The 51st Annual Brentwood International Regatta was held at Brentwood College School this past weekend and the event went off without a hitch, under sunny skies and with generally calm water, despite a bit of wind.
“I thought the regatta was a huge success,” said BCS head of rowing David Calder. “I checked in with all of the visiting clubs as they were packing up, and they all were happy they came. The wind is a factor every year, and we manage it as best we can. But the overall festival atmosphere was well regarded by all.”
Brentwood was the top high school in the overall aggregate results, finishing second behind Seattle club team, and occasional training partner of the host team, Green Lake.
BCS had 20 crews in races at the event, and the athletes didn’t disappoint the home crowd, coming away with medals in 12 races.
BCS rowers took gold in the U19 novice women’s 8+, and silver in U19 women’s 8+, U19 men’s 2-, U17 Men’s 8+, U17 men’s 4+, U17 women’s 1x, and U19 novice men’s 8+. BCS crews earned bronze in the U19 men’s JV 4x, U19 men’s 8+, U19 men’s 4x, U19 novice men’s 4x+, and U19 men’s 2-.
“We were very pleased,” Calder said of BCS’s performances. “It was great to see the school back in the medals in many of the 8+ categories. It was also great to see some standout performances by a few of our small boats. We will race at the Shawnigan Lake Regatta before we race at the National Championships, and really try to prepare ourselves as best we can.”
Shawnigan Lake School, whose own regatta is slated for May 12-14, was the fifth best school team, finishing 11th overall while Maple Bay Rowing Club was 17th.
“We are very happy with the results,” said Shawnigan Lake School’s head of rowing, Paul Hawksworth. “Our students raced hard and learned a lot about racing.”
Kieran Fitzpatrick stood out for Shawnigan with a bronze medal in the U19 72kg Men’s 1x.
Fresh off hosting their own event, Maple Bay Rowing Club proved that small clubs, too, can make waves.
“I was really proud of all the MBRC athletes this weekend,” said MBRC junior program coach Andrew Rae. “There were some really great moments from our club over the weekend. Perhaps my proudest moment of the weekend was launching and racing my first ever 8+ crew in my time coaching at Maple Bay. This is a massive milestone for our club, as it signifies a growth in athletes and participation at the club.
Rae said 8+ racing in rowing is one of the most desired boat classes, and often one of the most competitive.
“I was truly proud of our club, and the eight girls who rowed in that boat this weekend,” he said. “We saw some positive results all around, as we continue to build and grow this year. We may be a small club, but the athletes within it can go oar-to-oar with some of the biggest and best clubs not just in B.C., but in North America.”
