“Beware the Ides of March” proved to be a fateful message to Julius Caesar over 2,000 years ago and was no less an apt warning for this past Sunday. There are those that believe in a karmic bank account as far as weather goes, with nice days being withdrawals to be paid back in full (and with interest) on days like Sunday, where the rain poured down, the wind whipped and junior rowers from Bainbridge and Vashon joined host Olympia in a contest of shivering and teeth chattering, comprising this year’s Saltwater Scrimmage. The event was mercifully suspended just before noon, with only half of the races completed.

Vashon rowers benefited from strong parental support  and a culture of making good choices to come through the least scathed of the three crews. And, as has been the pattern in recent years, the crew posted strong results against its competitors, who both have larger rosters. Vashon won five of the nine races it entered with varsity boats again showing their early-season strength. The weather was so appalling that even with binoculars, spectators could only see the last half of the race, with boats emerging from the murk at about the 1,000-meter mark of the 2,000 meter races.

This season, Vashon’s junior women’s team has been plagued by an uncharacteristic number of minor injuries, meaning that lineups have needed to be juggled. In the most competitive race of the day, seventh-grade novice Mabel Moses joined veterans Emily Milbrath, Virginia Miller and KaiLi Scheer, with coxswain Callie Andrews, to take the open Women’s four event. And they did it as a lightweight crew. In the women’s pair race, Kirsten Girard jumped into the stroke seat, joining Rhea Enzian in bow to win the event. The pair is the toughest boat to row well, and this team had never rowed it together before Sunday — a testimony to the discipline and experience of the Vashon junior crew. Liam McConnell won the men’s single race in the first event of the day and then joined Patrick Hanson, Fletcher Call, Forrest Miller and coxswain Olivia Mackie to win the four event later in the morning.

“We did have some great racing results, and I thought our athletes handled the conditions really well,” said Coach Richard Parr, summing up the day. “And I hope that both athletes and parents realize that the insistence on proper attire is probably a good thing.”  Next weekend the crew season continues for both masters and juniors at Saturday’s Green Lake Spring Regatta.

— Pat Call is the father of a junior rower.