After training rigorously during spring break and giving a stellar performance in Austin at their last regatta, Head Coach John Fife and the Jesuit crew team looked forward to carrying their success through Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma City Junior Invitational on Saturday, March 22, in which five different teams competed: Jesuit Dallas, OKC Riversport, White Rock Boathouse, Tulsa Rowing Club, and Dallas United Crew.
Oklahoma City is home to one of the best race courses in the United States on the powerful but majestic Oklahoma River. Millions of dollars have been poured into this course, equipped with three boathouses, the Finish Line Tower costing almost $10 million, and new buoys and lanes, to ensure an overall worthwhile racing experience. The track is 2000 meters and is dammed off on both sides to prevent a current. And with this exquisite course comes the further challenges for the team to face as a whole.
“The conditions were really rough,” explained Fife. “There was about 20-25 mph cross tailwinds, which made it really choppy and really hard for the coxswains to keep a straight point, because the wind kept blowing them around. The conditions were challenging, but that’s Oklahoma.”
Regardless of the race conditions of the, the team still managed to pursue another outstanding performance.
Jesuit took home the gold in the Varsity 8 with a boat consisting of coxswain Elliot Stone ’15, Joey Merkel ‘16, J.W. Schwab ‘14, Jordi Perez ‘14, Christian Taylor ‘15, Jay Hofmeister ‘16, Mitchell Opatowsky ‘15, Tyler Freeman ‘14, and William McCormack ’16.
After this race, the varsity split up into two boats of four and raced each other in the “A”4 and the “B”4, and both teams won first. Also, the team won first in the Lightweight 8.
For the JV and novice teams, Jesuit won 2nd in the JV 8, the JV 4, and the Novice “B” 8 and won 3rd in the Novice 8.
The regatta, in all, was a success. “We were really excited,” continued Fife, sounding hopeful for the team. “We’re continuing our winning season. The Varsity 8 is building some momentum and getting better and still have a lot of speed to our game. We’re doing well and we’re really looking forward to our race in two and a half weeks which is going to be up in Delaware and Philadelphia.”
Be sure to catch up with and follow the crew team and make sure to cheer them on as they prepare for their regattas in Delaware and Philadelphia!
