The MRC Juniors will compete at the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championships, held this Saturday in Crystal Lake, IL. Milwaukee will be up against some of the best teams from Chicago and surrounding areas. Saturday's field will include Camp Randall, New Trier, Loyola Academy, St. Ignatius, and several other teams. Families are encouraged to come support the team. Please refer to the race website for more information.
Location: Crystal Lake in Crystal Lake, IL
The regatta will take place at Main Beach. There is not an address for the Main Beach building, however you can click here to see where the venue is located. Note: Dogs are not allowed.
Racecourse:
The 1850 meter course is six lanes wide with buoys on the outside of lanes 1 and 6. Buoys will be at the first 100 meters and every 250 meters, as well as the starting and finishing lines. Rowing will be from west to east, finishing in front of the Main Beach Building. Bring binoculars to better see races as they come down the course. Races essentially come straight towards the viewing area.
Schedule:
The racing schedule has yet to be posted. The coxswains meeting is set for 8:00 AM. All athletes will be expected to arrive early Saturday morning to unload the trailer and prepare our equipment for racing.
Lineups:
Lineups along with the final itinerary coming soon!
Spotlight Athlete
Peter Ullrich
Senior at Marquette High School
When/Why began rowing:
My parents brought me to watch the River Challenge one year because they have friends in the masters program, and after watching the regatta I thought it was such a cool sport that seemed very appealing.
Favorite workout:
This might sound crazy, but I love the Pumpkin Pain Train (4k erg, 2 mile run, 10 hills). It's definitely not easy but it was just a really competitive overall fitness test that was really rewarding.
Future plans:
I'm attending UW-Madison next year, and still deciding if I am going to try to walk on to the team.
Favorite aspect of rowing:
When you can get that perfect unison among everyone in the boat, there's nothing better.
Favorite rowing season & why:
I love summer because when we are finishing a 3 hour practice, most people are just waking up, so the whole day feels really fulfilled. Also the regattas are pretty casual and fun to be a part of.
What motivates you to work hard?
It's always the guys who are the team that push me the hardest. I wouldn't be half the rower I am today without my teammates.
Favorite race & why:
It would be a little cliche to say Head of the Charles, so I'll go with Midwest championships. It's just riled
Interests/hobbies outside of practice:
Skiing (downhill and cross country), playing instruments (guitar, ukulele, harmonica), and sports.
Proudest accomplishment in your life so far:
When it comes to rowing, it was FOR SURE making the 4+ at HOCR. It was basically 3 weeks of intense competition between the three ports, and I was very humbled to be finally chosen to be in the boat. Big shoutout to Spencer Gaseoweriwuoieski and Tommy Ferrara for pushing me in those crazy few weeks.
Who is your role model & why:
After reading Boys in the Boat, Joe Rantz has been so inspirational and motivational in my efforts to improve as a rower because of all the hardships he went through to make the olympic gold medal boat in 1936.
Interesting fact about yourself:
I love lamps
Favorite quote:
I love lamp -Brick Tamland
Spotlight Athlete
Gina Galaszewski
Senior at Cedarburg High School
When/Why I Began Rowing:
I was a competitive Irish dancer for quite a few years but had to stop because of injuries and so I was trying to find a new sport that would keep me active. My uncle coxed at Madison and had mentioned that I should try rowing- up until he said something I honestly don't even think I knew rowing was available to me. I finally decided to take Learn to Row in the summer leading up to the fall season and decided that I would stick with it for at least one season to see how I liked it.. I love it!
Future plans:
Formally accepted my admissions to the University of Iowa, although they don't have a lightweight rowing team, I would love to be involved on the team!
Favorite workout:
Doing workouts on the water definitely beats being down in Fight Club erging everyday. I love the standup drill and especially the add a pair drill- it's fun to see how hard each person in your boat is working and I love the competitive aspect. As far as a specific workout? I don't really have one, I love most any kind of sprinting pieces because that's when the boat really starts to move and you know all the hard work from winter is paying off.
Favorite aspect of rowing:
My favorite aspect of rowing is definitely my team. I have always been a very team oriented person and so being surrounded by such a strong and motivated team of girls each day makes coming to practice something to look forward to.
Favorite rowing season:
This past weekend I competed in my first spring race and I absolutely loved it. Although a 2k takes every ounce of energy out of you and then some, it helps to have 7 other girls working just as hard to try and achieve the same goal as you, winning. I'm really excited to be going to Midwest this season. Even though I'm a novice, I'm really excited to have experience being in an even more competitive environment compared to a more "typical" race (and also to watch my teammates kick some booty of course).
