fbpx

By Emma Buford

After a successful trip to Washington D.C. for the Capital Sprints Regatta, our Row New York varsity team got ready for another week of practice filled with sunshine and fast boats. The Philadelphia Youth Regatta took place on July 20, 2013, and participants included the Row New York Manhattan and Queens varsity as well as Manhattan and Queens middle school boys and girls!

Row New York’s first race of the day was the girls’ novice 4x (quad). Our Row New York Queens girls finished in third place with a time of 4:32.69! This group of four featured Kelly Arango (4), Mariza Dannang (3), Emma Parsons (2), and Bianca Davila (Bow). These girls put a tremendous amount of time in on the water and their work has definitely paid off!

For many of our middle schoolers, this regatta was their first race and an experience, won or lost, that they will never forget. Our Manhattan middle school boys were placed in a tough event in order to gain some additional competition. They performed well and definitely had a one of a kind racing experience! Our Manhattan girls placed fourth in the girls under 14 8+ event and the Queens middle schoolers placed third with a time of 4:29.86 on the 1000 meter course! Coach Harlan, Queens Middle School Program director noted, “The race signified a culmination of so many efforts.  We saw the girls had what it took to stay competitive against other fast programs despite increased wind, a false start, a crab, and the fact that those programs practice more often than we do.  The girls stepped up, came together from beginner and advanced levels, and rowed a good race to finish with a bronze medal. Overall, however, I was most pleased with what the girls had to say in their boat meeting. They explained what they could do better next time, expressed how they thought they did well, and gave shout outs to those who supported them before, during, and after the race. I saw how ready many of these girls are for their novice and advanced middle school year!”

All of these new athletes were confident and eager to race it up and really showed what they have been working on all summer. This very young team has a strong presence, and we are all excited to continue to watch them grow and develop through the program!

Start of Middle School Girls 8+

Row New York’s first Varsity Queens eight of Kelly Arango (8), Nicole Doyle (7), Alina Siminiouk (6), Nicole Grice (5), Emma Parsons (4), Rita Kopczynski (3), Bianca Davila (2), Kassandra Nevarez (Bow) with coxswain Jackie Rodas placed second in the Girls J16 8+ with a time of 8:43.61. Our second Queens varsity eight placed fourth in the same event with a time of 9:13.65. Our Manhattan varsity also performed well! Our girls’ pair placed first with a time of 10:18.95. Our pair was thrilled with their win and finished one minute ahead of their competition! Row New York’s Manhattan girls and boys placed third and fourth in their events respectively. Our Girls J18 4+ placed fifth while facing some tough competition. The girls J16 4+ placed third with a time of 9:29.54 and featured Alina Siminiouk (4), Nicole Grice (3), Anthea Daley (2), and Rita Kopczynski (Bow), Deanna Piedra (coxswain). Row New York’s last event of the day was the 500 meter 8+ dash. This event is pure adrenaline and our Queens 8+ finished with a time of 1:32.99.

As the high school summer session comes to an end, all of our athletes deserve huge congratulations! Practicing early in the morning in the summer heat is not easy, and we admire our athletes for their commitment and positive attitude. Finally, we also have to say goodbye to a brilliant group of summer session seniors! Good luck to them all as they head off to college – they will be missed!

Tags

Related Posts