On Sunday, September the 29th both the Jr. A and Jr. B rowers traveled to Deep Cove for their first regatta. At 5:45 in the morning all the rowers shuffled onto the bus for a cold and dreary day of competition.

When the bus arrived at around 7 am, the boys quickly unloaded their bags and started to unload the trailer they had packed the night before.The team brought along four quads and three eights, along with numerous boats for TBRC (Thunderbird Rowing Club). Once the boats were all unloaded and onto stretchers, the boys preceded to rig their respective boats. Because of the rain and the fact that they were rigging on a sloped hill, quite a few members of the team were slipping and sliding as they worked vigorously to get their boat ready for their race.

Initially, the race was supposed to consist of a six kilometer as well as a five hundred meter sprint. However, due to strong wind warnings, the sprint was cancelled. This regatta was special because the course involved going around a small island at around the three kilometer mark. As well, it was a head race, meaning one boat starts at a time with others following after at a set amount of time in between.

At 8:30 the first fleet of boats launched and proceeded to the start line. In this race, our three eights competed and finished in second, third, and fourth. In the second fleet of boats, our four quads competed and the fastest of our quads achieved an outstanding second place beating many rowers above their age. The rest of the saint’s quads finished shortly behind. After the races, the athletes were rewarded with endless bagels, mars bars, cliff bars, chocolate milk, and jars and jars of Nutella.

Although the weather could not have been any worse, the support of the coaches and each other helped the rowers push through the day and start their season on a good note. We hope to continue to see fantastic results from this team with great potential! Their next regatta is on sunday, next week, at the Head of the Fraser Fours.