By Julia Valencia

As Los Gatos Rowing Club (LGRC) enters its spring season, both women’s and men’s teams are pushing their limits. After a successful but somewhat uneventful fall season, LGRC athletes and coaches have entered their spring sprint season with two words in mind: eager and hungry.

During the fall season, select LGRC athletes attended Boston’s Head of the Charles regatta in October, which is a 5,000-meter race. The men’s youth coxed quad placed fourth out of 50, and the men’s youth four, coxed by sophomore Kai Yoo, placed fifth out of 90. The women’s youth eight placed 32nd out of 90, and the women’s youth quad, coxed by senior Kyra Cherlopalle, received first place, with fellow seniors Harri Cheetham and Emme Adams, as well as junior Jenna Yoder.

On the weekend of Mar. 15-16, LGRC athletes attended Pacific Invite in San Francisco, a racecourse that is a little under 2,000-meters, and Slim-down Shammy in Redwood City, a full 2,000 meter race. On the 15th, athletes at Pacific Invite put down the hammer, bringing home seven gold medals and 18 total podium spots. In the women’s under-16 coxed quad, freshman Maya Logan and Chloe Stopford had a 15-second gap over the 2nd place finisher. The men’s under-17 eight got second place, with sophomores Luke Degraff and Mattieu Boillet, and freshman Joseph Willey. In the women’s under-17 double, sophomore Avni Agarwal and freshman Nar Ucar earned first place by over 13 seconds, and in the men’s under-16 quad, freshman Henry Monk decisively won their race by 12 seconds.

Meanwhile, the remaining LGRC athletes raced in Redwood Shores, in a duel regatta with Redwood Scullers, a rivalry that has been building for the past half-decade. On the 15th, the LGRC men’s team had a near-clean sweep of the men’s youth double, winning three out of the four races against Redwood. The women’s youth quads also beat Redwood in every race, something that the men’s youth quads kept going into Sunday, winning three out of three races. Out of their 14 races on Saturday, LGRC did not lose a single one. On Sunday, LGRC raced 28 times and won 19 of them. It is safe to say that LGRC had a successful weekend, and they hope to bring that energy into the upcoming San Diego Crew Classic (SDCC) at the end of the month.

SDCC has over 4,000 of some of the top junior rowers in the nation, and LGRC has developed a name for itself there. Just last year, every single women’s quad sent to SDCC placed in the top three in their respective categories, with the women’s youth B quad winning first. Additionally, the men’s team won four first-place finishes, taking home trophies for the youth quad, youth B quad, under-17 quad, and under-16 coxed quad. As these athletes prepare for SDCC and then Southwest regionals in May, there is a fierce determination for gold from all athletes.