2019 FSRA Sweep States

Sarasota served us well, amidst the 87 degree heat and constantly changing wind conditions at this year’s FSRA Sweep Championship. Coaches Lange and Vaughn couldn’t be more proud of their Shark family of rowers after a jam packed weekend of racing. Every lineup brought their absolute best to the race course, regardless of the race. Some boats raced up to 4 times in two days!

On the girls’ side, we raced a Varsity 4 (and, a Lightweight crew, at that), a 2^nd Varsity 4, and a Junior 4. After moving from heats, to reps, to semi finals, the 1^st Varsity boat fought off exhaustion and continued to represent their program with pride.

In the 2^nd Varsity category, the girls smoked their competition in the petite final, impressing even the commentator who reported to spectators that “These girls are making it very clear that they deserved a place in the A final – they’re finishing the race with 5 boat lengths of open water between themselves and 2^nd place!”

The Junior 4 rose to the occasion and pulled off a fabulous 3^rd place overall finish in their category, and beating out all other scholastic teams in their event earning the title of Scholastic State Champions! Walking away with not only medals, but the coveted trophy as well.

On the boys’ side, a Varsity 4, Junior 4, Freshman 4 and Junior Pair braved the heat for a shot at a title. The Varsity boys took their first ever Scholastic State Champion title, placing 4^th overall in the highly competitive category behind notoriously fast crews like Miami Rowing Club and Miami Beach.

The ever-aggressive Boys Junior 4 lineup blazed down the course at an astonishing 38 SPM average, coming in an impressive 2^nd place overall by .5 seconds, taking another Scholastic State Champion title for the team. With their 5:03 finish time, the boat set a course record in their category.

While all of our rowers continue to hold themselves to high standards, coaches are working diligently to put in place training plans for the next few weeks as we take these athletes to Ohio in May for the SRAA National Championship.