This family walked cheerfully into Lyme Consolidated School on the first day of the new academic year. All photos by LOL Schools.
LYME/OLD LYME–This past Tuesday, Aug. 27, was filled with hugs and smiles—and a few nervous steps and glances—as the first day of a new school year in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools unfolded.
More smiles outside Lyme Consolidated School as friends reconnected.
Asked how the day had gone, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser told LymeLine exclusively in a text message, “We were happy to welcome our students back to school for what looks to be another exciting year in the Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.”
Teachers at Mile Creek School were all smiles too as they waited for their new students.
He added cheerfully, “We have lots of new faces, and many familiar ones, and look forward to everything this school year will bring.”
Tuesday’s US Senate Republican Primary in Old Lyme ended with 78 votes for Gerry Smith and 43 for Matthew Corey, while in contrast in Lyme, Corey polled 32 votes to Smith’s 14.
In Old Lyme, there were 26 Early Votes and three Absentee Ballots—Lyme recorded 14 Early Votes.
Turnout was remarkably low in both towns. Old Lyme has 1601 registered Republicans so the 121 total number of voters represented just 7.6 percent of those who were eligible to vote.
The Associated Press (AP) called the race for Corey with 96 percent of votes counted at 9:46 p.m. At that time according to the AP, Corey had secured 19,008 votes to Smith’s 15,931.
Corey will face incumbent Senator Chris Murphy (D) in November. Sen. Murphy is seeking his third term in the US Senate.
GOLD! The US Men’s Four, with stroke and Old Lyme native Liam Corrigan at left, proudly display their hard-earned gold medals from the Paris Olympics. All photos by US Rowing, except where indicated, and used with permission.
PARIS, FRANCE/OLD LYME– Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) graduate Liam Corrigan won a gold medal in the Mens’ Four at the Paris Olympics in a remarkable time of 5:49:03. This was the U.S. men’s first rowing gold medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The intensity of each stroke during the race is almost palpable.
The Team USA boat led from the 500-meter mark of the race held at at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium and secured the gold for the USA in this event for the first time in 60 years.
Moment of victory for the US Men’s Four.
The USA boat ultimately won by just 0.85 seconds over New Zealand, who came to within half a second of the US boat with 500 meters to go. The Kiwis took the silver medal in a time of 5:49:88 and Great Britain, the bronze, in 5:52:42.
Celebrating gold! This photo was taken seconds after Team USA realized they had won.
The men’s four comprises Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club)—who takes the stroke position, Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club), Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club), and Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club.)
Lyme-Old Lyme High School alumnus Liam Corrigan (left) smiles broadly at the end of the medal ceremony.
Corrigan’s parents Brian Corrigan and Joan Rivington of Lyme are there in Paris to watch their son in his team’s moment of glory.
The jubilant crowd celebrated Team USA’s victory.
Corrigan was referred to as, “The man of the moment,” throughout the commentary.
Corrigan graduated from LOLHS in 2015 and went on to Harvard University, where he was ultimately captain on the men’s rowing team.
The team stood tall and proud during the playing of the US national anthem in the medal ceremony.
After the race, Grady said, “We definitely executed really well,” adding, “I mean, we knew we had a good start. We knew we had a good base middle. We knew we have a good lift. We felt them [New Zealand] the entire time. I mean, hats off to them. They’re really great competitors, and they raced it really hard.”
He noted, “You know, they even walked back into us (at about) 600 (meters). I was pretty confident that we had the last little bit of speed. We had a full set of moves to go through to sprint to the line. So yeah, executed really well. Really happy with that performance obviously.”
The gold (US, center), silver (New Zealand, left) and bronze (Great Britain, right) teams celebrate their respective victories together during the medal ceremony.
The four, which has been together since last season, won silver at the world championships last year and gold at the world cup race in Lucerne earlier this year. That experience together, as well as their years of rowing as teammates, proved pivotal in their success on Thursday.
Team USA proudly shows their well-deserved gold medals.
Corrigan pointed out, “Like to really drive that home, Grady and I were in the 2014 junior eight that came second to last in Hamburg, Germany,” noting, “There’s been a lot of strokes since then. Michael and Justin rowed together (at the under 23 level), and all of us, to some degree, rowed against each other in college and with each other in college and then for the last five years since 2019 in different boats – pairs with each other, against each other.”
He emphasized, “There’s so much trust that’s been developed in that amount of time. You feel like one unit; it doesn’t feel like four people. It feels like one boat. That sounds so cliche, but that’s how I really feel about it.”
The Team USA Men’s Four celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Paris Olympics. Lyme-Old Lyme High School graduate Liam Corrigan is at front right in photo above. Photo from YouTube.com.
The U.S. finished fifth in the Men’s Four in Tokyo and last won a medal in the event at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, taking home a bronze.
Fellow Old Lyme Olympian Austin Hack (right) was in Paris to cheer on both Team USA and also his fiancée, Jessica Morrison, who earlier in the 2024 Olympics had won a bronze medal in the Women’s Pair Rowing for Team Australia. Hack rowed in the Men’s Eight in both the 2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo Olympics, coming fourth in both events.
