Kent School Boat Club
Encyclopedia
The Kent School Boat Club was founded in 1922 on the banks of the Housatonic River
as Kent School
's rowing team. KSBC has three varsity boats and one fourth boat, which races in a few of the varsity races. KSBC only races in the spring, and conducts its spring training in Tampa during the school's spring vacation. In June 2010, KSBC won gold in the Men's Eight at the U.S Rowing Youth National Championship.
. Kent is well known at England's Henley Royal Regatta
, where its crews have rowed many times since first winning the Thames Cup in 1933. Kent was the first American secondary school to race at the Henley Royal Regatta. The NEIRA (New England Interscholastic Rowing Association) championship silver bowls for the first and second boats bear the names of Kent's founder and first head coach, Father Frederick H. Sill and his successor, "Tote" Dixon Walker. Every KSBC oarsman knows the importance of sportsmanship and excellence to the school. Father Sill was a coxswain at Columbia University and built his school directly on the Housatonic so that with a river running through it, there could be rowing one day.
While Kent has had five headmasters since 1906, KSBC has had only four coaches, including Father Sill, "Tote" Walker `19, W. Hartwell "Hart" Perry and Eric Houston `80.
Kent's impact on scholastic and collegiate rowing is vastly disproportionate to its size. Among others, Hart Perry has been past president of the NAAO and was a founder of the National Rowing Foundation and the Rowing Hall of Fame in Mystic, CT. He remained the only American steward at the Henley RR until his death 2010. Steve Gladstone
`60 has headed rowing programs at Princeton, Harvard, Brown, Cal Berkeley, California Rowing Club, and currently at Yale. Curtis Jordan `70 heads Princeton's rowing program. Bill Stowe `58 once ran the Columbia and the Coast Guard's program, and he stroked the Vesper Boat Club
eight to olympic gold in Tokyo in 1964. Fred Schoch `69 has won many national and international races, and directs the world's largest rowing event, the Head of the Charles Regatta. Many others have rowed in world championships and in the olympics, both establishing Kent's legacy in the 20th century and ensuring it will continue into the next one.
The Second boat house has been used by KSBC for more than 50 years. Unlike the original boat house this boat house had a permanent foundation and consisted of two floors: the first floor is a bay for all of the boats; the basement has the erg room and the locker room for boys. It continues to provide the location for daily storage of the boats.
Kent's new Rowing Center was dedicated in 2005 and provides oarsmen with a first class, state of the art rowing facility. The new boathouse has a rowing tank, a training room with ergometers, locker rooms for both girls' and boys' crews, offices for coaches, and a trophy room. Hanging above the rowing machines is the "Frederick H. Sill," the wooden eight oared shell that Kent's 1972 crew rowed to victory in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at the HRR.The 1972 Kent crew is the subject of a forthcoming memoir by the boat's bow oar, Rick Rinehart titled Men of Kent: Ten Boys, a Fast Boat, and the Coach Who Made Them Champions (The Lyons Press, September 2010).
External Links:www.kentschoolboatclub.org
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
as Kent School
Kent School
Kent School is a private, co-educational college preparatory school in Kent, Connecticut, USA. The Reverend Frederick Herbert Sill, Order of the Holy Cross, established the school in 1906 and it retains its affiliation with the Episcopal Church of the United States.Students at Kent come from more...
's rowing team. KSBC has three varsity boats and one fourth boat, which races in a few of the varsity races. KSBC only races in the spring, and conducts its spring training in Tampa during the school's spring vacation. In June 2010, KSBC won gold in the Men's Eight at the U.S Rowing Youth National Championship.
History and Tradition
Kent School is known far beyond the banks of the Housatonic River in Kent, ConnecticutKent, Connecticut
Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, alongside the border with New York. The population was 2,858 at the 2000 census. The town is home to three New England boarding schools: South Kent School, Kent School and The Marvelwood School. The Schaghticoke Indian Reservation is also located...
. Kent is well known at England's Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
, where its crews have rowed many times since first winning the Thames Cup in 1933. Kent was the first American secondary school to race at the Henley Royal Regatta. The NEIRA (New England Interscholastic Rowing Association) championship silver bowls for the first and second boats bear the names of Kent's founder and first head coach, Father Frederick H. Sill and his successor, "Tote" Dixon Walker. Every KSBC oarsman knows the importance of sportsmanship and excellence to the school. Father Sill was a coxswain at Columbia University and built his school directly on the Housatonic so that with a river running through it, there could be rowing one day.
While Kent has had five headmasters since 1906, KSBC has had only four coaches, including Father Sill, "Tote" Walker `19, W. Hartwell "Hart" Perry and Eric Houston `80.
Kent's impact on scholastic and collegiate rowing is vastly disproportionate to its size. Among others, Hart Perry has been past president of the NAAO and was a founder of the National Rowing Foundation and the Rowing Hall of Fame in Mystic, CT. He remained the only American steward at the Henley RR until his death 2010. Steve Gladstone
Steve Gladstone
Stephen C. Gladstone, or Steve Gladstone as he is better known, is one of the premier rowing coaches in the United States. He currently coaches at Yale University...
`60 has headed rowing programs at Princeton, Harvard, Brown, Cal Berkeley, California Rowing Club, and currently at Yale. Curtis Jordan `70 heads Princeton's rowing program. Bill Stowe `58 once ran the Columbia and the Coast Guard's program, and he stroked the Vesper Boat Club
Vesper Boat Club
Vesper Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #10 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1865 as the Washington Barge Club, the Club changed its name to Vesper Boat Club in 1870...
eight to olympic gold in Tokyo in 1964. Fred Schoch `69 has won many national and international races, and directs the world's largest rowing event, the Head of the Charles Regatta. Many others have rowed in world championships and in the olympics, both establishing Kent's legacy in the 20th century and ensuring it will continue into the next one.
Old Boathouse
The First boat house used by KSBC was nothing more than a large shed. Today one would pass it by with little thought of its tremendous history. It is located on the other side of the Macedonia Brook farther down river than the newer boat houses.The Second boat house has been used by KSBC for more than 50 years. Unlike the original boat house this boat house had a permanent foundation and consisted of two floors: the first floor is a bay for all of the boats; the basement has the erg room and the locker room for boys. It continues to provide the location for daily storage of the boats.
New Boathouse
2010
In 2010, Kent Boys Crew won the New Englands points trophy and placed 1st at Youth Nationals. They were runners up in the Princess Elizabeth Cup.External Links:www.kentschoolboatclub.org