Strength in Numbers

More than 1,700 junior and senior athletes and coaches from all over the Pacific Northwest set up camp on the Brentwood campus for the 48th annual Brentwood Regatta in late April. Despite the chilling wind and choppy water on Friday the 27th, Brentwood’s junior rowing program was eager to get on the water. These unpredictable conditions didn’t stop the junior program from getting excited. A competitive day of racing was in store for the juniors on Saturday. The overcast day of racing started off at 7:46 on the grey Saturday morning when the Junior Boys Eight, coxed by Eric L, Ellis ‘21 placed third in their heat after a gruelling race; this work paid off by qualifying them for the finals. Seven minutes later the Junior Girls Eight had a tough loss but put in a great effort as a novice crew. Later on, the Junior Boys Novice 4x+ placed third in their heat, unfortunately missing the final by a second. This quad went on later to compete in the JV U19 coxed quad and placed third in their heat, but again missed the final just a fraction of a second. Shortly later the Junior Novice Girls 4x+ put in immense effort but could not make the final. As the day progressed junior boats didn’t let off the gas. For some of the junior athletes, three or even four races still lay in front of their torn up hands. The long day of racing concluded with Claire S, Allard ‘21 competing in the U19 women’s single. Claire put up an astonishing fight against 26 other senior girls and came away in 10th overall which is a great achievement for a junior rower.   By the time Sunday came around finals were in full swing. Mirror like water was quickly disturbed when the Junior Boys 4+ coxed by Eric L poured out their energy onto the course. They pushed through the race at a smooth steady pace but pulled away within the last 500m placing them in second. The boys came away with silver. Callum BC, Privett ‘20 in bow seat of the four says that he’s “so proud of the boys’ efforts, as we truly emptied the tank in the last section of the race.” Callum hopes that these efforts will shape up his summer bod.  Shortly after, Maria T pushed her Junior Girls 4+ all the way to the end placing them 5th overall. We are so proud of the girls as they have improved so much over the last month. Ankit B later drove the Lightweight Boys Eight to a fifth place as well. This was a great effort for a boat that was thrown together a day or two before. Overall the Brentwood Juniors had an amazing weekend of racing with over 20 exciting races. The juniors should be proud of their dedication and now keep pushing on until the Canadian Secondary Schools National regatta in early june. Felix W, Privett ‘20