Our season kicked off in East Lansing, Michigan this past Sunday at the Head of the Grand Regatta. With multiple first place finishes, we were happy to see our season get off to a solid start. The team finished 2nd in the overall point total, tallying 40 behind Grand Valley's 44.
Results:
Varisty 8+:
- Notre Dame B - 2nd place, time: 10:42
- Notre Dame A - 3rd place, time: 10:43
Varsity 4+:
- Notre Dame B - 1st place, time: 11:05
- Notre Dame A - 5th place, time: 11:49
- Notre Dame C - 6th place, time: 12:03
Varsity 2-:
- Notre Dame A - 6th place, time: 13:21
- Notre Dame C - 8th place, time: 13:41
- Notre Dame B - 9th place, time: 15:38
Novice 8+:
- Notre Dame A - 2nd place, time: 11:17
- Notre Dame B - 4th place, time: 12:33
- Notre Dame C - 5th place, time: 12:34
- Notre Dame D - 10th place, time: 13:25
Novice 4+:
- Notre Dame A - 1st place, time: 12:24
- Notre Dame B - 2nd place, time: 12:40
- Notre Dame C - 7th place, time: 14:18
In addition to the results are two reflections: one from the president of ND rowing, Bryce de Venecia, and another from a novice rower, Evan Gies.
A beautiful fall day gilded NDRC’s first Fall regatta, the Head of the Grand. Contrary to the frigid October air that we rowed through last year, the sun was shining off the kelly green shells eager to show off their speed. Our four, which will race at the Head of the Charles next week, felt powerful through the chop created by the wake of the other boats. I always forget how exhilarating head races can be when your boat approaches, overtakes, and leaves another boat behind. All boats, both varsity and novice, succeeded in proving NDRC’s hard work and dedication over the past two months on the St. Joe. We could not have been so successful, however, without the support of the parents of NDRC, who provided us with fresh Michigan apples, sizzling bacon, exceptional burgers, and plenty of other snacks. Racing down the course certainly takes a toll, but the parents were there to provide both food and cheers!
-Bryce de Venecia
As a novice freshman rower that is completely new to the sport, the Head of the Grand Regatta was an incredibly exciting opportunity. The regatta was the first time that we could really put all our hard work and training to the test, and it was the first opportunity to get time trials since the erg test at the end of tryouts. Each boat bonded well as we spent the early morning rigging the boats and preparing for the race. The racing conditions were perfect and the water crisp. As the boats lined up at the start line, we were really nervous and knew absolutely nothing about the other teams there. We only knew what the coaches had told us about the course moments before. We just put all our muscle memory and dedication to the test. Nothing felt better than hearing the horn cross blare as we crossed the finish line.
The rest of the day was exciting to just hang out with the other guys on the team and cheer for the other Notre Dame boats as they passed by. Overall, the times and results were way better than I had expected for a first regatta, and it was really satisfying to know that we are well on our way to reaching the high standard we hold ourselves to as Notre Dame Rowers. And it is even more exciting to see that we can only get better from here.
- Evan Gies