Desert Sprints 2020
In the first regatta of 2020, BCR rowers headed to Tempe, AZ to race at Desert Sprints on Tempe Town Lake February 29 – March 1. BCR kicked off the regatta on Saturday with 2000m races. Both the men’s 8+ and women’s 8+ felt smooth and solid despite BCR’s not having rowed on the water yet this year. Sunday saw 1000m races and competitive performances by many BCR scullers. The highlight of BCR’s races, though, was the mixed masters 8+. With a “minor” height difference in stern pair (see below) and two novices in the boat, the mixed 8+ represented well the community fostered by BCR. BCR welcomes rowers and coxswains of any experience level, including those who have never seen or touched an oar, and creates an environment where we all work to improve our rowing skills and build community. The competitive race, with BCR finishing in second place by less than one second, demonstrates how this community rowing team produces a team of fast and motivated rowers from all backgrounds.
Nance and Katie get ready to warm up in the singles.
The “minor” height difference of the mixed masters 8+ stern pair, Meredith and Eric R.
During indoor training, Coach Vee cooks up BCR’s “secret sauce” by emphasizing that the team does not simply erg, but applies rowing mechanics on the erg. We focus more on technique than conditioning, allowing conditioning to occur within the context of mechanics, and focusing on how our rowing technique applies to moving the boat. This “secret sauce” proved itself in BCR’s great results, which can be found here for Saturday and Sunday.
Will, Tom, Lauren, Sonia, and Eric O. race the mixed 4+.
Racing on the water provided BCR an opportunity to better understand what technique to focus on until our return to the Boulder Reservoir. During the races we learned the importance of shifting body weight to support boat run, specifically shifting out of the bow. Coach Vee has incorporated this focus into several workouts, and this newfound attention provides extra motivation and encouragement for our last few weeks indoors.
A huge part of BCR’s club identity is volunteering at every regatta we attend, and Desert Sprints was no exception. BCR rowers took on volunteer roles working as stake boat holders, directing parking, setting up speaker systems, working at the Regatta Central tent, and assisting with course setup and adjustment. BCR rowers who did not have a specific role took care to help clean up the regatta site before departing. The Tempe park director came over to thank the team for their hard work in volunteering, demonstrating the importance of BCR’s emphasis on being good stewards of any and all places we row.
A special thanks to Jacob, Monique, and Meredith for the race photos!
Joe, Jim H, Eric R, and Preston launch for the men’s 4x race.