The club had a fantastic turnout at this year’s sprint regattas in Northern Virginia with twenty-one–yes, 21!–athletes participating.
RRC rowers braved traffic, early wake-up calls, heat, humidity, and two soaking thunderstorms to compete in 1x, 2x, and 4x events, all at 1000m. (We also fielded two composite boats with Carolina Masters Rowing for Masters Women’s 8+ events!) When all was said and done, more than a few from our team had won their races, bringing shiny gold medals back to Lake Wheeler:
- At the Robert E. Day Capital Sprints, held Saturday, July 8th, on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC, Shawn Stephenson won in both the Open Men’s 1x and Masters Men’s 1x categories. Anastasia Koptieva and Brett Sturm won in the Masters Mixed 2x category.
- At the Occoquan Memorial Sprints, held Sunday, July 9th, on the Occoquan River in Fairfax Station, VA, Shawn Stephenson won in the Open Men’s 1x and Open Lightweight Men’s 1x categories. Jennifer Tamburro won in the Masters Women’s 1x category, while Mollie Gaines, Morgan Hoos, Andrea McGovern, and Erin Winger won in the Open Women’s 4x category.
Congratulations to everyone who raced, and a special thanks to Dan Tamburro, who drove our trailer to and from Virginia, and Justin Davis, RRC’s chief regatta organizer and master of ceremonies. Hours of planning and behind-the-scenes effort went into pulling off these events for our large and enthusiastic crew. Simply put, we couldn’t have rowed without you!
Way to go Raleigh!