Emma Willard in the News

EWS Rowers win national title

May 29, 2009

rowing he Emma Willard School duo of freshman Celeste Pomputius and junior Elizabeth Hughes took home the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association championship in the womens lightweight double on May 10, at Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs. The Saratoga Rowing Association hosted the annual regatta for the 12th consecutive year, drawing 78 teams from throughout the state. The duo then went on to win at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Scholastic Championship in Mercer, NJ, on Saturday, May 23.

Emma Willard School rowing coach Bob Tarrant says, “Celeste and Libby have worked tirelessly not only in the double but also in the eight and four, contributing to Emma's season long success. With regard to the double, the girls have had less than a month of sculling experience together and have literally dominated their local and state competition at the scholastic level.”

When asked why she enjoys rowing so much, Pomputius said, “Because of the fulfillment I feel after completing a race. I swim [on the Emma Willard swim team] in the fall, and when I get out of the pool after a race I always feel like there was a little bit more I could have given. After finishing a race in rowing, however, I know that the tank is empty and I've given everything I have to getting that boat across the line ahead of everyone else.”

Originally a sailor, Hughes began rowing “as an excuse to get back on the water.” Between her sophomore and junior years, she rowed with the East End racing team in Riverhead, NY, and competed at Camden, NJ, in the club nationals and in the Royal Canadian Henley regatta. She describes her passion for rowing as “a perfect balance between love and hate… During the race, your whole body hurts. You just want to stop and regain strength, but you know you have to keep rowing. The love is when you are finished and you know that you have used the amount of energy it would take to play two basketball games back to back. It is that feeling that lets you know you have something to be proud of.”

The pair will travel to Harsha Lake, outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships, June 12–14.

Included in Emma Willard's regular communications efforts is a series of messages from Trudy Hall, Head of School. The importance of peer contact, having crucial family conversations, managing the stress of exams, and current literature on girls' development and education are just some of the topics explored in a personal and dynamic series of essays.