kinesiology while working as a Strength & Conditioning Intern for Chico State, Butte College and Cal Berkeley. Coach Docter is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) awarded by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is an Olympic Lifting Certified Club Coach (USAW). He has been a Strength Coach for a variety of sports teams and has trained both high school and college athletes, some of whom are now professional NFL players. Coach Docter has been at Brewster Academy since the spring of 2007.