Last week, a dozen athletes and multiple family members from the Burton Beach Rowing Club (BBRC) traveled to Boston for the Head of the Charles, a three-day event attracting more than 11,000 athletes from 792 clubs. All BBRC boats raced on Sunday under beautiful blue skies.

The first BBRC crew composed of Grant Gonter, Forest Macnab, Nate Wass de Czege, Briar Guenther, and coxswain Caroline Barnes rowed in the men’s youth coxed quads. The men had a good row, finishing 29th out of 47 entrants.

Next up for BBRC were Taylor Huffman, Paige Gibbons, Haley Hopper, Keziah Rutschow, and coxswain Brisa Ordonez-Ramirez, rowing in the women’s youth coxed quads. The women had a strong performance, placing 28th in a field of 50 boats.

Finally, in the women’s youth doubles, Sasha Thompson and Ella Odegard represented BBRC. Contending with a stiff headwind, Thompson and Odegard placed 35th out of 53 boats.

The long weekend in Boston was an eventful one for the rowers, as they had the opportunity to see top rowing talent from the US Team and other national teams, as well as rowers from colleges and universities across the country. Team members also explored Boston visiting the art museum, aquarium, Freedom Trail, and other sights in the city.

Ella Odegard summed up the weekend as follows: “Racing in Boston was very fun and a great learning experience, and I felt proud of our team for taking on the challenge. Being at the regatta with so many crews from all over the world reminded me again of what a wonderful sport rowing is.”

Forest Macnab echoed Odegard’s thoughts: “It was really fun spending time in Boston with my friends and teammates, while also getting the opportunity to race on the famous Charles River.”

The club looks forward to two more regattas to finish out the fall season, including the season finale and the west coast’s largest autumn rowing event, the Head of the Lake on November 5.