Wet and Wild in Washington

21 November 2015Caitlin C, Hope ‘17; photo by Brian Carr

On the first day of the Midterm, two varsity eight crews (one girls, one boys) got up before the sun and lugged their bags to the bus (which, much to the excitement of the girls, was brand new) that would take them to Seattle for three days of rowing. The first day was mostly filled with the bus and BC Ferries ride down to Seattle, with the boys varsity crew singing #throwback songs for the majority of the trip.

Once the crews pulled up to the Green Lake boathouse, shells were taken off the trailer, rigged, and then the crews went out for a quick practice with the Green Lake crews. Green Lake’s crews pushed Brentwood to give it their all as they raced the first 200m and the last 500m of the 1km race that Green Lake, Brentwood, and surrounding Seattle crews would cover in the following days. The Brentwood crews then got back onto the bus, checked into the hotel, and promptly enjoyed some shopping and mouth-watering dining at the NorthGate Mall across the street. The crews hit the hay early, ready for an early morning at their first regatta of the trip, the aptly named “Frostbite Regatta”.

That next morning (Saturday) the girls raced, with what felt like frostbitten toes, in the Varsity Quad and placed 3rd out of seven boats. Later that same morning, the girls raced in the Varsity 8+ and placed 3rd against two very strong crews from Green Lake and Vashon and, according to Ms. Debbie Sage, “The girls achieved the time challenge that was set for them.”

Much like the girls, the boys had a successful day as well placing second to Green Lake by 0.3 seconds (3 feet) in the Varsity 8+ race. After a freezing morning, the Brentwood crews headed back to the hotel where they bundled up from a night of football, biting cold, and the rain that seems ever-present in Seattle.

The crews were filled with excitement as the bus pulled up to the University of Washington Stadium, home to the Huskies and Harry the Husky. The coaches were able to fight off the cold through an amazing marching band show, and the flood of points by the University of Utah, until halftime when they, with the relieved agreement of the crews, headed back to the hotel where we could watch the rest of the game from the cozy warmth of our beds.

A special thanks to our bus driver and Warren who convinced the parking guys that we were a cheerleading bus from Canada so that we got free parking! Sadly, the Huskies lost 23-34 but it was an amazing (if drenched) experience.

That next morning the crews were up for yet another Regatta, this time a 5 km head race with brutal turns that could pose as a challenge for the coxies. The girls were racing in a very large (27 boats) event against a strong field of Junior Varsity 8’s. The girls went into the race with the goal of finishing in the top half of the field, but came up short on that outcome.

The boys had slightly more success than the girls, finishing fifth in the Jr A 8+. Oakland Strokes placed all three crews (1st, 2nd, 4th) ahead of them while Pocock was the only Pacific Northwest crew to beat them. Aidan W, Ellis ‘17 placed 3rd in the Jr A single behind, as Mr. Carr said, “two monsters from the United States”.
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Exhausted but satisfied, the crews packed up their stuff and headed their separate ways for the rest of the Midterm Break. Mrs. Sage was happy with the girls’ efforts and achievements: “The 10 girls who participated in the two Seattle regattas represented Brentwood strongly and had great results. The girls raced hard and came away with some great race experience. It was a weekend filled with good learning experiences and a wonderful way to finish off the fall competitive season.”

We’re sure Mr. Carr is proud of the boys as well for going up against those monster Americans.

Caitlin C, Hope ‘17