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Brentwood Sprints to the Podium at Opening Day

15 May 2023
Novella R, Hope ‘25
Last weekend 10 Brentwood rowers drove to Seattle to participate in the Windermere Cup and Opening Day Regatta. Opening Day marks the beginning of the recreational boating season in Seattle and yachts line the edges of the race course watching some of the most prestigious crews from Canada, the United States, and, this year, Australia. The crowd is spread along the edges of the Montlake Cut and stare down from the Montlake Bridge.

As crews race down the course bowball-to-bowball, the crowd erupts in cheers. Adrenaline pounds in the chest as the rower's ears are overwhelmed with the marching band's drums, the encouraging scream of coaches and parents on the sidelines, and the four coxswains yelling the plan to their rowers. There are few competitions where athletes can experience something as energizing and prestigious as Windermere. Some rowers - the ones who further their journey beyond Brentwood - may have the opportunity to compete at Henley Royal Regatta, the World Championships, or the Olympics, which share the same exhilarating experience that will never be forgotten.

Two Brentwood crews raced down the course fiercely against some of their toughest competitors. The Senior Men's Coxed Quad placed third after a challenging race against Pocock Rowing Center and Seattle Preparatory School. Their experience at a larger regatta will help prepare them for Nationals in a month. Conor P, Rowing Captain, observed, “I think it was a great opportunity to have some fun and test ourselves against some really fast crews. The speed of the crews in Seattle helps set the tone for what is expected of the guys if they want to be successful next month in Ontario.”

In each competition, every athlete can learn and take feedback into upcoming races. “In the big picture, Opening Day Regatta does not influence the rest of the season but it is our last opportunity to race against crews from the States and leave an impression” explained Mr Brian Carr, Rowing Coach. After a hot sprint out of the starting gates, the Senior Women’s Coxed Four got their bow ball ahead. As the meters counted down, the girls widened the gap between them and the following boats. Every stroke they gave everything they had, and together, in unison, they crossed the finish line first with a 10-second margin on Pocock Rowing Center.

Brentwood last went to Windermere in 2018 in a Senior Women’s 8+ and a Senior Men’s 8+. The last time Brentwood won at Windemere was in 2017 in the Senior Womens 4+ and the Senior Men in 2007. As the rowing program is slowly making a return to the international regattas as we did before COVID, rowers are gaining a significant amount of experience at various levels of competition. Ms Spencer Manon articulates: “The importance of Windermere is that it allows for our crews to see speed from people we haven't seen yet and it also puts them in high-stress situations so that when they sit on the start line at CSSRAs they are ready for it. At Brentwood Regatta, we don't hear or see fans until the last 500 meters, whereas at Windermere, you can see them the entire race. You get that sense of anxiousness while allowing yourself to feel the rhythm and feel confident as a boat.” Likewise, Annika M, Alex ‘24 explained, “Windermere was an amazing experience. At times it felt less like a regatta and more like an event. I also learned to trust my crew and trust the practices and the amount of time we put in. I thought I learned a lot that I can take forward and apply to all sorts of experiences with higher stress and higher responsibility situations like the rest of our racing season.”

As the season progresses, every competitive experience will help every rower improve. Going into Nationals in a month, seeing everyone improve significantly at every regatta is extremely exciting. Everything we learn from this point on will continue to help us improve beyond Nationals and into next season.

Novella R, Hope ‘25

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