Stotesbury Cup Regatta continues to create memories while celebrating the rowing community
Mike Andrew Kain, who’s a junior coxswain for the St. Joseph's Prep varsity eight boat, is following in his father's footsteps 34 years later.
Michael Patrick Kain can still recall the moment when his St. Joseph’s Prep rowing team won the Stotesbury Cup.
The 1990 graduate was a junior coxswain for the Hawks, and it’s a tradition to throw the coxswain in the water. Except in the Schuylkill by boathouse row, the water was about two-feet deep so Kain was drenched in mud with a medal around his neck.
“It was exhilarating,” said Kain, 52, of Northeast Philadelphia. “I still talk to a lot of those guys from the crew today.”
Now, Kain is cheering on his son, Mike Andrew Kain, who’s a junior coxswain for the Hawks’ varsity eight boat.
On Friday, the elder Mike, who was on grill duty underneath the team’s tent, reflected on what it means to be back at the 97th annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the world’s oldest and largest high school rowing competition.
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“My wife tells me I’m reliving my high school years through him,” Kain said, laughing. “Being here brings back a lot of memories, but sharing this with him — it’s sometimes overwhelming. I get a little emotional because I’m proud of him.”
More than 180 schools are competing in this year’s regatta. Last year, St. Joe’s Prep took home the overall championship for medals. The Hawks’ varsity eight boat finished in first place with a time of 4 minutes, 16 seconds in time trials on Friday to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.
The event brings together rowers from across the nation, and for some high school seniors, Friday marked the final time they’ll compete at Stotesbury. Villa Joseph Marie’s Angelina Ferrandino, who rows the three seat, was soaking in every second after her girls’ senior four boat placed 26th out of 49 boats.
“This moment feels surreal,” said Ferrandino, who will row at Division II Embry-Riddle next year in Daytona Beach, Fla. “Rowing has opened up a lot of doors for me. It’s shaped me in a lot of ways to be hardworking and have a good work ethic.”
Like father, like son
The younger Mike started rowing his freshman year at St. Joe’s. Over the years, Kain has seen his son grow in his role as coxswain.
“My son is a small kid. At first he thought about doing rugby,” Kain said. “I said, ‘You’re crazy, you’re meant to be a coxswain.’ He loved it from the first day. He really matured, he watches videos on YouTube and listens to coxswain recordings every day.”
Although he isn’t doing the heavy lifting, there’s an art to it, young Mike Kain said, that he has come to appreciate. He’s the second coach of the team, and there’s certain aspects about the role that he’s learned from his dad.
“When the energy isn’t up in the boat, [my dad] has told me what to say to get through that,” he added. “And how to bring the energy back up when we’re having a bad day. The first two years were kind of low for me, and then over the summer with steering and everything it matured. Then having those college talks and my dad helping me learn — I’ve grown a lot.”
Mike Kain will spend the summer with the junior national rowing team in California. He was one of three coxswains invited to participate. He hopes to be a coxswain in college.
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Last year, Mike Kain watched the varsity eight boat cross the finish line — the whole team went crazy and jumped into the river together to celebrate.
On Saturday, he hopes to repeat that moment and has a simple goal: “Go fast.”
‘I always had rowing’
For some rowers, Friday marked the end of a chapter.
Ferrandino started rowing her freshman year. At first, she struggled to find a sport that fit after suffering a concussion in gymnastics. That was until she got in the water on a rainy day and left with blisters on her hands from the oars.
“She fell in love with it,” said her mom, Jennifer Ferrandino. “She’s rowed consistently since freshman year, and now she’s earned an athletic scholarship and will study aerospace physiology.”
School didn’t come easy for Angelina, who has a learning disability. It was difficult for her to get assignments in on time or manage the workload. But when she started rowing, she said, it gave her structure — and the motivation — she needed to excel in the classroom.
“With rowing, I knew I had to get my work done before practice,” she said. “I knew I had to get stuff done before regattas, it gave me a good schedule. I always had rowing to look forward to.”
This year, Angelina also received two scholarships through the Scholastic Rowing Association of America and the Bill Braxton Memorial while also being selected for the Stotesbury outstanding achievement award.
Her rowing journey is just getting started, her mom said.
“There’s a wealth of information on this river,” Jennifer added. “Angelina has found an extended family throughout rowing. Everybody genuinely cares about each other and her well-being. She understands that it’s not about the competition, it’s about family.”