The Orcas Island Rowing Team raced at the Northwest Sculling Regatta on Lake Stevens on April 10.

Eighteen rowing programs throughout the Northwest participated in this 1500 meter event. Sculling is when each athlete rows with two oars instead of just one.

Top races of the day for the Orcas team were the Varsity Men’s Quad (coxswain – Grace Thompson, Rhys Thompson, Jake Zier, Josh Bronn and Max Blackadar) who made it into the finals and placed 5th out of 13 boats with a time of 5:45.60. The Varsity Men’s Double (Jake Zier & Josh Bronn) also had a strong race, even after problems early in the race, taking 8th place out of 16 boats with a time of 5:59.30. Not to be outdone, Novice Women Rowers Emily Diepenbrock and Bailey Johnson raced for the first time in a double taking home a 3rd place ribbon from their Timed Final with a time of 6:58.60 (3rd fastest time out of 14 boats). In the Men’s Novice Single event, Zack Wolford also took home a 3rd place ribbon from his Timed Final with a time of 7:21.00.

This coming weekend, starting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 you will once again find the Orcas Island Rowing Team camped out in front of Island Market. This is their Annual 24-Hour Row where the team shows their commitment to the sport of crew by taking shifts of 30 minutes at a time on a rowing machine in hopes of raising well-needed funds for the team. Even with a completely volunteer staff of coaches the team needs extra funding to cover the costs of travel to compete each season.

Rowing is the ultimate team sport. Without teammates a boat will go nowhere. And if you’re not in sync with those around you then your boat will not surge and glide. Without the help of the community, friends and families this program never would have flourished. The coaches and athletes of the Orcas Island Rowing Association, wish to thank all of you who have contributed to this sport. For more information about the team, visit www.orcasislandrowing.org