2005-2006

Another eager group of 10 novices joined the team at the start of the 2005 school year.  Coaches Stevenson and Rogers were waiting for them.  The weather was beautiful for a change and rowing on the Allegheny was great.  The varsity team members raced for the first time in the Head of the Cuyahoga in Cleveland.  There were more twists & turns in that river than anything the team had previously encountered.  The coaches & parents held their breath as our boats took those turns down the river.   The weather was great as long as you didn’t mind a light drizzle that stopped by mid morning.   The varsity boats rowed in the Head of the Ohio.  The weather cooperated and was the best it had been for that race in many years.  Several novice boys volunteered for cleanup duty.  They had a great time riding around in an electric golf cart.

Spring was fast approaching.  There was very little snow, the Allegheny wasn’t running fast, and everyone was waiting in anticipation to get back in the boats.   February 2006 saw the team enter the Indoor Rowing Championships again.  As in the past Hampton took medals and won the overall high school points trophy.  March arrived and the river was still slow, there wasn’t any rain, there wasn’t any snow.  This is a first!  Are we really in Pittsburgh?   The team was able to get practice time on the water earlier than ever before.  A brand new Vespoli Racer 4+  was waiting for rowers.   Naming the new boat was going to be another challenge.  However, after the team members witnessed a performance by the cox of the varsity boys lightweight four the boat was officially named Gargoyle. 

The team returned to Columbus for the Hoover Regatta and Washington, DC for the Charlie Butt Regatta.  The DC trip was an interesting one for the trailer.  The transmission of the truck pulling the trailer failed on the way to DC just outside of Pittsburgh  and one of the 8’s got a little too close to a telephone pole resulting in a crack behind the fin.  The Thompson Bboathouse was very sympathetic and loaned Hampton a Millenium.  Everyone was excited until we saw the boat.  It didn’t have bow caps, shoe tie downs, and the shoes were questionable at best but it did float.  Some quick work with duct tape and spare shoelaces made it usable.  The following week we traveled to Lake Arthur for the Scholastic Sprints.  The weather was cold, it was windy and the course was shortened due to weather conditions.  The team took home medals in spite of the conditions.  Due to the scheduling of the high school  prom the team didn’t enter the Mid West Championships but did go to Erie the following week and another season came to an end.    

2004-2005

The 8th graders that came to learn to row in June came out in force in September and they all wanted to row!  Things were going great until Hurricane Ivan hit Pittsburgh.  The docks were flooded, the river was a muddy mess, and all we could do was watch and hope the water would recede fast.  The varsity rowers entered Head of the Ohio and also traveled to Columbus, Ohio  for the windiest race ever.   Hampton took the most points at the Indoor Rowing Championships again.  Spring arrived along with delivery of a brand new Dirigo 4+.  Excitement was high (almost as high as the Allegheny River).  The team got a lot of running and Frisbee Football time while we waited to go back on the water.  The team members received a real dose of water reality on the Allegheny when a fast approaching storm raced up the river during practice and swamped the boats.  Racing was fun with making semi-finals at the Mid West Championships and earning medals in Erie on Presque Isle Bay. 

Not to be outdone, the parents association staged one of the best 'Night at the Races' which helped pay for that brand new boat. 

2003-2004

Shortly before the start of the Fall season Coach Egnor submitted his resignation.  Assistant Coach Stevenson agreed to fill the head coach on an interim basis.  Barry Rogers (Vice President of the Parents Association) joined him and they both stood back as the new 9th graders descended upon the boat house.  The team grew in size to 50 members and they were all a very enthusiastic group of potential rowers.  A search for a new head coach was started.   

The varsity team members again rowed in the Head of the Ohio in the rain.  Team members took home medals at the Indoor Rowing Championships.  The team raced at new venues (Columbus & Detroit) and it rained.  Even with all the bad weather both the men & women took home medals at various races.  Hampton is on a roll!

The Second Annual 'Introduction to Rowing' was held in June.  Over 30 8th graders participated.  Rowing is rapidly becoming a known sport in Hampton. 

2002 - 2003

Nothing like a cracked shell to start the year with a bang.  As a result of getting hit by a wake from one of the Gateway Clipper tourist boats racing its way to PNC Park for a baseball game the Dirigo 8 sustained a crack that made it unusable until the Spring of 2003.  

Due to the ever increasing size of the team assistant coach Cliff Stevenson was hired and assumed responsibility for the novice girls while Greg Egnor continued to build the varsity program.  

Four varsity members received medals for the at the Indoor Rowing Championship in February 2003 and the team was on a roll.  We needed to get back on the river.  

