North Palm Beach Rowing Club’s Youth team wrapped its 2019 spring season with the two crowing events of the regular racing slate, the Florida State Sculling and Sweep Championships. Held as two separate regattas for each discipline of rowing, these two events bring together every top youth rower in Florida for two weekends of fierce competition. NPBRC emerged with two State Championship medals and a total of six Grand Final qualifications and two Petite Final appearances out of nine entries overall, indicative of a program that consistently outperforms many, many others in the state.
For context, Florida youth rowing is already one of the toughest competitive fields in the country. With a total of 52 member programs – larger than almost any other state – Florida athletes routinely qualify for the USRowing Youth National Championships and, in recent years, have begun to dominate the podium across many boat categories. For a relatively young team overall – this was the first State Championship appearance for several North Palm Beach rowers – NPBRC’s success at this year’s States is all the more impressive.
Special congratulations are due to NPBRC’s two medalists, Finn Yorty with bronze in the Boys’ Junior 1x and Whitney Young with silver in the Girl’s Junior 1x. These two races routinely deliver some of the most exciting and gutsy racing, and this year was no exception. Finn finished hot on the trail of Belen Jesuit and Sarasota, two of the state’s most established teams, while Whitney pressed last year’s winner all the way to the line. Kudos are also due to graduating senior Blake Pegrum, who capped an already impressive high school career with a 5th place finish overall. These weren’t the only noteworthy achievements, though. At every turn, NPB athletes coupled nearly flawless form with incredible grit, perseverance, and teamwork – all the while, adding to a valuable knowledge bank of experience for the future.
Two rowers, Whitney Young and graduating senior Lauren Arrington, competed just two weeks later in a pair (2-) at the Florida State Sweep Championships, also in Sarasota. The 2- is arguably the most challenging boat category to row since it requires such perfect balance and timing between the two rowers. After just 8 practices together, Whitney and Lauren fought their way through a tough field to qualify for the Grand Final, where they placed 6th in the state. Being able to switch into a new boat and perform this well is a testament to the girls’ fitness, technical skill, and adaptability.
The team will now look ahead to the Southeast Regional Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee May 11th and 12th and to several other elite races this summer. NPBRC will host an Open House on Saturday, June 1st for the public to learn more about this sport, and will also hold a summer camp for aspiring rowers from June 4th-13th.