This year Raleigh Rowing Center had a busy and successful fall head race season. Athletes from our club trained hard and traveled long distances to compete in three different head race regattas, racing 5000m events in 1x, 2x, and 4x categories.
At the High Point Autumn Rowing Festival, held Sunday, October 8th, on Oak Hollow Lake in High Point, NC, we had a record number of members participating. This was the first regatta for several folks, and everyone did a great job despite cold, blustery conditions! RRC finished with medals in these events:
Open Gender 1x – 1st place – Andie Whelan
Women’s Masters 1x – 2nd place – Jennifer Tamburro
Men’s Masters 4x – 3rd place – Shawn Stephenson, Brayden Quinn, Justin Davis, and Adam Helms
Women’s Masters 4x – 2nd place – Sue Ellen Stiegler, Jennifer Tamburro, Denise Babineau, Michele Patterson McCabe (beating our friendly rivals from neighboring CHAOS!)
Mixed Masters 2x – 3rd place – Shawn Stephenson and Anastasia Koptieva
Ten members traveled to the Head of the Hooch, held Saturday and Sunday, November 4th and 5th, on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, TN. The Hooch is the 2nd-largest regatta in the country with over 2,000 entries! The logistics of such a large event were truly impressive. Shawn Stephenson won the Men’s Masters Lightweight 1x category, while the remainder of the club’s nine participating athletes represented Raleigh with some fast times against stiff national competition.
At the Head of the South, held Saturday, November 11th, on the Savannah River in Augusta, GA, Andie Whelan, Jennifer Tamburro, and Dan Tamburro braved chilly temperatures and rain for their events, but still rowed hard and had a good time.
Open Gender 1x – 1st place – Andie Whelan
Men’s Masters 1x – 3rd place – Dan Tamburro
Women’s Masters 1x – 2nd place – Jennifer Tamburro
Congratulations to all who raced, and a special thanks to Justin Davis, RRC’s chief regatta organizer and facilitator, as well as to Elizabeth Wright and Deanna Smith, who attended the Head of the Hooch and were indispensable help in the handling of oars and shoes.
Way to go Raleigh!