Blair Crew, Montgomery Blair High School’s crew team, is proud to announce the launch of the Trail Blazer, the team’s first ever racing shell of its own.
The Trail Blazer is a Vespoli 8 midweight shell and will be used by both boys and girls teams. Painted white with red stripes, the carbon-fiber hull was completely refurbished by the manufacturer. The Trail Blazer 8 is 62 feet long, and will be stored inside the boathouse at Bladensburg Waterfront Park.
Founded in 2008, Blair Crew has relied upon rented equipment for its first 3 years. Head Coach Eva Sullivan is looking forward to the competitive advantage she sees in the team having its own boat.
“Last year, we experienced heart-breaking equipment failure — a cracked hull at the starting line, a foot stretcher popping out of a borrowed boat, losing a race by 3/100ths of a second … The kids have worked really hard for three years, and deserve better equipment. This new boat will go a long way to making us more competitive. I’m really looking forward to a great year with a new boat.” said Coach Sullivan.
Blair Crew is a club sport at Montgomery Blair High. As a club sport, the team receives no financial support from the school or Montgomery County Public Schools. Blair crew organized into an independent 501(c)(3) in 2010, and has been fundraising with an eye towards purchasing its own boats since the beginning. “We have put an enormous amount of work into just getting the kids on the water. To finally have our own boat is thrilling,” stated club president Alyson Krogh.
The athletes themselves are probably the most excited, “The Trail Blazer is going be blazing fast, I can’t wait to get out on the water in it” said senior team captain Becca Ederer.