All three Hopper boats did a great job under difficult conditions at Saturday’s WMIRA Championship Regatta at Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown. A heavy downpour soaked rowers, parents and coaches but did not dampen the spirits of our men’s four, men’s eight or women’s four, all of whom turned in solid performances against formidable competition.
Reported by men’s coach Alan Burch:
“The GDS mens’s crew rowed their best races of the year at the WMIRA Championships this last Saturday. Their placing reflects the intense level of competition in the WMIRA league, as the men’s varsity 8 finished 4th of 4 in its heat, but still only a few lengths out of first, and less than two behind third place. They maintained a high cadence throughout and overcame some tough conditions in the water at the start. In the petite final, they rowed with even more poise and boat speed, despite the looming threat of heavy rain and possible thunderstorm. They finished 3rd of three in the petite final, to end up 7th in the men’s varsity 8 category. In light of their close finishes and the level of the competition (indeed, some schools avoided rowing the 8 event altogether), GDS showed that it belongs in this league, and that it is close to knocking off some of the local Goliaths.
“Having prioritized the 8, we knew we were asking a lot of our men’s 4, in that they faced several schools with far more competition inside their respective teams just to get into their team’s 4. The GDS 4 got off to a rocky start but fought back with periods of intensity. They raced to 4th of 4 in their heat, but they were within 4-5 lengths of the third-place Wilson men’s 4, which was Wilson’s top boat on the men’s side. Given that mismatch, the result is quite respectable. I saw good progress in our oarsmen’s understanding of the challenge of rowing full blast, with finesse, in sync, on demand.
“Perhaps most importantly, both men’s boats got some terrific experience in high-stakes racing, which is invaluable in learning how to bring out one’s best on a date certain. I am proud of the boys for the progress they made over the season. And I feel fortunate that we now have Stotesbury in a week, for it will really help us consolidate the lessons we learned this week in the pressure-cooker of WMIRA, while those lessons are still fresh in our minds.”
A report on the women’s race will be posted shortly.
Photos from the WMIRA Championship, and from practice on May 13, are posted on the Pictures page of the website. Thanks to Katherine Samolyk (Michael Avery’s mother) and Nilotpol Mitra (Trino’s father) for taking the photos.
Keven Vance
2014 Crew Club President