Bill Braxton Regatta Race Report

The final regatta of the season got off to a good start for the Hawks, with varsity girls Maddie, Lauren, Angela, and Noa securing 1st place finishes in their respective flights of the HS Women's 2x. Despite a more diverse competitive field then at yesterdays Frostbite, the girls finished 1st and 2nd out of the 4 heats (18 crews) racing in the event. The girls have demonstrated great technical focus in the small boats this Fall and will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in 2014.

The Mens HS 2x crew of Keaton and Joey were next to race, fighting a face field to finish 3rd in their flight and 7th overall. Joey and Keaton both improved dramatically over the Fall season and today's row was a testimony to their increased strength and techincal focus. We are excited to have both boys back for Spring 2014.

Also racing in the Mens 2x were novices Fritz and Erik who finished 3rd in their heat and 10th overall. Despite only rowing in the 2x for a handfull of practices, Erik and Fritz had the power and determination to race against more experienced crews. The Hawks will be sad to see Fritz depart at the end of the semester, but are grateful for his strong efforts and positive attitude this Fall. We are looking forward to having Erik return for some more fast racing this Spring.

The early afternoon started with strong winds and the Women's HS 4x race. Novices Olivia H, Amanda, and Kayla raced with Varsity rower Rachel, finishing strong despite the rough conditions. The girls demonstarted poise and focus in what were challenging conditions for even the most experienced crews. Olivia E. showed her commitment to her teamates by helping out with pre-race preparations and ample cheering. The Novice girls improved dramatically over the past two months, they're on the right track to be very competitive this Spring.

As is often the case in rowing, the weather won out and by early afternoon wind gusts were topping 30mph down the course. The regatta was officially canceled before the Men's HS 4x of Joel, Noah, Dan and Tyler were able to shoot for a repeat victory. We are dissapointed not to see them race today, but are very pleased with the boys improvement this Fall. All of the Varsity boys have stepped up to fill the big shoes left by the departure of the 2013 seniors. We are confident that the boys will take the competitive energy they couldn't use today and funnel it into their preparations for a fast Spring season in 2014.

The wind cancellation also robbed Novice's Mike, Nick, Colin and Liam from a second race today. The Novice Mens 4x improved substantially over the course of the Fall, thanks to hard work and focus. We are looking forward to having them all return in the Spring.

Special Thanks to everyone who came out to cheer on the Hawks this weekend! Congratulations to everyone on another successful Fall season!