GLOUCESTER— Oar'Dacious rower Nikki Parisi called Friday's women's seine boat final the hardest race her crew has rowed in it's four year reign of terror over the women's seine boat division.
Runner up Inseine Oars pushed the three time defending champs from start to finish, but in the end Oar'Dacious had too much of a unified stroke and too much power in its boat to be beaten finishing on Pavilion Beach with a two boat lead and a fourth straight championship.
Oar'Dacious has now cemented itself as the most dominant women's seine boat crew of all time with six titles in the last seven years.
"It was the hardest race we have rowed because the girls on the other crews turned it on and really made us work hard for it," Parisi said. "It was an awesome feeling rowing into the beach knowing we won for the fourth time in a row but all the hype and all the talk put a lot of pressure on us, I'm glad we were able to get it done."
Oar'Dacious, Inseine Oars and third place finisher Backlash were tight heading out to the turning flags, which sit 1/2 mile off of Pavilion Beach. About 3/4 of the way to the flag Oar'Dacious made a move grabbing a one boat lead.
After a perfect turn of the flag from scuttler Joe Balbo, Oar'Dacious slightly increased the lead and held onto it the entire way to the beach.
Despite the lead there was no time for Oar'Dacious to be comfortable according to Parisi.
"We made a move and we had the lead but you can still see them right behind us the whole time," Parisi said. "We were never comfortable until we hit the beach. When we did it was such a cool feeling.
We have the best crew, everyone wants it just as much as the other and we all work hard and take it seriously, I couldn't ask for a better crew."
Oar'Dacious will go for five next year and given their track record, they are going to be really tough to beat once again.
Three straight for Donna Del Mare
While Oar'Dacious was pushed to the brink in winning its fourth straight title, junior champions Donna Del Mare had little trouble winning its third straight women's junior title.
Donna Del Mare gained a boat lead in no time and increased it more and more as the race went on hitting the beach well over five boat lengths ahead of second place finisher Extra "Oar" Dinary and third place finisher Savages. With three wins in a row, Donna Del Mare will be taking its dominance to the senior circuit in 2013 and now has its sights set on Oar'Dacious.
2012 Women's Seine Boat Champions
Seniors: Oar'Dacious- Joanne Frontiero (coxswain), Joe Balbo (scuttler), Nikki Parisi, Leah Dagle, Christina Carpenter, Victoria Prince, Vanessa Prince, Brittney Diamond, Emily Pecora, Ashley Amero, Leanne Pallazola, Nellica Rodolosi.
Juniors: Donna Del Mare- Brittany Barry (coxswain), Phil Giacalone (scuttler), Erica Quince, Alexis Barry, Alexis Palazzolo, Molly Genovese, Hannah Cain, Heather Cain, Kendra Miller, Emma Biondo, Lani Gannon, Haley Glidden.
