by Kassandra Nevarez, Marketing and Communications Assistant
The New York State Championships is our annual championship race and this year we raced 18 boats across multiple categories, including singles, doubles, pairs, quads, fours, and eights.
Our crews raced time-trial style for 1,500m on Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs, NY. Their goal: to earn their spot in either the Grand or Petit Finals.
“This weekend was filled with excitement. We arrived on the course and got straight to work. We rigged and practiced on the race course; took in all our surroundings, checked the lanes, remembered the colors of the buoys and got that one-shot mentality in check.
The next day, it was go-time and we all saw it. The Game Faces were on point. We came to Saratoga for one purpose. While it was great to have fun and hang with our teammates, we were there to row.
Pushing through the pack, learning how to adapt to new circumstances, we left the line. Each boat moved through the challenges it faced with their races, got our blades in, didn’t let surprises break us and kept the determination to keep rowing. We moved past boats and swung together, making our way to the next. As a team, we crossed the line knowing that we gave everything we had, completely emptied our ‘buckets’, not leaving even one drop of energy.”
– Coach Char
Results:
Grand Finals
Men
N 8+: Manhattan 9th
V 2-: Manhattan 5th
Lwt 4x: Manhattan 8th
V 4x: Manhattan 6th
Women
N 4+: Manhattan 3rd
N 4+: Queens 8th
Jv 4+: Manhattan 7th
Jv 8+: Queens 5th
V 2-: Manhattan 4th
V 2-: Queens 6th
Petit Finals
Men
N 8+: Brooklyn 3rd
V 4+: Manhattan 9th
V 8+: Manhattan 3rd
Women
N 8+: Manhattan 5th
N 8+: Queens 8th
Jv 4+: Queens 8th
Jv 2x: Manhattan 9th
V 1x: Queens 4th
Race day highlights:
The Manhattan Women’s Novice 8+ made it to the Petite Finals, finishing in 5th against a deep novice girls field.
The Manhattan Women’s Novice 4+ made it to Grand Finals, finishing in 3rd overall, 2nd Place Club.
The Manhattan Men’s Novice 4 raced as a Varsity 4x, making it to Grand Finals, finishing in 6th, passing 1 varsity crew.
Brooklyn Men’s Novice 8 came in third in the Petite Final.
“This is the first year in Queens history that EVERY boat (novice and varsity) qualified for a final
Queens Junior 8+ placed 5th in finals and earned a club silver (:03 behind gold — we’ll get them next time!)It was an amazing thing to see our novice and varsity athletes bring together everything we work towards and value this weekend. From trailer loading to supporting each other, to the racing — we executed the best version of ourselves and exceeded expectations.”
-Coach Bre, Queens Varsity Coach
Thank you to all our student-athletes for bringing their best efforts; our coaches for their dedication; our staff, volunteers, and donors, who believe in our mission to transform lives through rowing and academic support. Additionally, to Coach Matt for always being there to help repair boats, find results, catch boats at the dock, and support! And lastly, but certainly not the least, to Arshay and Stacy-you really pushed Row New York’s tent game to the next level. Thank you so much for helping to make the tent a dry and warm food-filled place for everyone within our Row New York Family!
