USRowing Masters National Championship Recap  

written by Anne Jane

This year the US Rowing Masters National Championship Regatta was held on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. The lake has a reputation for changeable weather and it did not disappoint. TRRA sent three teams: Evening Mixed Masters, the Masters Men and the Masters Women meaning a very full trailer. Despite an unexpected trip to an Emergency Room for the trailer driver to get stitches, the boats made it safely there. Parking was not available at the main lot so TRRA set up at the Donahue Rowing Center across the Lake. In some ways it diluted the Nationals experience, particularly since we were far from the finish but as the days went by people figured out how to quickly get to the finish and began to appreciate the luxury of the extra space as well as the less frenzied atmosphere.

TRRA MW rowed hard but had some tough breaks - in several heats we missed making it to the finals only to be one of the faster boats overall or the boat was just fractions of a second behind third place. The weather also played its part - on Friday many of the finals were cancelled due to storms and the water continued to be rough the rest of the weekend as storms blew through. Still as the days went on MW began to find our rhythm, started to win some medals and row some fast times! Overall the team brought home a silver in the Open A 4X event, a bronze in a nail-biting final for the Club C 8+ and a bronze on the last day for the Open E 4+ boat.

There were lots of firsts for this regatta - first Nationals, first singles, quads, and doubles and the wining E 4+ boat had never rowed together before. And there were memorable moments,  many punctuated by Alyssa's wild cheering from the sidelines - a great encouragement to pull as hard as you possibly could. This was also the race that Chris Ryan took a bow ball in the back! Someone called it rowing camp and for this first timer it was that and more!

Nationals



Read More...

Diamonds State Masters Regatta 2012 Recap  

written by Anne Jane

Despite the positive tone of last year's post, Diamonds last year was a difficult regatta for TRRA MW - too hot, stressful scheduling, some disappointing results. This year turned dreadful Diamonds into delightful Diamonds. True it was warm and it threatened to storm throughout the day but the schedule was not compressed and we saw both results and times that were encouraging. While we did not have a shady spot for the trailer like last year - there was plenty of room for the team to rest under the trees.

The day started out with a bang when the E-J 8+ not only took first in their heat but had the best time overall wining a trophy along with medals. This success was quickly followed by a first in the AA-C 4X. After a little lull there was another medal for the A 4+. And the day ended with a thrilling first place finish for the AA-B 8+ boat as they pulled hard to move ahead of their competitors at the finish. There were also satisfying  times posted by non-medalling boats as well as some racing firsts for others.  The team had many reasons to celebrate when we gathered for our own awards ceremony just before leaving.

As a side note the Hampton Inn in Elkton, MD was comfortable and the team dinner Woody's Crab House was surprisingly enjoyable. The vegetables were not overcooked, the crab cakes were tasty and the staff was helpful.

Read More...