Rockford Rowing shows strength against EGR and Culver
The Rockford Crew team traveled to Reeds Lake to compete against cross-town rivals East Grand Rapids and out-of-state competitors Culver Military Academies on Saturday, 4/15.
The first taste of on-the-water action for these crews did not disappoint, and Rockford proved they are a force to be reckoned with along the 1500m course.
The beautiful day of racing began with the Womens 4x, where Rockford edged out opponents for an exciting second-place finish. Next, the Men’s Varsity 8+ rowed strongly for a second-place finish, only missing first by a mere four seconds.
The lady Rams looked clean and powerful in the Women’s Junior 8+ as they came through the finish line. Rockford finished with a commanding lead of 15 seconds beating out two East Grand Rapids boats and one from Culver Academies. Not only did Rockford take first place, but this result also proved to be faster than all entries in the Women’s Varsity 8+.
In the Women’s J4+ and Men’s V4+ categories, Rockford Crew rowed dominant races finishing first in their respective events. In the Women’s 2x event, Rockford swept the competition earning the top three finishes.
Rockford earned additional second place finishes in the Mens J4+ A and Novice 4+ A and finished the day of racing earning third-place finishes in the Mens 2x, Womens V4+, Mens J4+, and Men’s Novice 8+.
Rockford Rowing Head Coach Sam Doletzky believes “this was an incredible showing from our crews for the first race on the water, the program has an extremely bright future this season” following the results of this past weekend.
The crew team will use this momentum as they prepare to travel eastside next weekend to compete at Kensington Metropark in the Huron River Sprints. This regatta hosts 24 exceptional teams that Rockford will face again in the State and Midwest Regional Championships later this season.
To learn more about Rockford Rowing, please visit rockfordrowing.com, or send questions and inquiries via email to contactus@rockfordrowing.com.
Written by Team Captain: Kaden Pett, Junior
