Dueling Over a Grand 1

11 April 2013Jim Ganley

Last Saturday, the Brentwood rowing team braved the somewhat blustery and chilly waters of Elk Lake in Victoria to participate in the first regatta of the spring term: Dueling Over a Grand. The regatta is named for the $1000 prize for the winner of the open single, who must progress, as with the other categories, through rounds of ‘duels’: two boats battling it out over a thousand metre course. Each boat is allowed only two losses over the course of the weekend. The third loss means elimination. The races were mainly small boats: singles, doubles and quads, with the larger boats saved for longer races in the coming regattas.

An early morning coupled with a cold wind greeted the rowers as they unloaded and rigged boats in preparation for a day’s racing. Raincoats and rain boots were the attire of the day, with sprinklings of rain and wind interrupting the racing. As conditions gradually worsened throughout the day, there were delays, and the course was moved. The Brentwood rowers awaited the verdict huddled in the somewhat warmer regions of the school bus. Their resilience was rewarded with many successes on rough water. Despite the difficult conditions, the Senior Girls 4x won all three of their races to progress to the finals on the next day, Rebekah P in the Junior A 1x advanced to the semi-final. The BCS Masters 4x, led by two of our coaches, Mr. Backer and Mr. Vermegen, made the semi-final, and there were many successful races on the boys’ side.

Sunday dawned under similarly grey skies, and yet another early morning, as the rowers piled onto the bus, forgoing their Sunday sleep in favour of another day of racing. The conditions on the water, thankfully, had improved, and continued to improve throughout the morning. Racing continued, with many wins, and of course, some losses, ending the day for some, who relaxed back on the bus until boat rigging and trailer loading could take place.

The afternoon progressed with more wet conditions: rain, wind and in the later parts of the afternoon, hail! Nevertheless, the rowers donned extra layers and braved the water, with the Senior Girls 4x emerging triumphantly as the winners of their category, Rebekah P 3rd in her race, and the BCS masters victorious in their category. After the boats were loaded onto the trailer, the rowers boarded the bus after a long but rewarding weekend for the trip back to the school for food, sleep and a long hot shower!

With the first regatta a great success, the rowing club is looking forward to a great racing season, including the Brentwood Regatta in late April and ending with the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Championships in St. Catharines, Ontario in early June.

Joanna L, Alex 14

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