Congratulations to Saint Ignatius HS and St. Joseph Academy for their stellar team performances this weekend at the 2023 Midwest Scholastic Championship Regatta! All teams at CRF have been working hard over the last year (and cumulatively over the past several years to build this level of success). Notably, SJA made history this weekend, bringing the women's points trophy back to Cleveland for the first time. I hope you have had an opportunity to enjoy the success of your daily dedication to excellence both on and off the water.
Saint Ignatius High School
"We are in the thick of a really fast region," says Head Coach Dom Santora, after he and his coaching staff led the Wildcats to winning The Men's Team Points Trophy this weekend at Midwest Champs. While it's important to enjoy the victories, along the way the team, who "qualified 5 boats for Nationals" has nothing but excellence on their minds as they "plan on raising the standard[s]" as they dial in their focus on taking the national title.
Saint Joseph Academy
Saint Joseph Academy competed in Midwest Championships this weekend; and, qualified 11 of 13 entries for the Grand Finals. For the first time in school history, the team won the Women's Sweep Points Trophy!
Case Western University
Coaches Nate Shoemaker and Katie Tolles speak enthusiastically of the young Spartan Crew, who at a size of "26 [athletes] - six [of which are] seniors - [the] team is definitely young, and is heavily comprised [of] sophomores." As they look forward to the 2023-2024 season, the coaches are optimistic based their performances this spring. "Building the strength of our team base, solidified by regatta successes, is setting us up well for [next year]."
John Carroll University
Kristen Runner stepped in as Head Coach for the JCU Wolf pack this spring, and is thrilled to report that the season - albeit abbreviated- was nothing short of magical. In a sentence, the spring season was "highly enthusiastic" and was focused on "rebuilding [the young team]" that graduated just 3 seniors this year. She went on to say that "no one had more fun on the water than us!"
Beaumont/Laurel
Amber Douglass stepped in as interim Head Coach for the Beaumont/Laurel teams this spring. Although the team is not currently competing, the young women, their parents, and the schools are aligned. She notes that "[the] athletes have been excelling through the challenges of this season, having a blast finishing workouts out in the inner harbor and utilizing the [yellow] CRF Race 1xs for skill building sessions."
Additional congratulations to Lizzie Johnston, a Laurel alum. She is currently a coxswain at Michigan State University who was named to the Big Ten First Team this weekend.
Cleveland State University
CSU is still without a coach, and CRF is working in the background to engage the alumni network, establish a way to move forward, and regain a competitive collegiate team in the heart of Cleveland.
Western Reserve Rowing Association
Heidi Lamb reports that "all teams are filled but there might be some slots open for [experienced] rowers if anyone is interested" As far as the Learn to Rows, they had a "very good" turnout with "approximately 100 [participants]." WRRA was able to create "five novice teams [out of] 55 rowers, and about 10-12 novices/new to WRRA rowers placed in experienced boats."
RowCleveland
CRF has been building relationships with the Davis Aerospace + Maritime High School students and teachers in partnership with Argonaut. Last week, Davis came to CRF to engage in a 5 hour boathouse immersion where students learned about boat anatomy, did a dock box and erg session, and received a general tour from Executive Director, Jen Forbes. Students also got the opportunity to ride on Flotsam and Jetsam with their captains. CRF is working with UltraMissions and Argonaut in professional development sessions to engage teachers in the process. Strategy sessions are in progress.
- Jen Forbes