WIRAs
To quote Sir Edmund Hillary of Mt. Everest fame, "We've knocked the b****** off."
This past weekend we headed off to WIRAs - Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association - with several boats for both teams: MN8A, MN8B, MV4, MLW4, WV4, WJV4, W2-, WN4, WN8.
Saturday had the worst conditions I've experienced in my time going to WIRAs. It was sunny and warm, but we were dealing with sustained gusts up to 26 mph. Thankfully the water was relatively calm despite the wind, and all boats were able to race in their heats - save the MLW4 (straight final).
The WN4, WV4, MN8A & MN8B, and W2- qualified for the grand finals on Sunday with both the WV4 & WN4 posting easy wins despite the wind.
Sunday was more typical of the weather I'm used to at WIRAs - hot, calm, glass.
The WN4 kicked off the grand finals, racing an excellent race and finishing 1st by 13 seconds.
The WV4 didn't have their best race, but managed to fight their way into 3rd place, just ahead of UC Irvine and behind two DII programs in Western Washington and UC San Diego.
The W2- raced hard as well, but with limited time in the boat prior to racing, they focused on having a solid race, finishing 5th in the grand finals.
The men's program also had successful races, finishing 6th in both the MN8A & MN8B, before finishing 4th in the MLW4.
We're now focusing on the boats heading to the national championship races at ACRAs at the end of the month.
Here are two links to the final 400 meters of the WN4 heat and grand final.
This weekend was personally very satisfying as it marked the first time I've taken a boat to WIRAs that's qualified for the grand finals through the heats. And after finishing 3rd twice, and 2nd once, it was very satisfying to help bring home a gold medal.
This past weekend we headed off to WIRAs - Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association - with several boats for both teams: MN8A, MN8B, MV4, MLW4, WV4, WJV4, W2-, WN4, WN8.
Saturday had the worst conditions I've experienced in my time going to WIRAs. It was sunny and warm, but we were dealing with sustained gusts up to 26 mph. Thankfully the water was relatively calm despite the wind, and all boats were able to race in their heats - save the MLW4 (straight final).
The WN4, WV4, MN8A & MN8B, and W2- qualified for the grand finals on Sunday with both the WV4 & WN4 posting easy wins despite the wind.
Sunday was more typical of the weather I'm used to at WIRAs - hot, calm, glass.
The WN4 kicked off the grand finals, racing an excellent race and finishing 1st by 13 seconds.
The WV4 didn't have their best race, but managed to fight their way into 3rd place, just ahead of UC Irvine and behind two DII programs in Western Washington and UC San Diego.
The W2- raced hard as well, but with limited time in the boat prior to racing, they focused on having a solid race, finishing 5th in the grand finals.
The men's program also had successful races, finishing 6th in both the MN8A & MN8B, before finishing 4th in the MLW4.
We're now focusing on the boats heading to the national championship races at ACRAs at the end of the month.
Here are two links to the final 400 meters of the WN4 heat and grand final.
This weekend was personally very satisfying as it marked the first time I've taken a boat to WIRAs that's qualified for the grand finals through the heats. And after finishing 3rd twice, and 2nd once, it was very satisfying to help bring home a gold medal.
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