Burton Beach rowers win 4 medals and trip to Nationals

The team had one of the strongest performances amongst the smaller clubs at the event.

By Eric Odegard For The Beachcomber • May 24, 2023 1:30 am
Many of the BBRC rowers pose for a picture at Northwest Regionals just before the final race of the day (Tricia Thompson Photo).
Many of the BBRC rowers pose for a picture at Northwest Regionals just before the final race of the day (Tricia Thompson Photo).

The Burton Beach Rowing Club (BBRC) had a successful weekend at the Northwest Regionals last weekend in Vancouver, Washington, and for the second year in a row, will be sending three boats to Nationals held from June 8 to 11 in Sarasota, Florida.

The team had one of the strongest performances amongst the smaller clubs at the event, bringing home four medals, including two golds.

Grant Gonter, a Vashon High School sophomore, and Ella Odegard, a Stanford Online High School freshman, both qualified for Nationals in the U17 Single. Gonter took the bronze in the men’s race and Odegard took fourth in a hard-fought women’s race. The top four rowers in each event advance to Nationals.

Ella Jones, a senior at West Seattle High School, finished fifth in the U19 women’s single and got a bid to Nationals when one of the rowers ahead of her opted not to accept her bid.

For both Odegard and Jones, this will be their second trip to Nationals. Odegard attended last year as part of a U17 Women’s Quad for the BBRC. Jones attended in 2021 as the stroke for the U17 eight when she rowed with Lake Casitas Rowing Association in California. This will be Gonter’s first trip to Nationals.

“I am grateful I got to work with Richard Parr and row with everyone at the BBRC during my last year as a junior rower,” said Ella Jones. “Finishing with the opportunity to compete at Nationals is bittersweet, as I’ll miss rowing with my team, but I am looking forward to the next phase of my rowing career with the University of Washington.”

Max Jackson and Briar Guenther won the gold in heat three of the Men’s Novice Double and had the best overall time out of 18 boats by more than 10 seconds. This is the second year in a row that the club has recorded the fastest time in a novice event at NW Regionals.

Brisa Ordonez-Ramirez and Paige Gibbons also won gold in their heat of the Women’s Novice double. Their time was 4th overall. Forest Macnab took home the bronze in the Junior Varsity single.

“I’ve always told our rowers that we’re a small club that punches above our weight class,” said Head Coach Richard Parr. “We’re always one of the smallest clubs at the event and we like it that way. We row hard and have fun while we do it. This formula has worked for a long time, and it worked again this year.”