By: Dana Hathaway

Public Relations Manager

Fall rowing season is in full swing, and Los Gatos Rowing Club (LGRC) is off to a great start. Building off of their summer success, the high school program continues to add accolades during their season.

Over the summer, twelve varsity men made the trek across the pond to compete in England’s Henley Royal Regatta and its qualifying races. American crews are required to place in national competitions to secure a slot at Henley. After placing second at Youth Nationals, Current LGHS seniors Kyle Brown and Diego Lasso competed in the Wyfold Challenge Cup. This Henley event is not a junior event, ensuring that many of the boats LGRC competed against were composed of adult men. The Los Gatos boat ended up losing to Neusser RV, a German crew. LGRC also brought a quad, including recent LGHS graduates Alberto Lasso, Ian Moss, and Miles Kramer, to compete in the Fawley Challenge Cup event. After beating Lea and Marlow Rowing Clubs, LGRC qualified for the semifinals, giving them a chance to secure a slot in the final — something no American crew has done since 2003. Unfortunately, after a strong race, the quad lost to Hinksey Sculling School. LGHS student Dillon Yoo also made the long trip and raced in an attempt to qualify a second quad, but, against tough competition, was unsuccessful. 

Although Henley may take the cake for most prestigious regatta, the world’s largest three-day regatta, Head of the Charles, occurred from Oct. 20 through Oct.22 The five-kilometer race, occuring on Boston’s Charles River, draws over 11,000 viewers and 1,900 boats every year. Despite the vast number of boats, over 200 crews attended, making spots hard to grab. LGRC re-qualified five boats last year, which made the trip this October. LGHS students Lucie Boillet, Harri Cheetham, and Annika Sivi finished fifth out of 50 in the women’s coxed quad. Wildcats Sarah Drabkin, Emme Adams, Elizabeth Snyder, Jenna Yoder, Dana Hathaway, and Alex Buchowski competed in the LGRC women’s eight, which placed 38th out of 90. On the men’s side, seniors Diego Lasso, Kyle Brown, and coxswain Taj Chunawala secured a fourth place out of 90 in the men’s coxed four. The men’s coxed quad, including LGHS students Dillon Yoo, Nolan Hamm, and coxswain Kai Yoo, came in 11th out of 47. LG rowers Cameron DeGraff and Tanav Shankar, along with coxswain Kyra Cherlopalle placed 56th out of 90 in the men’s eight.

With the fall season drawing to a close, the athletes now begin preparing for the spring rowing season, which consists mainly of sprint races. Given the strong foundation built during fall, the club can expect to continue seeing success. For results from Head of the Port, Head of the American, and Head of the Lagoon, visit regattacentral.com. Be sure to follow @lgrcvarsitywomen and @lgrcvarsitymen on Instagram to keep up with LGRC’s latest activities!

(Sources: Regatta Central)