Good afternoon Justice Rowing Family!

The annual Walter Mess Regatta was a long and successful event! I’ll do my best to summarize our results briefly before looking ahead to the rest of the week and the season. It is amazing to me that we have now completed half of our regular season regattas before State Championships (June 18th/19th). Brace yourselves for a busy and rewarding final month of the school year and season!

Saturday began with our men’s double (M2x) taking third in their heat. Both Jason P. and Alberto M. showed great poise, control, and power throughout the race and were right in the mix of competition through the finish line. Shortly after, our women’s quad (W4x) took second place in a strong field. With an updated lineup and weeks of hard work, the girls found their rhythm and improved on their previous performances. Our men’s quad (M4x) took first place in their event immediately afterwards. Drawing attention from several other coaches and programs, the boys have kept their heads down and remained focused on improving their performances first and worrying about their competition second. Finally, after a long mid-day break, our novice men’s eight (MN8+) competed in the day’s most competitive category. 1200 meters into the race, they were enjoying their most successful and unified performance to date. They diligently executed their race-plan and were in the hunt for a top 3 finish. Unfortunately, a rogue crab halted their progress abruptly. Thankfully, no major injuries were sustained, they finished their race as a boat, and, in a display of true sportsmanship, exchanged congratulations and encouragement with their competitors. Outside of the competition, I’d like to thank the coaches and our volunteers for all their work on the hottest race-day of the season yet.

This coming week we will begin our second half of the season with some experimentation. Novices may find themselves sculling more, varsity may find themselves in new and competitive positions. Going into the second half of the season, our coaches want to solidify competitive lineups and build experience and skills for the seasons to come. We are also encouraged by the steadily improving state of our community’s public health. We will continue to operate with safety as our priority and to clearly communicate any procedural changes that may occur. Please read your emails and stay in touch. We’ll see you on the water!

Be safe, be well, and row strong,

Rob Walker (he/him)
Special Ed. and English Teacher
Justice High School Rowing Team Head Coach
www.justicerowing.org
riwalker@fcps.edu
Twitter: @CoachWalker91

Pictures courtesy: David Trissell, Justice High School Rowing Booster President