Season Opener

Rockford Rowing demonstrated its immense strength and depth at the annual Spring Sprints regatta on Saturday, March 25th.

This indoor racing event, hosted by Forest Hills Central Central, featured the start of the Spring racing season for many local crews; Forest Hills Northern, Forest Hills Central, Forest Hills Eastern, Spring Lake, Northview, Lowell, East Grand Rapids, and Rockford.

Ready to showcase all their hard work and dedication during the winter training season, the Rams fought hard, beating out several crews leading to a second-place finish in overall team points.

Stand-out performances included those from Team Captain and Senior Lucas Orlebeke, with a second-place finish in the men’s lightweight category 2000m race (6:59.4), and Coxswain Kaelyn Peterson, who took first place in the 500m race (1:56.6).

Ultimately, eleven Rockford athletes walked away with personal bests’, and nine were within one second of earning new bests.

Rockford Rowing Head Coach Sam Doletzky had this to say about the team’s performance: “Overall, I think we had a great showing, we have a young team that is smaller than in previous years, and despite that, we managed to keep up with the top competitors in our area. I think we are in for an incredibly bright future, and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish! 

The Rams will use this momentum to prepare for their first race back on the water against East Grand Rapids and Culver Academies on Saturday, April 15th.