Good afternoon Justice Rowing family!

I hope everyone has had the opportunity to relax and reflect over the Memorial Day weekend. Following our very wet and cold regatta last Saturday, the coaches and I are excited and ready to work for the last three weeks of the season. We’ll start with a brief recap and then look ahead.

Firstly, thanks to our MANY volunteer parents for their work on the water and at the concession stands this weekend. Shoutout to Monica Buckhorn, David Trissell, Sandra Coronado, Yamil Palacios, and Carla Bowers. You were a large part of the reason why the return of spectators was a success!

Our day started with the Men’s Double (M2x) racing in a large field with little practice time. While they came in behind the pack, both boys were very reflective and recognized where we can improve in the coming weeks. Next, our Women’s Quad (W4x) took third in their heat against familiar competition and, again, learned from their performance and came out of the day with a clear practice plan ahead of them. Our Men’s Quad (M4x) followed soon after in a head-to-head battle with a very experienced Western Albemarle crew. In one of the more exciting races of the morning, the boys traded seats back and forth with Western the whole way down the course, falling behind by just 3.4 seconds in the final sprint. Once again, lessons learned and expectations set. Finally, hours later, the Novice Men’s Eight (NM8+) found their groove and came in second in their heat. The boys were electric coming off the water, knowing that they had finally put down the kind of performance we all knew they were capable of.

Next week, we look ahead to the annual Ted Phoenix Regatta. Lineups are solidifying across the whole team, but the novice boys will find they have some new racing opportunities this weekend. Be on the lookout for some exciting entries. Thanks again to our great network of parents, supporters, alumni, and, of course, our awesome assistant coaches.

REMINDER: Boosters Meeting Wednesday, June 2, 7 pm virtual. Details to follow. We need at least 5 members to show up to establish a quorum so that we can amend our by-laws to allow us to hold our next election after the season concludes.

Be safe, be well, and row strong,

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

Photos courtesy David Trissell, parent and Justice H.S. Rowing Booster President