Heats Day and Quotes Galore

1 June 2013Mr. Brian Carr, Coach of the Boys Varsity 8+

Since we arrived in St. Catharines on Tuesday, the dominant wind has come from the southwest, which means that it is coming right down the course from start to finish. This morning was no different. Ten out of our 15 crews had to race in heats today to qualify for the semifinals tomorrow and we qualified eight. This brings Brentwood’s total to 13 crews and all 41 athletes competing on Saturday. "With the 20 KM/h plus winds pushing us down the course we were moving fast. The waves made it hard to get my oar in and out of the water as they crashed over the side of our boat." Joel B, Senior Men’s 4+ The Senior Men’s four was hit with some bad news on Thursday. Luke B tweaked his back last week and did not want to jeopardize the crew’s chances of competing at the highest level. He pulled himself from the 4+ to focus on the 8+. Joel B switched sides and jumped in for the heat. The crew managed to place 2nd and had the sixth fastest time in the event. “It wasn’t pretty, but we got ‘er done” said Joel C, stroke of the Sr Men’s 72 kg 4+. The Sr 72 kg 4+ qualified with the fourth fastest next time and are looking forward to the semis tomorrow. "It felt cohesive, the preparation we put into the race allowed us the confidence to perform under pressure of a national regatta." The Senior Women’s 8+. One of the most impressive rows of the day came from our Senior Women’s 8+. Yes, the current was on and the wind was in every crew’s favour, but this 8+ still posted an unofficial “best time” in the history of women’s rowing at Brentwood! (6:43.73) "We were pleased to qualify third overall despite the nerves of the first race and the choppy water. We know that our racing this weekend as a crew can only get better" – Senior Women’s Quad. Our women’s quad were racing against the top quad from Ontario in their heat and pushed them down the course to place second and qualify with the fastest “next time.” Despite only training together for a month, today really showed how far we’ve come – Kelsey S, Sr. Women’s 4+. The Senior Women’s 4+ had a great deal to prove today and that they did. They were in a tough heat; however, this made them fight the entire way down the course and qualify with the sixth fastest “next fastest time.” “A great start put us out in front at the beginning of our race but we ended up in a close third place near the end. Even though we had a decent push for the end, we finished third and are excited to compete in the semis tomorrow.” Harrison B & Sloan S, 72 kg 2x. In their first race together, the double was in a great position for the first 1250 m and then hit a rough patch of water and placed third in their heat; however, they were fast enough to qualify for the semi. "It was just beautiful. It was my first single race and 5th time rowing a single. The water was choppy, and I caught three crabs. But hey, I finished the race without flipping! It was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life, but I’m glad I did it." Hye Young R, Sr 63 kg 1x. Over the midterm break, Rebekah P had an unfortunate accident and broke her foot. We brought Hye Young on board to row in the 63 kg 4+ and the 63kg 1x. We are really proud of her as she proved that “grit and joy” are alive and well! “We flew – the others withdrew.” Scott W & Anton S. Our two novice scullers took the task of racing in the double to heart and made it their event! They finished 4th in their heat and had the 10th fastest next best time. This was two places too many to qualify for the semi final. I think we might see these two again in this category next year. At the time of the press release, we were unable to get a quote from our Senior Men’s 2x and Junior Men’s 4+. It is going to be a great day for Brentwood tomorrow! I would like to thank our Ontario moms for organizing coolers full of water and Gatorade and a table full of food for the kids. There are a number of photos from the trip at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brentwood-College-School-Rowing/341972009175959?ref=hl Please continue to follow our progress on our Twitter feed, bcsrowing Good luck to our 13 crews tomorrow. More Grit and Joy to follow! Mr. Brian Carr, Coach of the Boys Varsity 8+

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