Marin Rowing's athletes took top medals at the famed Head of the Charles last weekend in the first major regatta of the season.
The Marin High School Boy's 8 from Greenbrae, Calif. won for the second year in a row, tying the record for consecutive victories with Eton, the legendary English prep school.
The Marin High School Girl's 8 took 2nd out of a field of 74 boats, the same impressive result as last year. Though the girls beat the perennial local favorite, Community Rowing Inc, this year's winner was the Oakland Strokes, Marin's San Francisco Bay Area nemesis.
The prestigious international event, held on the scenic Charles River in Cambridge, Mass., is the world's largest regatta, with nearly 9,000 competitors from several continents and more than a quarter million spectators.
The time for the Marin boys was excellent -- 15:06.98 for the 3.2 mile course, 16 seconds in front of Eton.
Five Marin boys returned this year to win their second gold medals -- Scott Kennedy, Patrick Konttinen, Sam Seder, Greig Stein and Peter Woolley. They were joined by newcomers David Slater, Julian Goldman, Elliott Gutekunst and coxswain Kenny Thompson.
"I love going to the East Coast and showing West Coast speed," Boys' Coach Graham Willoughby said. "West Coast rowing is sometimes not viewed very highly from the East Coast institutions at the high school level, so it's really nice to go out there and show them what we've been up to."
The five Marin girls who took second last year -- Sophie Rosenoer, Elizabeth Littman, Logan Harris, Charlotte Passot, and Marlena Morshead, were joined by Camille Kisseberth, Megan Oeschel, Bridget Konttinen and Coxswain Jill Berling.
It was a strong start for Marin's season. Last year, both the Marin girls and boys 8+ boats went on to win the National Championships.
"Quite simply, the girls and I went to this race to win. While we are disappointed to take second, we are proud to do that to one of the best programs in the country, and to take second in a field of 74 boats," Executive Director and Girls' Coach Sandy Armstrong said. "Overall, I could not be more proud of the performance of all the crews representing Marin Rowing this weekend."
On a cloudy weekend where rain threatened but temperatures were mild and winds calm, the entire Marin Rowing club proved it has one of the top rowing programs in the nation. The Age 50 Women's 8 took gold as did the age 70 Master Men's 4. The age 40 Master Men's 8 and the club's age 40 Women's 4 each won bronze; the age 40 Master Women's 8 narrowly missed a medal with 4th place. "We have been focused on training for, and winning, this race for three years now," said Master Women's Coach Deirdre McLoughlin, "It is an incredible achievement and I am proud of my athletes."
Club member Dan Felling took 13th in the internationally studded Championship Singles field, while the 68-year-old Landon Carter took silver in the veteran singles and 75-year-old Penelope Starr took seventh, moving up two places from her ninth place start position.
Marin Rowing entered 15 events and qualified 14 crews for automatic entry into the 2012 Head of the Charles event.
For more information on the Northern California club, (located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Greenbrae) and how to get involved go to www.marinrowing.org.