The end of February was cold, March was just as cold, it rained non-stop, the Allegheny River was a muddy torrent, races were cancelled due to river conditions.  As a result the team only participated in two Jewell Cup races.  An away race scheduled in Columbus Ohio was cancelled due to the start of the war in Iraq.   That left the Scholastic Sprints and Stotesbury.  At the Sprints the varsity mens 8 was doing great until it was struck by another school.  The other school was disqualified.   Onward to Stotesbury where we we encountered a nice rain.  Stotesbury saw the varsity womens 4 make it to the semi-finals which was a first for the Hampton team.   

At the end of May the team hosted the first ever 'Introduction to Rowing' for the 8th graders.  It was well attended with close to 25 8th graders coming to the boat house to see what this sport is all about.  We'll need to get ready for these new rowers!  

2001 - 2002   

What a start to the year!!  Everyone was surprised at the number of Freshmen that joined the team.  All we needed were boats and boats we bought along with launches.  The equipment wasn't new but it was in excellent condition.  By the end of the season we had a four and two eights along with two launches and a trailer.  

The team raced for the first time in the Head of the Ohio.  We traveled to Washington, DC for the William Fritz Regatta, and returned to Philadelphia for the Stotesbury Cup.  The girls varsity four received a 3rd place medal at the Scholastic Sprints.   The team won the all around points trophy at the Indoor Rowing Championships.  The weather did not cooperate for the Jewel Cup races.  It snowed for the first race and the Allegheny River had foot high white-capped swells.  If it wasn't snowing it was raining.  As a result the team only raced in two of the Jewel Cup Races.  

Three 2001 Alumni joined rowing teams at their respective 'institutions of higher education'.  They found high school rowing practice were nothing compared to the workouts they now had to endure.   

2000-2001

The 2000-2001 Season got off to a good start. There were a total of eight freshmen that joined Crew plus several upper class students. All Crew members purchased uniforms with the Hampton colors of blue and gold. The season ended with twenty team members of which eight were seniors. Out of the seniors three of them continued to row in college.

Hampton Crew again entered the Jewel Cup Series and the Scholastic Sprints. We added the Brundage Regatta in Parkersburg West Virgina and the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia. Although not bringing home any medals both the boys and the girls teams missed first place at  Stotesbury by only 40 seconds. Hampton Crew is being watched by other teams and gaining respect!

At the end of the season the athletic director agreed that a student could letter in Crew.  A list of the requirements was created by the coach and eligible team members received their letters and pins. 

The Parent's Association elected new officers and continued with fund raising activities. It was a fun year in which we washed cars, chaperoned dances, & held our first ever bingo game. This web site was established in order to help publicize Crew and more easily communicate our activities to all parents. Two presentations were made to the school board bringing them up-to-date on the teams's status. Greg Egnor remained committed to coaching the upcoming season. All in all we ended on a positive note and looked forward to 2001-2002.

The Beginning (1999-2000)

The Hampton High School Rowing Team began organizing in the spring of 1999 when Earl Burnham, Athletic Director for the Hampton School District, presented the opportunity to participate in the sport of rowing to six Hampton High School students.  This core group worked through the summer of 1999 as part of the Three Rivers Rowing Association (TRRA) Scholastic squad where they were instructed in the fundamentals of rowing.  With the start of fall, 1999 classes, Mr. Burnham opened the enrollment in this club sport to all interested High School students.  The club quickly grew to 28 students and Mr. Burnham felt that it was important for the parents of these students to organize themselves to support the needs of the team.  In late October 1999, the Hampton High School Rowing Association was organized and given the primary mission of promoting and supporting the financial needs of the Hampton High School Rowing Team.   

Fundraising and donations were sought during the first year.  Mr. Burnham was able to have TRRA donate the use of shells, oars, coxswain’s equipment, coach’s launch and motor, storage and most importantly, safety equipment.  Other small donations were garnered, and the remaining income for the first year was gathered through the use of several fundraisers and the assessment of membership dues.  In its first year, the Crew and Rowing Association were able to fund the expenses for a head and assistant coach, TRRA memberships for all rowers, uniforms, racing fees and the cost of transporting rowing equipment to races, and the purchase of eight racing oars.  Team uniforms consisted of basketball jerseys and shorts!  At least they were the blue and gold colors of Hampton!  At the end of the first season, we were able to maintain a positive balance in our general account fund.   

Earl Burnham had a vision for the students at Hampton.  He believed that every student should have the chance to compete in a sport activity and realized the benefit of teamwork as it relates to competition.  Rowing was one of several club sports that Mr. Burnham chose to promote becuase it is a sport with a quick learning curve but requires a high level of commitment and a willingness to face tough competion.  The team's success for their first year is easily measured.  In Scholastic Sprints competition, and the Western Pennsylvania Regional Championships located in Erie, PA.  In all races, the team demonstrated that it was up to the challenge of competing against the best.