Whirlwind of Windermere

12 May 2015Aidan W, Ellis ‘17 & Peter L, Whittall ‘17 Photo by Mr. Shem Fitzgerald

It’s very hard to describe the feeling of butterflies, and few can perform in front of thousands yet remain unaffected by these demons of the mind. Opening Day Regatta in Seattle, more commonly known as the Windermere Cup, attracts the largest rowing audience in the United States. On a good day, up to 80,000 people could be lining the racecourse, driving the rowers towards the finish line. Somewhat reluctantly, the Senior Women’s Eight and the Junior Boy’s Quad dragged their weary bodies from their beds last Friday, and boarded the bus that would take them to Seattle, and to the Windermere Cup. After a sleepy drive to the ferry terminal, the bus rolled onto the mainland, and crossed the border into the United States. Having completed three excruciatingly uncomfortable hours on our cramped bus, we arrived in Seattle and were given our first glance of the racecourse. Hundreds of yachts lined the course, creating a seemingly never-ending channel for us to power our boats down. Taking to the water, we were intimidated by the prospect of so many people on the yachts watching us race, yet also amazed at the beauty of the course. The Montlake Cut was painted with graffiti and motivational statements, giving the course a very urban feel. With our first practice complete, we were given a tour of the University of Washington’s astoundingly well-endowed boathouse. We saw some of the history of rowing and were given a chance to look at the “Husky Clipper”, the boat that won the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. History lesson over, we headed to the hotel and settled in a bit. Our plans to go downtown were somewhat scuttled by May Day demonstrations, so we were released into the wondrous haven known as Northgate Mall. The team rejoiced at the opportunity for some shopping and dinner at a local restaurant, where much to our amusement, Max V, Rogers ’17, expressed his disappointment at the lack of “gains” in his meal. Soon, however, the effects of travelling had us back at the hotel, getting ready for bed and the big day of racing that was to follow. The sun rose over yet another beautiful day in the city of Seattle as the coxies and coaches meeting wrapped up. Soon after, the first crews put their boats in the water and began their warm up. Race plans were finalized and memorized, boats were checked over, and oars were on the dock and ready to go, just as the rowers were. As the Junior Boys Quad and the Senior Girls Eight launched, all the coaches could offer from this point was a handshake and an au revoir of “good luck”. Their work was done. Now it was our turn. The number of crews in the warm up area was, to say the least, intimidating. University eights powered past us, and we were forced to keep our heads in the boat, focus on our own race, and ignore the cheers that rose from the crowd like thunder from a distant storm as race after race flew by. By the time it was the Juniors Boys Quad’s turn to take our place in the start gates, our butterflies were ready to burst from our chests. The flag dropped and the water lit up as the four quads tore down Union Bay towards the Montlake Cut. Our oars sliced through the water less than six feet from the line of yachts: every single one was packed with spectators cheering and blasting music. We had to muster up all of our focus in order to keep our rhythm and technique. After a messy start we were half a length down on Olympia Area Rowing but after five hundred metres we had closed the gap and were sitting even with both Olympia and Seattle Rowing Centre. By the time we entered the mayhem of the Montlake Cut, we had passed both Seattle and Olympia, leaving us a length behind the leaders, Vashon Rowing. Coming into the last two hundred and fifty meters we began gaining on them, coming to within six feet of first place, but their superior experience and technique held us off as we crossed the line in second. Nevertheless, we were overjoyed with our result, being a junior crew racing in the senior category. Less than thirty seconds after we crossed the finish line, the Senior Girls Eight had torn off the start line and was making their way down the course. After a solid start, the boat leapt as the girls began their long battle with Everett Rowing. Both crews were even for the first five hundred metres, before Everett slowly started to pull ahead. The fight for fourth place reached desperation as the two crews passed the thousand metre mark, where the Brentwood girls really put the hammer down, and began gaining on Everett. As the crews entered the Montlake Cut, they sat stride for stride, stroke for stroke. Another big push by Brentwood put them two seconds in front, as they flew under the Montlake Bridge, the two hundred and fifty metre mark. The girls were not fazed by the pain in their legs as they gave it all they could, and finished five seconds in front of Everett. After a picnic of soggy protein bars and juice boxes in the middle of Lake Washington while waiting for the rest of the races to finish, we were given a chance to row side by side with some of the best crews in North America and the world, as we joined in the parade down the course. In true American spirit, four military helicopters flew along the course only five hundred feet above the glistening water, giving the crews an epic send off. To our disappointment, no more time in Seattle could be spared if we were to catch the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, and so, after quickly de-rigging our boats and loading the trailer, we boarded the bus to head for home. Spirits were high, everyone was happy with their results and relishing the thought of a long drive home, for the opportunity to catch some sleep. By the time we reached Vancouver, it felt as if we had been on this trip for weeks, with many of us reminiscing about “the first day” which was in fact, only the previous day. On the ferry, our fatigue got the better of some of us, with Lion T, Privett ’17 demonstrating his amazing ability to build a bed and sleep almost anywhere. By the time the bus slipped through the school gates, the high output weekend caught up with the team, leaving us lethargic and ready for bed. We would all like to thank Mr. Carr, Mrs. Sage, and Mr. Fitzgerald for giving us the opportunity to race at such an incredible regatta. A special shout out to our bus driver, Ernie, for putting up with us this weekend.. The Crews were: Senior Womens Eight: Emily L, Mack ‘16 (Cox), Sydney P, Alex ‘15 (Stroke), Josie S, Alex ‘16, Kate L, Allard ‘17, Gwyn Z, Alex ‘15, Beth B, Hope ‘16, Renee L, Hope ‘16, Sarah C, Alex ‘15, Sophia A, Hope ‘16 (Bow) and Junior Mens Quad: Aidan A, Whittall ‘18 (Cox), Lion T, Privett ‘17 (Stroke), Max V, Rogers ‘17, Peter L, Whittall ‘17, Aidan W, Ellis ‘17 (Bow). Aidan W, Ellis ‘17 & Peter L, Whittall ‘17 Photo by Mr. Shem Fitzgerald

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