Our team didn’t have to travel far to Masters Nationals this year because its location at Eagle Creek in Indianapolis was so near. The regatta had a good turnout and plenty of tough competition. Ben Boehm was our superstar, racing with both GDRA and composite crews and winning gold in the Men’s Lightweight B 2x, the Men’s Lightweight C 2x, the Men’s Lightweight C 4x, the Men’s Lightweight B 1x, the Mixed B 8+, and the Men’s Lightweight A-AA 2x, and silver in the Men’s Lightweight A-AA 1x, the Men’s Lightweight C 1x, the Men’s Open D 4x, and the Men’s Open C 4x. Paula Sideras and Denise Heuser won the silver medal in a very close race in the Women’s Lightweight G 2x. Luiz Franca won silver in the Men’s Open I 1x. Michael McCarty, Richard Pierce, Ed Walz, Brian White, Meg Evans, Deborah Taylor, and Brian Elwell also competed.
Some of us raced in the Chicago Sprints at Lincoln Park Lagoon on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9. It is a narrow course with only two lanes, where the top finishers in the heats advance to the finals. Ben Boehm won gold in the Men’s Lightweight 1x, gold in the Men’s Lightweight 2x, and silver in the Men’s Masters Lightweight 1x. Meg Evans and Deborah Taylor took gold in the Women’s Lightweight 2x and the Women’s Masters 2x. Meg Evans and Brian White finished second in the Mixed Masters 2x.
The Indy Summer Sprints took place on June 17, also at Eagle Creek. Competitors from GDRA were Ben Boehm, Brian White, Brian Elwell, Deborah Taylor, Meg Evans, Denise Heuser, Ed Walz, and Richard Pierce. Racing with composite crems, Ben Boehm won the gold medal in the Men’s Masters 4x and the bronze in the Men’s Masters 2x. Meg Evans, Brian White, Brian Elwell, and Deborah Taylor won the bronze medal in the Mixed Masters 4x.
Our Discover Rowing event on June 10 was well attended, and our Learn-to-Row classes have been going well. This has been a sizzling summer! The sprint season for GDRA will end this Saturday, July 29, with some of us traveling to the Midwest Summer Sprints at Dillon Lake in Nashport, Ohio.