caption: RULE OF FOUR: Princeton High's Brad Dewey, far right, and teammates, from left, Brenton Henry (WW/P-N), Cameron Orcutt (PHS), Jordan Berman (cox, WW/P-S), and Mike Mikula (PHS) celebrate after their Mercer Junior Rowing Club lightweight four took fourth at the United States Rowing youth nationals. Dewey joined the boat just a month before it competed in the national regatta at Harsha Lake in Batavia, Ohio.

PHS' Dewey Relished Being On Board as MJRC Boat Took 4th in Nationals

Bill Alden

Brad Dewey got into rowing in the fall of 2004, attracted by the teamwork aspect of the sport.

Dewey, though, wasn't the most valuable teammate in his early days with the Mercer Junior Rowing Club (MJRC).

"It took a while to get used to it," recalled Dewey. "It was very, very hard; it takes so much physical strength."

This spring, Dewey added some needed strength to the MJRC's lightweight four as he recently helped the boat place fourth in the United States Rowing youth nationals.

Dewey, who is just finishing his junior year at Princeton High, was a late addition to the boat.

"The second varsity eight split into two fours, a heavyweight four and a lightweight four," said Dewey. "I seat raced into the boat."

While Dewey acknowledged that he was plenty nervous as he competed with the boat for the first time in regional competition, it didn't take long for the crew to find a rhythm.

"It was nerve-wracking," said Dewey, reflecting on a competition which saw MJRC take second overall. "I think we came together; it felt like we clicked."

There was still plenty of work to be done as the boat readied itself for the nationals. "We have had some bumps and bruises," said Dewey, who also competes for the PHS boys' swimming team.

"I think we owe a lot of credit to our coaches, Nick Anderson and Simon Carcagno. They worked us very hard. We were doing afternoon sessions six days a week and morning sessions three days a week. We went about an hour and a half in the mornings and two hours in the afternoons."

That work gave the boat a good feeling as it arrived at Harsha Lake in Batavia, Ohio for the nationals. "We weren't overconfident but we had a general expectation that we could make the grand final, if not medal," said Dewey, who was joined on the boat by fellow PHS students Mike Mikula and Cameron Orcutt together with Brenton Henry of WW/P-N and Jordan Berman of WW/P-S.

The MJRC crew showed it was a force to be reckoned with in its heats as it placed second and first to qualify for the grand final.

The race plan was simple coming into the championship race. "Our basic strategy was to pull as hard as possible," said Dewey. "You know that when you're in a grand final, you are going to be in a dogfight and you have to go line to line. Going into the final, we were confident we would be in the top four based on the times in the heats."

Although the MJRC boat didn't end up as the winner at the finish line, Dewey had no qualms with the intensity shown by the crew in the final. "I'm disappointed we didn't medal but I'm not disappointed with our effort," added Dewey. "We rowed to our potential."

Dewey is looking to maximize his potential in and out of the water. "I would like to row in college," said Dewey, noting that he has already been in contact with the crew coaches at Bucknell and Trinity. "The sport makes you more disciplined; it carries over into other parts of your life."

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