Author: Jessica Merriam

The North Palm Beach Rowing Club finished the regular season with the club’s best-ever results at the Florida State Sculling Championship, held April 8-9th in Sarasota, FL. Five of the club’s six boats entered advanced, with three to Finals and two to Petite Finals. Of those 5 boats, all finished at least 8th or above in the entire state. As you read the results, bear in mind that every single one of the talented rowers named is in their first year of rowing….so the future is looking very bright for our young team.

Boys Junior 1x Kolton Paxson (center) and teammates enjoying the regatta

NPBRC’s Gracie Leon, age 16, earned a SILVER medal in the Girls’ Junior 1x, making her the second fastest junior (11th grade and below) sculler in Florida. With poise and grit, Gracie finished with a time of  6:58.8, just 4.3 seconds off of Jacksonville and a full 16 seconds faster than the next boat in the pack. Gracie’s winning streak began at her first regatta in the fall of 2016. She has medaled in every regatta she’s raced in this year.

NPBRC’s Kolton Paxson, age 16, won his Boys Junior 1x Heat in a commanding fashion to enter Sunday’s Final, where he placed 4^th against the fastest junior boys’ scullers in the state. Kolton finished in 6:25.6, a solid finish for a rower who, like the rest of his teammates, continues to add speed with each and every practice.

Our Girls Lightweight (LW) 2x of Aryana Ramsey and Madison Chuchla, ages 17, advanced from their first Heat to a Repechage on Saturday. Their “first place” finish in the Repechage guaranteed them a spot in Sunday’s Final. In a barn-burner of a race that ended in a photo finish, the girls finished 4^th in the state – just one tenth of a second off of securing a bronze medal.

Girls LW 2x, Aryana Ramsey and Madison Chuchla

Boys LW 1x, Dominic Pagan

Our Boys LW 1x, Dominic Pagan, 17, also advanced through a tough heat and a Repechage on Saturday to qualify for Sunday’s Petite Final. Dominic won the Petite Final handily, betting the 2nd place finisher by 5.3 seconds and placing 7^th in the state with a time of 6:49.1.

Facing a fierce field of 21 entries, NPBRC’s Boys Freshman 2x of Grafton Gore (14) and Jonah Kotzen (16) fought their way through a Heat and Repechage on Saturday to qualify for the Petite Final on Sunday, where they finished 2^nd. Their time of 6:24.8 put them 8^th in the state of Florida overall.

Boys Freshmen 2x, Grafton Gore and Jonah Kotzen

Girls Freshmen 2x, Marcella Adams-Grimaldi and Summer Scott

Our Girls Freshman 2x duo of Marcella Adams-Grimaldi (15) and Summer Scott (16) also raced in one of the most competitive events of the regatta against a field of 14 boats. The girls finished 7^th in their heat, narrowly missing a chance to advance to the repechage.

Special thanks go to our parents and coaches, without whom none of this success would be possible. This is just the start for NPBRC’s young team. Commitment, character, sound coaching and the indelible bonds of friendship make this a truly exceptional team. Quite a few NPBRC rowers will continue to train in our Summer Rowing Session and compete throughout the summer in races around North America. NPBRC will also offer a summer camp for new rowers (no experience required) from June 5th-16th, followed by continued training for novices throughout the summer. It is truly never too late to pick up an oar!

NPBRC’s juniors earned several medals at the Miami International Regatta, held Saturday, March 25 in Miami, FL. The day’s racing was a test of skill and stamina with winds up to 25 mph during the races, but NPBRC’s team pressed on undaunted by the rough water, racing singles, doubles, and quads with quiet, focused composure through the chop. Congratulations to all our rowers!

Of special note were the gold medals won by the girl’s novice quad. Our girls took an early lead and just kept pushing themselves to beat the second place winner by a whopping 30 seconds!  The entire NPBRC squad performed phenomenally, as also shown by our Boys Freshman 2x who brought home bronze medals in a fantastic race. Hard work and a special coach are charting  a bright future for this incredible team.

NPBRC will next race April 8th and 9th at the Florida State Sculling Championship in Sarasota.

In three consecutive weekends of racing this February, North Palm Beach Rowing’s youth team left no doubt that it stacked on some impressive speed this winter. In the first regatta of the spring, a Novice-only race in Orlando, NPBRC’s new rowers – many of whom had been rowing for only a few weeks – displayed maturity and oarsmanship far beyond their years, returning with multiple medals including:

Boys’ team medalists at the 2017 Novice Regatta in Orlando, FL. NPBRC’s girls team also garnered medals (not shown).

 In the inaugural American Youth Cup I on February 17th, a series of three 2,000 meter races new to the Florida spring racing slate, NPBRC won gold in the girls’ 1x  and fielded both girls and boys quads and doubles against tough competition. Each of these races saw crews battle unusually rough water conditions the length of the course, but NPBRC’s boats gained invaluable experience that will pay huge dividends later this season.

Several of NPBRC’s 2017 American Youth Cup I rowers after a long day of races

The 8th annual Sarasota Invitational Regatta (SIR) was held at the Nathan Benderson Park, site of the 2017 World Rowing Championships, on February 24-26. This three-day premier regatta attracts more than 1600 athletes 75 clubs and 3500 spectators from across the United States. The Sarasota Invitational is a 1500 meter “sprint” race which is typical of spring season rowing. Against some stiff competition, North Palm Beach Rowing’s Junior Team performed exceptionally well, with results that included:

• 1st Place: Mixed Quad
• 2nd Place: Women’s Single
• 2nd Place: Women’s Double
• 3rd Place: Mixed Quad

The team will compete in the OARS Invitational in Orlando on March 11.

Results from this past weekend’s Head of the Giblet regatta in Orlando, Florida are in….and they are impressive. The North Palm Beach Rowing Club’s youth rowing team won a staggering 6 GOLD medals, 2 SILVER medals, and 3 BRONZE medals at what is historically one of the biggest fall races in Florida. Our masters, meanwhile, brought home an additional BRONZE medal – icing on the cake for an overwhelmingly successful regatta by any measure, even if that measure is the camaraderie and fun had by parents, masters, and juniors alike. Even more noteworthy than the victories themselves were the wide margins our boats built stroke by stroke over the competition in the course of this tough 5000m race. This is truly where our team’s fitness, focus, and hard work this fall paid off.

There are no individuals in this sport, regardless of the event. Each success on the race course is made possible by the teammates and coaches who push, develop, and mentor our rowers to their best. Well done to ALL of the NPBRC team. You have made us proud.

NPBRC’s youth rowing team brought home a load of medals from the Stetson Rendezvous regatta, held November 12th in Deland, FL. NPBRC dominated the Girls’ Double (2X) event, placing 1st and 2nd. The NPBRC Girls’ Quad (4X) brought home silver as did our Girls’ Single (1X) and Boys’ Double (2x). Our two Boys’ Quads (4X) won silver and bronze. Our Boys novice four placed 7th against a tough field in what was the first race ever for all rowers in the boat.

The team’s rigorous training is clearly paying off. More impressive even than their dedication, however, has been the team’s incredible unity and positivity both on the water and off. NPBRC will race next at the Head of the Giblet regatta in Orlando, FL on November 19th.

Our team’s full results are here:

http://www.stetsonrowing.com/uploads/8/8/0/8/88083138/2016hatterrendezvousfinalresults.pdf