Favorite race:
By far my favorite race so far has been the Milwaukee River Challenge. Being that I'm a novice, I was extremely intimidated by the fact that we would be racing against all varsity boats, however this was our home course and it definitely worked to our advantage. I think the best feeling during that race was when we got to the junction and were able to pass a few of the boats who were in the lead previous to the turn. I could tell the atmosphere in the boat had completely switched gears and our goal was to now hold them off until we got to the finish line, we were really proud of how we had placed against the varsity boats (especially since we rowed with 6 people for the last portion of the race because someone's foot-stretchers snapped).
Interests/hobbies outside of practice:
Outside of practice I enjoy traveling, hanging out with my friends, and shopping.
Monona Invite Recap
The MRC Juniors had a successful day of racing on Lake Mendota on Sunday. With stormy conditions projected, it turned out to be warm and sunny. All crews battled against a quartering headwind in dual races against Camp Randall. Congrats to all athletes on a very competitive day.
Before elaborating on some of the results, we would like to thank all parents for remaining flexible with the schedule and location. We really appreciate your patience throughout planning and Sunday's racing. We also want to take a moment to recognize the parent volunteers who were fantastic this weekend. Your help is greatly appreciated by our staff!
Varsity 4:
The day began with the Varsity 4's. The Boy's 4 had a good start handling the conditions well. Milwaukee was behind early, but they handled the windy conditions well. Camp Randall was able to take the race by open water. The Girl's 4 had a similar start, clean and handling the conditions well. Camp Randall was able to edge in front early in the race. With MRC battling all the way down the course, Camp Randall won by a small margin of open water at the finish.
Novice 8:
The Boy's Novice 8 had a strong start pushing ahead from the beginning of the race. They continued to add to their lead as they handled the conditions and ended up winning the race handily. The Girl's Novice 8 had a very close race all the way down the course. With a constant battle back and forth throughout, they looked strong in their push to the finish and fell just short by about 3/4 of a length.
Second Varsity 8:
The Boy's 2nd Varsity 8 had a strong start, but lost a little momentum when they were pushed off the course slightly by the other crews. The boys had a good early season piece showing some good base speed. They were down about a length at half way and two lengths at the finish. The Girl's 2nd Varsity 8 showed great strength from the first stroke of the race. They were up by open water in the first 500m and continued to stretch their margin throughout the race. The girls pushed to the finish line about forty-five seconds ahead of their opponent.
Varsity 8:
The Varsity 8's began the second flight of racing. The Boys Varsity 8 looked sharp on their start and were able to push to a bow to stern lead in the first 500m. The boys pushed their lead through the middle of the race and held off a strong Camp Randall sprint to win by 3/4 of a length. The Girls Varsity 8 had a similar start to the boys, pushing to a length of open water ahead by the 1000m mark. They held this margin through to the sprint where they pushed for slightly more winning by about eight seconds.
Second Novice 8:
The final event of the day proved to be exciting from the 2nd Novice 8's. The Boy's 2nd Novice 8 had tight competition off the start and through the first 500m. At the half way mark they were down by two or three seats but held strong. With solid coxing and a good final push they were able to edge ahead to the finish line. The Girls 2nd Novice 8 had a good start and edged slightly ahead early in the race. The girls were able to keep a consistent rhythm and continued to open their margin throughout the race. They finished the race winning by a little more than 10 seconds to end the day.
For reference, here are the lineups from Sundays racing.
The next race for the MRC Juniors is the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championships on Saturday, May 2. More info coming soon.
Spotlight Athlete
Sam Diamond
Junior at Whitefish Bay High School
When/Why began coxing:
Did Learn-to-row the summer before freshman year with my brother. I loved it, he hated it. Started coxing right away.
Future plans:
I would like to have an opportunity to be a coxswain in college.
Favorite aspect of coxing:
I am a very quiet guy. Being a coxswain has given me an opportunity to show a different side of myself. I have enjoyed learning leadership skills.
Favorite rowing season & why:
I like the spring season. Sprints are much more competitive races and are much more fun to cox.
Favorite race & why:
The Twin Cities race is my favorite. I like the beach dock and the water is always warm. Cincinnati is also a favorite because teams from all over the midwest participate and give us another level of competition
Interests/hobbies outside of practice:
Listening to music, playing guitar and hanging out with my family.
Favorite quote:
"Be the type of person you want to meet"