Tempe Junior Crew rows in Canada
Tempe Junior Crew first attended the Brentwood Regatta in April of 2004. The team brought up two 4+ crews, neither of which made it out of the heats. Last year, TJC rowers earned their first medal at Brentwood when Jordan Bonadio and Sydney Sutton-Liswith earned silver in the WJV2X. I don’t think anyone could have guessed what would occur the very next year.
The team arrived in Mill Bay mid-afternoon on Thursday and the coaches arrived with the trailer shortly after. Rowers and coaches agreed that the rigging could wait until morning and that the team would probably be best served by getting some well-needed rest and relaxation before the heats started, less than twenty-four hours later. While the weather seemed nice that evening, we all went to bed anxious about what tomorrow would bring. Mill Bay is notorious for mid-day winds in the spring brought on by the thermal layer warming in the bright sun of late morning and early afternoon. Additionally, there was a weather front looming off the coast just waiting for the right conditions to allow it to come ashore and prey upon young scullers.
Friday morning went as scheduled. Boats were rigged while the coaches handled the final registration processes. Updated schedules were reviewed with anticipation, as we all tried to guess which of our competitors would be fast this year. As early evening approached the heats began.
The MN8+ (Rob March, Matt Holmes, Kyle Nilsen, Lane Kelly, Ryan Hemelt, Chris Burghart, Jonathan Charlton, Briggs Hoyt and Lance Moyer): The crew had been rowing well and was hoping to build on the momentum from their outstanding performance the week before at Long Beach. Looking at the heat sheet it was clear that the crew didn’t have a cakewalk ahead of them. In fact, they faced some of the toughest competition in the region. The guys needed a top three finish in order to qualify to move on to the final. By the end of the race the boys held on to second place edging out Everett by a little more than a second. The final saw TJC in a true “David and Goliath” scenario. However, in the final 500 meters the crew showed no sign of slowing as they held off the crew from Rose City to win the SILVER medal.
The W1X (Chris Erhart): After a fairly relaxed heat, in which she placed second to secure her spot in the final, Chris new she faced some of the fastest scullers in north America, including Cara Linnenkohl from Lake Union Crew that stroked the US Women’s pair at World Championships last year. In the end Chris was mere seconds behind Cara and took home the Silver.
The WJV2X (Meghan Farrell/Sophie Heywood): The heat sent shockwaves of fear down the spines of every sculler making it to the final in this event. Farrell and Heywood had a very commanding lead through the entire race and were rowing four to six beats lower than any crew out there. The duo easily won the heat, finishing almost fifteen seconds ahead of the second place crew. The final proved to be more of the same as Farrell and Heywood blazed down the course holding the first place slot the entire time. This is the first GOLD medal ever earned by TJC at the prestigious Brentwood International Regatta.
The WB2X (Jesse Burns/Sophie Heywood): Burns and Heywood rowed a very relaxed and smart heat. They comfortably held the second place slot throughout and earned a berth in the final. Immediately after winning gold in the WJV2X Heywood hot-seated into the WB2X. It was clear that Sophie was ready to throw down the hammer again and give everything she could for her partner Jesse. The final was a photo finish for the gold between Lake Union Crew and TJC. In the end, Burns and Heywood’s time of 6:04.12 came up just shy of LUC’s 6:03.92. This was by far one of the most exciting races of the entire regatta.
The M2X (Stephen Wainwright/Richard Milne): The heat was raced at a fairly hard pace, but it was worth it in order for the guys to guarantee their place in final. The first place finish in the heat put Milne and Wainwright in one of the best lanes for the final. In the final the crew from TJC battled for medal position all the way down the course. In the final three hundred meters it was clear that Gorge had the first place position, but the fight for silver became fierce in the final two fifty. In the end it was another photo finish for TJC as Wainwright and Milne earned the BRONZE a mere second behind Lake Oswego.
The W2X (Chris Erhart/Sydney Sutton-Liswith): The duo rowed a smart heat, keeping a relaxed pace and applying just enough pressure to keep their competition off of their stern where they could keep an eye on them. After winning the heat quite handily the girls faced a very strong field in the final. In the end Erhart and Sutton-Liswith earned the SILVER medal placing about one length behind the crew from Lake Union.
This regatta was one of the best by far on record for TJC. In the end, 16 rowers earned 18 medals. Every rower that attended earned a medal. While there is no efficiency trophy awarded, it has been confirmed that TJC earned the average most points per entry of any of the teams in attendance. I am most impressed with the range that the team showed this past weekend. Not only did the crews race well in both sculling and sweep in boats from 1Xs all the way to 8+s, but they did it at the Varsity, JV and B level! Congratulations to all of you and thank you for making this trip a historic one for TJC!
