With a big 520 bridge reopening party going on next door, collegiate, master and junior crews raced through the University of Washington’s Montlake Cut on Saturday under improving conditions as the day progressed.
Circled by helicopters, tens of thousands of people turned out for the bridge celebration, complicating race logistics, but not diminishing the competition on the water. The defending national champion, the University of Washington’s men’s crew team, highlighted the event and kicked off its spring race season with a tight win over Brown University. Seeing such powerful rowing up close is a truly astounding experience.
Vashon entered one masters’ and three junior women’s boats in very competitive events. The masters mixed eight (Bruce Morser, Colby Atwood, Bob Horsley, Chad Magnuson, Mary Shemeta, Marilyn Kleyn, Kim Goforth, Mary Rothermel and Lisa Huggenvik — coxswain) placed second out of four boats in its race.
The junior coxed quad (Katrina Heffernan, Rhiannon Simmonds, Caprial Turner, Mei Lee Vandervelde and Hayden Rosen— coxswain), coxed four (Riley Lynch, Rhea Enzian, Katherine Kelly, Emily Milbrath and Kale Scheer — coxswain) and lightweight eight (Emma Greenlee, Mabel Moses, Virginia Miller, Lelah Assink, Maya Gould, Sam Zeigler, Ivy Jaguzny, Brigit O’Rourke and Josie Slade — coxswain) each placed third overall. The junior women’s lightweight eight won its heat, beating the other lightweight crews in their race.
The Montlake Cut is relatively narrow, prone to boat wakes and lined with boisterous spectators, meaning that it is a challenge for even experienced coxswains to navigate. It was the first time for each of Vashon’s junior coxswains at this site, and they all steered great lines down the course.
Recent Vashon junior alumni rowers were also busy this weekend, rowing at a major early season regatta, the San Diego Crew Classic. Mia Croonquist (Cal-Berkeley), Taegan Lynch (University of Miami), Kirsten Girard (University of Tennessee) and Baxter Call (Oregon State) joined former teammates Avalon Koenig, Bryn Gilbert and Maya Krah (all University of San Diego) for some fun in the sun. Croonquist’s and Lynch’s boats both won their respective championship races.
Summing up the weekend, Coach Richard Parr said, “It was great to see so many Vashon rowers of all ages doing well, both here and with our recent graduates representing colleges all over the country and racing in San Diego this weekend.”
The Vashon junior crew will have a car wash at the IGA parking lot on Sunday, so plan to bring out those dirty cars. The next competition will be the Covered Bridge Regatta at Dexter Lake near Eugene, Oregon the weekend of April 16 and 17.
— Pat Call is the father of a junior rower.