Nine members of Newport Aquatic Center’s Masters Women’s Team (Women on Water) packed up their boats and headed to Tempe, Arizona for the Desert Sprints regatta. Saturday, February 28 was all hands on deck rigging boats and getting ready for Sunday’s races. And then the racing began!
The team brought a full lineup: an eight, two quads, two doubles, a lightweight double, and a lightweight single. With Jimmy calling from the cox seat, Jean, Celia, YaYa, Mary, Kathy, Wendy, Elisa, and Mac lined up for the 8+. The quads and smaller boats were distributed among the crew, each group ready to test themselves on the Arizona course.
When the racing wrapped up, Wendy had earned herself a second place in the masters women’s lightweight single, and YaYa and Mac finished third in the masters women’s double! It was a great day on the water, with boats moving down the course in tight packs, mere seconds separating the finishers. The kind of racing that reminds you why you love this sport.
But the real win was the whole experience. With excellent weather, Desert Sprints brought good racing, good competition, and even better sportsmanship from every boat on the course.
We have so much to be grateful for. A huge thank you to our coaches Hannah and Kate, who keep us sharp and ready. To every teammate who supported us in person or through the livestream, your energy was felt and matters more than you know. To the competitors from other programs for showing us such great sportsmanship and making it a fun day on the water. To the race officials and organizers for running such a smooth regatta. And a special shoutout to Billy for getting our trailer there and back safely.
Here’s to Desert Sprints, to strong finishes, and to a team that keeps getting better. We can’t wait to do it all again at the San Diego Crew Classic!
