League Race #5 - Deep Water Dash (April 18)

Streaking back over the pass, chasing the trailer, trophy in hand.
Retracing the miles we’d come half a day earlier – carful of sleep then – through the dark and the wisps of Tule fog, meeting the softly rising sun as we descended from Altamont into the Great Central Valley. Now, after hours of competition, frustrating losses and glorious wins, rigging and de-rigging, carrying shells to and from the dock; of coaches’ pep talks and what-you’ve-got-to-do-betters; a day spent toasting under the sun and chilling in the shade of the freeway overpass; finally, the burst of emotion following the announcement of the regatta’s winner. Flying home, clutching that cup, five of Berkeley’s finest – BHS CREW – raising high the roof beams of the van, iPod blasting over the speakers: Gnarls Barkley, Maybe I’m crazy…

Berkeley High Crew retained its claim to the Deep Water Dash trophy on April 18, edging out the River City Rowing Club for this year’s team honors. The Dash, hosted with great hospitality by Pacific Rowing Club, brought together some of the area’s smaller clubs – RCRC, Deep Water (the Pacific Rowing Club’s junior program), Jack London Aquatic Center, and even a boat from the recreational Stockton Rowing Club – along with Berkeley High School. Sunday’s event, held at the beautifully renovated Morelli Park along Stockton’s deep water channel, was part of a three event regatta series – on Saturday, competition featured local colleges and Masters programs – designed to bring crew to the attention of the public.

Berkeley High Crew started strong. The women’s lightweight 8+ won the day’s first race, with rowers Hannah McLester, Yael Levin, Emma Goodfield, Acacia “K9” Masri, Neha Seelam, Delia Werner Bills, Ava Miller-Lewis and Paisley Sato and cox Hannah Lukanuski powering to victory by nearly a minute. The women’s frosh 4+ pulled even stronger; coxed by Ari Levitch, rowers Ruby Moore-Bloom, Cassidy Villeneuve, Madi Hibbs and El Holland turned in a sub-8:00 effort, en route to a 40-second win.

For the next hour, Berkeley boats were bettered by those of the River City Rowing Club (RCRC) and Jack London Aquatic Center (JLAC). Then, Felix Meier and Jason Bowers sculled the men’s lightweight double (2X-) to victory, besting RCRC by less than three seconds. After a strong victory by Deep Water’s women’s 2X, the BHS Crew roared back. The men’s novice 8+ – Marcel Ramos, Kevin Meador, Zach Berg, Sam Marston, Maceo Martinez, Will Morris and Morgan Clark, coxed by Kieran Nageotte – won by forty seconds. So did the men’s pair (2-), Zander Morgan and Graeme Horton.

Deep Water monopolized the men’s and women’s singles (1x), and RCRC and JLAC took first and second in the women’s novice quad (4x), before the BHS women’s varsity 4+ (Yael and Hannah M in their third races of the day, plus Signe Henderson, Olivia Kern and cox Isabelle Beausang) put BHS Crew back on top. The men’s lightweight 4+ swept to a 15-second margin of victory: Zander and Graeme again, with Sam Shaw and Daniel Remler, coxed by Evan Cohen, finished in 6:53.2 – the only sub-7 minute performance of the day.

The women’s frosh 8+ took their race easily, with rower Eden Teller and cox Olive Fontaine joining repeat winners Ruby, El, Cassidy, Ava, Delia, Paisley and Madi H to win by more than 30 seconds over the BHS b boat and by more than a minute over RCRC. Next, the men’s lightweight 4b/JV 4 boat found itself pitted against RCRC’s open weight varsity 4; nonetheless, rowers Chris O’Meara, Julian Jaffe, Jack Lee and Eliot Smith and cox Oliver Barton turned in a strong second-place performance, finishing in a time of 7:38.34.

The men’s doubles (2x-) sculled to a 1-2 finish, with Andre Briscoe and Sam Shaw finishing in 7:32.2 and Brendan Gill and Ian Pengra coming in at 7:57:67. As the day neared its end, the BHS men’s novice quad (4x) took second to RCRC. (With its sharp focus on the quad, RCRC is a formidable opponent!) Coxed by Kieran, and powered by Kevin, John Clara, Lucas Bell and Haniel Roland-Holst, the boys nonetheless put forth a strong showing. Also entered in that heat, Berkeley’s men’s frosh 4+ a boat (Sam, Will, Ari Bolton and Otto Janes, coxed by Evan) took third place against their double-oared opponents.

Results: row2k.com

Photos:   Picasa web...    Eric Carlson's SmugMug gallery...  

Coming up next: the 510 Sprints. Come cheer on the BHS rowers this Sunday, April 25, at Jack London Aquatic Center, our home course on the Alameda estuary. Hosted by BHS Crew, this is the final regatta of the season – and for some of our boats, the final tune-up before the Southwest Regional Junior Championships (the “CJ’s”), May 7-9 on Lake Natoma, east of Sacramento.