This summer Sagamore Rowing Association's junior rowing program, The Crew Club of Oyster Bay (ages 13 to 18), competed in the US Rowing National Championship Regatta held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Among Sagamore's accomplishments were a gold medal in the Girls Junior 18 Double, a silver medal in the Girls Junior 16 Quad, fourth place in the Girls Junior 18 Quad, fourth place in the Boys Junior 16 Quad, and fifth place in the Boys Junior 18 Quad.

"The caliber of racing at Nationals is amazing, and although not all of our rowers placed, just making it out of the heats feels like a huge achievement," said single sculler Travis Mitchell.

Many of the novice rowers did very well and made it to the semifinals. Next year, as more experienced rowers, it is anticipated that their performance will rise to another level of competition.

"This regatta is exciting because it is not against our usual competition. By racing crews from throughout the country, this regatta allows us to experience something much greater than we are used to," said Alex Berch, stroke of Sagamore's Girls Junior 16 Quad.

Over 84 clubs competed in this year's regatta with over 972 entries. Racing is spread over five days to accommodate the many races. The spacing among races allows most rowers to participate in multiple events. In order to facilitate fair racing between the large number of teams, the regatta is run through a series of heats, semifinals, and finals. Rowers compete against the other boats in their heat and the top boats advance to the semifinals; depending on the number of entries, either the top two or the top three boats in the semifinals advance into the finals.

The US Rowing National Championship Regatta is the culminating event of Sagamore's summer junior rowing program.

Sagamore Rowing Association is a nonprofit rowing club available to rowers of all ages. If you would like to learn more about the sport of rowing please call the boathouse in Oyster Bay at 624-0054, or visit the club's website at www.sagamorerowing.org.