Brentwood Boys Take Podium at Regatta

1 May 2015Peter L, Whittall ‘17 & Aidan W, Ellis ‘17; Photo by Cristina T, Hope '15

The sun was yet to rise as the rowers took to the water in what would be the final morning practice before the largest high school hosted regatta in North America was to begin. Countless hours on the water, the cold biting at any exposed skin and the time spent blasting our legs with lactic acid was due to pay off. Trailers began arriving early on Thursday morning, and by the end of the day, Gillespie Field was a scene of organized chaos, with trailers stacked with boats and hundreds of rowers, parents, and coaches running around. After three blocks of restless class on Friday morning, the Regatta finally kicked off with the Junior A Men’s Quad of Elliot R, Rogers ‘15, Alex R, Privett ‘16, Liam B, Rogers ‘16 and Louis B, Rogers ‘16, starting the day off, winning their heat and putting down a solid qualifying time for finals. The Junior Boys Eight, impressed by the seniors’ dominance, blasted out of the starting gates and set the fastest qualifying time ahead of Saint George’s. Finals began early on Saturday morning with the Junior A Quad roaring down the course, missing out on a Gold medal by less than two feet, but earning a very respectable Silver. The Junior Boys Eight, unnerved by a quick start from Saint George’s also earned themselves a Silver medal, with the two crews setting themselves apart from the rest of the field early in the race. The Junior Boys Quad took to the water soon after, looking to assert their performance in heats the previous day, where they set the fastest qualifying time. Even with the conditions being less than ideal at the start line, the quad flew out of the gates, gaining half a length on Victoria City Rowing Club in the first twenty strokes of the race. This blistering start set the scene for the rest of the race, with Lion T, Privett ‘17, Max V, Rogers ‘17, Peter L, Whittall ‘17, Aidan W, Ellis ‘17 and coxswain Aidan A, Whittall ‘17 earning the first Gold medal for Brentwood in the 2015 Regatta. Brentwood’s 3V Eight also took to the podium, ousting Sammamish Rowing Association and taking Gold by seven seconds. After coxswain Tom W, Ellis ‘16 had been tossed into the water, the Junior Boys Double of Lion and Aidan set the water alight and dominated their final, passing the line with a full length of open water over VCRC, and earning Brentwood its final Gold medal of the regatta. This last win pushed Brentwood ahead of its competitors in the Junior Boys points tally leaving Brentwood in first with 213 points, followed by Saint George’s with 194 points. Despite having never rowed together, the newly assembled Junior Boys Four took silver, after being edged out by the powerhouse of the Saint George’s Heavy Four. The Senior Boys Double also tasted success, earning a Silver medal, only a few seconds behind the might of Burnaby Lake. In this fifth race of the weekend, Elliot fought a hard battle against VCRC in the Senior Boys Single, and came away with a well deserved Silver Medal. The boys rowing program will next race at the Windermere Cup in Seattle this coming weekend. Peter L, Whittall ‘17 & Aidan W, Ellis ‘17; Photo by Cristina T, Hope ’15

Where Students Choose To Be