On Saturday, April 2nd, AJRA traveled to Tallahassee to race Capital City Rowing and Stanton Riverbank in a tri-meet. In just the second racing opportunity of the spring season, both varsity and novice crews stepped up to a strong challenge and gained valuable racing experience.
Due to the size of all teams, most races had two AJRA entries, providing for strong intrasquad competition and some familiar faces at the starting line. Additionally, the varsity crews went out for a second round of racing, providing a similar racing experience to larger regattas with heats and finals on a quick turnaround.
Women’s Head Coach Jordan Smith was pleased with his team’s results, saying, “On the women’s side, we saw some dramatic improvement on the novice squad, showing clear progress from where they were two weeks ago. For the varsity crews, we saw them begin to put more of the pieces together. Overall, I’m really happy with where we are for early April, and am looking forward to see us continue to develop speed and consistency.”
The men’s team had a very successful day, defeating CCR in a sprint race for the first time in several seasons. Men’s Head Coach Rob Canavan added, “The varsity men overcame adversity today, and swept the men’s events to win the three-team regatta. They fought through multiple injuries and illnesses to perform well today, demonstrating depth on the team. We will look to increase the stroke rate over the next few weeks to find additional speed at the Florida Sprint League Championship.”
Keep an eye on AJRA’s Facebook page and Twitter account for photos and results as they are available. Many thanks to CCR coaches, rowers, and parents for hosting the regatta in Tallahassee, and providing opportunities for great racing for all crews. Go AJRA!
Event Winners: Men’s Varsity 8+, Women’s Varsity 8+, Men’s Varsity 4+, Men’s 2nd Varsity 8+, Men’s 3rd Varsity 8+, Men’s 4th Varsity 8+, Women’s Open 4+
