Burton Beach Rowing Club rows in Boston and Portland

The fall rowing season continued in full swing over each of the last two weekends.

By Eric Odegard For the Beachcomber • November 1, 2022 1:30 am
BBRC Rowers Taylor Huffman, left, and Ella Jones, right, pose for a picture with rowers from the Ukrainian National Team at the Head of the Charles Regatta (Richard Parr Photo).
BBRC Rowers Taylor Huffman, left, and Ella Jones, right, pose for a picture with rowers from the Ukrainian National Team at the Head of the Charles Regatta (Richard Parr Photo).

The fall rowing season continued in full swing over each of the last two weekends, once on the East Coast and then again on the west.

Four rowers from the Burton Beach Rowing Club (BBRC) traveled to Boston to compete in the Head of the Charles, the largest three-day regatta in the world. More than 11,000 athletes attended the event, held Oct. 21-23.

Taylor Huffman and Ella Jones rowed in the Women’s Youth Double, finishing 25th out of 53 in the 3-mile race. By finishing in the top half, the club earns a coveted spot in next year’s race.

Also rowing for the BBRC were Zack Merrigan and Forest Macnab, who finished 34th out of 50. Their time was the sixth fastest for an Under-17 boat in the race.

The weekend in Boston is a major event, with rowers converging from all over the world. The young rowers from BBRC got the chance to see top talent including many Olympic athletes.

“It was really fun competing in Boston,” said Huffman. “We got to meet rowers from around the world, like the Ukrainian Men’s National Eight, Irish and English Masters, and even a few BBRC alumni. The Head of the Charles is a great regatta and I’m proud of how Ella and I raced.”

The following weekend, the BBRC was back at it, this time at the Portland Fall Classic held at Vancouver Lake on Sunday, Oct. 30. The club medaled in eight out of 11 events, bringing home four golds, three silvers, and a bronze.

The club won gold in both the Men’s and Women’s U17 coxed quad, the Women’s Jr Single, and the Men’s Jr. Novice Coxed Quad.

The Men’s Jr Novice Coxed Quad, consisting of Max Jackson, Dash Henson, Emmet Cox, Briar Guenther, and Kiero Ambler, had an exciting finish to their race. In the final stretch, as they attempted to pass another boat from a different race, they were forced to come to a complete stop for a few seconds. They quickly untangled themselves and began rowing hard to the finish, still posting the fastest time by more than 10 seconds.

Twenty-five clubs from Washington and Oregon attended the event, a 5K head race around Vancouver Lake. Other than a slight breeze that added a slight chop to the water, the weather cooperated making for a mild and dry day.

“It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for our little club. It is always exciting to take young rowers to Boston for the Charles,” said BBRC Coach Richard Parr. “And then to come back home and drive down to Vancouver and see the team row so well. We’ve got a good young group of rowers and we’re pleased with how they are doing.”