“I don’t think special does it enough justice because of the amount of meters, hours, days with each other away from our loved ones,” Best said. “You know the funerals you have to miss, the weddings. You have to miss social events. It’s all encompassing what it takes to get to this moment.”
Old Lyme native and former rowing Olympian Austin Hack shows his delight at 2024 Team USA’s result. Standing next to Hack is Glenn Ochal, who won a bronze medal in the Men’s Four in the London 2012 Olympics, representing the last time the US medaled in Olympic men’s rowing prior to this 2024 victory.
He explained, “We have a group of four guys that love each other, and like I said, special can’t describe it because it really is just like that ethereal bond that I think we’ve created over the last few years. Now, we have a physical reminder of everything that we put in, and we’ll have this for the rest of our lives.”
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM USA—AND ESPECIALLY OLD LYME NATIVE LIAM CORRIGAN—ON THEIR SUPERB WIN!
Editor’s Note: This story includes information from US Rowing, which is used with their permission.
A large crowd listened to ‘Locomotion’ while watching the sun go down across the Lieutenant River.
OLD LYME—It was a night of music and merriment as Old Lyme’s Midsummer Festival 2024 kicked off yesterday evening with a toe-tapping concert presented by ‘Locomotion.’
It was a perfect evening for a great concert.
Picnics were eaten, beverages were consumed, friends reconnected, and people danced to their heart’s content.
Liam Corrigan is at right in this photo of the US Men’s Four boat. Photo by Brian Corrigan.
LYME/OLD LYME — Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) 2015 graduate Liam Corrigan will represent the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which start on Friday. He will be a member of the US Men’s Four boat in the rowing competition.
Heats 1 and 2 of the Men’s Four contest will be held respectively on Sunday, July 28, at 12:50 and 1 p.m. Central European Summer Time (six hours ahead of EST.) The finals are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 1.
Corrigan’s parents Brian Corrigan and Joan Rivington travel to Paris this week to watch Liam compete.
We are delighted that Brian has agreed to keep LymeLine updated from Paris on Liam’s progress.
Corrigan’s parents, now live in Lyme, Conn. after spending a number of years as residents of Old Lyme.
This is the second time that Corrigan has been selected as part of the US Rowing team. He was a member of the Men’s Eight, which finished fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics—that roster included another LOLHS graduate, Austin Hack, from the Class of 2010.
Hack also represented the US in the Men’s Eight at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, when the boat again finished fourth.
Liam Corrigan, LOLHS Class of 2014.
This time Corrigan will row in the Men’s Four and the team chosen comprises the same members, who brought home a silver medal for that event from the 2023 World Rowing Championships.
The other team members are Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club), Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), and Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club).
Corrigangraduated from Harvard with an honors degree in Physics and Astrophysics and while at Harvard, he was captain of the men’s crew.
Since graduating, he has moved to Oakland, Calif. to train with the men’s training center for the upcoming Olympics. He is a member of the California Rowing Club.
His accomplishments with Team USA include finishing fourth in the pair at the 2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, placing fifth in the four at the 2015 World Rowing Junior Championships, taking eighth in the pair at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and finishing ninth in the eight at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships.
Corrigan rowed in the men’s four that won the B final at the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
Responding to a question about how he felt after learning Liam had been selected for the US Men’s Eight, Corrigan’s father, Brian, told LymeLine exclusively, “Both Joan and I are very proud of Liam, and very thankful for the opportunities he was given as part of the rowing programs at LOLHS High School and the Old Lyme Rowing Association that got him started in rowing.”
He added, “The Tokyo Olympics did not allow spectators because of COVID-19, so this will be our first chance to watch him compete at the Olympics in person, and we are looking forward to being able to watch him compete in Paris this summer.”
We wish Liam the best of luck in his Olympic endeavor!
“Go Old Lyme! Go USA!”
Editor’s Note: Old Lyme Rowing Association (OLRA) oversees LOLHS crew, and Blood Street Sculls. Blood Street Sculls was established by Fred Emerson (on Blood Street) around 1965, for the cultivation of rowing for local high school students, college students and adults.
Some of the country’s most notable athletes called Blood Street Sculls home in the early days including Jim Dietz who is one of the most decorated scullers in US history (named to three US Olympic teams).
A strong supporter of the nascent sport of women’s rowing, Fred Emerson organized some of the first women’s national championships to be held on Rogers Lake in 1971, which included athletes who would ultimately represent the US in Olympic competition.
Blood Street Sculls was an incubator for rowing programs for high schools and colleges across New England. USCGA and Connecticut College got their start in this manner.
Anita DeFrantz first learned to row as a Connecticut College student, rowing on Rogers Lake. DeFrantz went on to represent the US in the 1976 women’s eight. She was a vocal legal authority when US athletes were prohibited from competition in 1980 and she has risen through the ranks of international rowing and is currently the vice president of the IOC.
Since record-keeping was initiated in 1997, over 100 athletes in OLRA programs have gone on to represent their university in collegiate rowing competition.
Paul Fuchs, Director of Rowing, holds the men’s lightweight course record for Head of the Charles, and competed on seven US World Championship teams. He has coached at the Olympic and World championship levels and serves on the Executive Council of FISA, the international governing body for the sport of rowing.Fuchs is an Old Lyme resident.