Next up - AZ State Championships!
The team arrived in Mill Bay mid-afternoon on Thursday and the coaches arrived with the trailer shortly after. Rowers and coaches agreed that the rigging could wait until morning and that the team would probably be best served by getting some well-needed rest and relaxation before the heats started, less than twenty-four hours later. While the weather seemed nice that evening, we all went to bed anxious about what tomorrow would bring. Mill Bay is notorious for mid-day winds in the spring brought on by the thermal layer warming in the bright sun of late morning and early afternoon. Additionally, there was a weather front looming off the coast just waiting for the right conditions to allow it to come ashore and prey upon young scullers.
Friday morning went as scheduled. Boats were rigged while the coaches handled the final registration processes. Updated schedules were reviewed with anticipation, as we all tried to guess which of our competitors would be fast this year. As early evening approached the heats began.
The MN8+ (Rob March, Matt Holmes, Kyle Nilsen, Lane Kelly, Ryan Hemelt, Chris Burghart, Jonathan Charlton, Briggs Hoyt and Lance Moyer): The crew had been rowing well and was hoping to build on the momentum from their outstanding performance the week before at Long Beach. Looking at the heat sheet it was clear that the crew didn’t have a cakewalk ahead of them. In fact, they faced some of the toughest competition in the region. The guys needed a top three finish in order to qualify to move on to the final. By the end of the race the boys held on to second place edging out Everett by a little more than a second. The final saw TJC in a true “David and Goliath” scenario. However, in the final 500 meters the crew showed no sign of slowing as they held off the crew from Rose City to win the SILVER medal.
The W1X (Chris Erhart): After a fairly relaxed heat, in which she placed second to secure her spot in the final, Chris new she faced some of the fastest scullers in north America, including Cara Linnenkohl from Lake Union Crew that stroked the US Women’s pair at World Championships last year. In the end Chris was mere seconds behind Cara and took home the Silver.
The WJV2X (Meghan Farrell/Sophie Heywood): The heat sent shockwaves of fear down the spines of every sculler making it to the final in this event. Farrell and Heywood had a very commanding lead through the entire race and were rowing four to six beats lower than any crew out there. The duo easily won the heat, finishing almost fifteen seconds ahead of the second place crew. The final proved to be more of the same as Farrell and Heywood blazed down the course holding the first place slot the entire time. This is the first GOLD medal ever earned by TJC at the prestigious Brentwood International Regatta.
The WB2X (Jesse Burns/Sophie Heywood): Burns and Heywood rowed a very relaxed and smart heat. They comfortably held the second place slot throughout and earned a berth in the final. Immediately after winning gold in the WJV2X Heywood hot-seated into the WB2X. It was clear that Sophie was ready to throw down the hammer again and give everything she could for her partner Jesse. The final was a photo finish for the gold between Lake Union Crew and TJC. In the end, Burns and Heywood’s time of 6:04.12 came up just shy of LUC’s 6:03.92. This was by far one of the most exciting races of the entire regatta.
The M2X (Stephen Wainwright/Richard Milne): The heat was raced at a fairly hard pace, but it was worth it in order for the guys to guarantee their place in final. The first place finish in the heat put Milne and Wainwright in one of the best lanes for the final. In the final the crew from TJC battled for medal position all the way down the course. In the final three hundred meters it was clear that Gorge had the first place position, but the fight for silver became fierce in the final two fifty. In the end it was another photo finish for TJC as Wainwright and Milne earned the BRONZE a mere second behind Lake Oswego.
The W2X (Chris Erhart/Sydney Sutton-Liswith): The duo rowed a smart heat, keeping a relaxed pace and applying just enough pressure to keep their competition off of their stern where they could keep an eye on them. After winning the heat quite handily the girls faced a very strong field in the final. In the end Erhart and Sutton-Liswith earned the SILVER medal placing about one length behind the crew from Lake Union.
This regatta was one of the best by far on record for TJC. In the end, 16 rowers earned 18 medals. Every rower that attended earned a medal. While there is no efficiency trophy awarded, it has been confirmed that TJC earned the average most points per entry of any of the teams in attendance. I am most impressed with the range that the team showed this past weekend. Not only did the crews race well in both sculling and sweep in boats from 1Xs all the way to 8+s, but they did it at the Varsity, JV and B level! Congratulations to all of you and thank you for making this trip a historic one for TJC!
Next up - AZ State Championships!
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