It was a typical Brentwood Regatta in every way. There were early mornings, long weather delays, and incredibly competitive races. Shawnigan’s crews got off to a rough start, as Friday’s racing saw many of our boats just missing out on qualifying for the finals. The athletes rowed well, and were close in many instances, but came up short. The frustration with our results spilled into Saturday morning, as all of our 8s ended up missing out on finals, despite showing plenty of speed and competing very well. The coaches and crews went home fairly disappointed after a 6-hour wind delay, but ready to try again on Sunday.

Anna K. started the momentum on Sunday with an impressive 3rd place finish in the Junior A single race, even though she is Junior B age. The excitement of her bronze medal spread throughout our athletes. Next up, the Junior Boys coxed four gave it everything, winning their heat. Because it was a timed final, we anxiously waited to see the time of the winning crew in the other heat. Our boys won by 0.1 of a second: a gold medal! The Junior Girls coxed four then came down the course winning their heat, only to be passed at the finish line, coming second by 0.2 of a second. They were the top placing school in the entire event! The Senior Boys coxed four then duplicated what the juniors had done, and won their heat and their event: a second gold medal! The senior girls completed the successful morning by winning their heat, and being the fastest school in the event.

All four of our competitive programs had great success on Sunday, and did it in true Shawnigan fashion. In the face of disappointment, our athletes rose to the challenge and ended the weekend off on a very encouraging note. Every Shwanigan student who raced at this regatta showed pride in wearing the black and gold. I know their coaches, parents, supporters, and fans are very proud of what they accomplished.