RowFest Summer Nats and Philly IDR: Hardware and Wins with PennAC Gold

This post is a long read because we have so much to say about an absolutely transformative summer. If you're here for the race results and videos/photos, we promise you'll find them a little farther down the page.

First, we start with lots of well-deserved thanks. We are forever grateful to our coaches at OARS--JonMichael Francis, Michael Small, Kirsten Anderson, and Emily Goldsmith--for your faith, support, recommendations and encouragement to reach for new heights and goals this summer as we trained with the extraordinary team of coaches Sierra Williams, Claire Anderson, Mackenna Cameron, and select elite athletes at PennAC Gold. Thank you, PennAC coaches! You believed and invested in us, and for as much as we learned in our too-short time together, you made oceans of difference in how we perform today and where we will go tomorrow. We also thank our PennAC Gold Director, Paul Coomes, and Program Leader, Sophia Williams, for all the patience and impeccable planning and guidance you provided to our coaches, our teammates and our family. Together we all made our way through the weeks as a group, then a team, then a FORCE.

All summer we focused on tech, water, mental and mindset skills while training to compete. It was intense and different and awesome getting into boats with rowers from so many programs and making new lineups move fast in every seat, every boat, every race. And it was an early and valuable look into collegiate racing and training.

A bit of an exception to the new lineups experience was of course our pair, which we'd raced at Youth Nationals in Sarasota. Getting back in this boat at RowFest was still a bit challenging as we hadn't practiced in it since our preparation for Youth Nats. Still, it was a fantastic way to kick off the event, with both our heat and final on opening Saturday. Here's some video from our 1st place heat win (volume UP for some great commentary!):

Anna and Maija racing the 2- and winning their heat against a competitive Row America Rye boat

After winning the heat, we raced against a fast pack in the A Final, earning a proud podium finish and the bronze medal. Throughout both races, we demonstrated control, connection and skilled steering (YES, Anna!).

Outside of the pair, we raced in separate events throughout RowFest. To start off Sunday, Maija stroked the Youth straight four to a silver. This was an event with a little drama in its wake. In the heat race, the neighboring RowAmerica Rye boat almost collided with our PennAC boat just off the start, and then again near the finish. That boat impeded our progress and took the faster time, but we protested and gained recognition as the rightful first place finisher, and thus we secured the preferred lane for our final. The final was close, but the boat that had fouled us in the heat figured out their steering issues (way to go, ladies!) and took gold with a time of 7:10.84. We followed close behind at 7:15.12, with the second RowAmerica Rye boat at 7:26.50, Ready Set Row at 7:36.72, and the other two boats in our final further behind.

This boat was a very successful learning opportunity for Maija. At OARS, she almost exclusively rows port, AND OARS does not compete in the 4- category. So stroking a starboard-rigged 4- was a challenge. Putting her growing skills and teammate trust in play, she guided the crew to quickly respond to the interference from the Rye boat in the heat race with a swift but controlled rate shift, and then worked with her boat to submit the protest that would win them the better lane placement in the final.

Video of the 4- SILVER finish and a photo of the boat in their final:

Anna rowed her first race on Sunday in the U23 4+ in 3 seat, with her OARS teammate Emmie Elliott in two seat. This race also had an interesting twist as the boat that won the heat was later excluded, having failed the coxswain weight requirements. Our PennAC boat was the "young" boat in the category, with two U17 rowers, and two rowers on the young end of the U19 range. And we still put in a very solid silver performance.

Then with less than an hour between starts, the four rowers from this U23 4+ hot seated into the U23 8+ (only 42 minutes between starts for the final!) and powered through to a bronze. Anna rowed port in six seat for this race, a change from her usual starboard side and a nod to her boat-moving power. Boosted by some very well-placed inspiration from coxswain Margaret (Rose) Lightfoot, the girls lifted their boat from 4th in the heat to 3rd in the final with an impressive shave of the gap between their time and the times of the 1st and 2nd place boats.

See a video and a photo of the U23 8+ final, and photos of the U23 4+ final:

With less than 50 minutes between race starts, and after earning a silver as the "young" entry of the U23 4+ event, these four rowers jumped into the U23 8+ PennAC A boat and another podium finish.

Tuesday offered a wave of U17, Youth and U23 1k sprint races. Maija competed in the U23 4- and in the WY8+ B boats. Her U23 4- boat raced uncontested, but ever the gritty workers, these girls managed to make a lot of interesting and proud moments from this opportunity. Maija raced starboard again and this time as bow! Having only steered a boat as bow a few times EVER, she managed to make some strong gains in her steering between the heat and the final--and a genuine appreciation for bow seat rowers! The boat also improved their time by 2.5 seconds from heat to final, while rowing without the motivation of competitors, and their 3:39.940 final finish likely would have placed them in contention for a medal in the competitive WY4- race. (The WY4- silver finisher came in at 3:35.72, and the bronze finished at 3:41.900.)

Watch the video to the end to follow Maija's steering and the commentators' compliments, including "best celebration yet."

Maija and two of the three other rowers on the U23 4- also competed in the WY8+ B boat, which finished in 5th place after having put in a stronger 4th place finish in their heat, and after a long few days of racing.

In addition to RowFest, Anna and Maija competed in the Independence Day Regatta on the Schuylkill River where they earned a 2nd place finish in their PennAC WY8+ B boat. Anna and Maija were the bow pair of this 2V 8+. This historic event was meaningful in many ways, and pumped up the team as they continued to train for summer nationals at RowFest.

The hardware is cool, but the work behind it and so much more are what we most value from our PennAC Gold experience. Spending the summer in Philadelphia amplified our appreciation for the sport and its history. Being surrounded with and competing against superior athletes who model what we want to be and who pushed us to work motivated us in ways we hadn't imagined. Learning to listen in new ways and opening ourselves up to adjustments on things we already thought were great improved our coach-ability. Giving it our all to make new lineups fast regardless of seat, boat or any reason to give ourselves "an out" reinforced how we live our motto, "WORK HARDER THAN YOU'RE ASKED." We are beyond grateful for these treasures that will prepare us for elite collegiate rowing, our goal as we continue the rowing journey.

Orlando Area Rowing Society home club teammates met up on land and cheered each other on (quietly) as they competed in races and for team points, representing PennAC Gold and Ready Set Row at RowFest.

PennAC's IG Post featuring Maija's (bow seat) U23 4-

Never gets old seeing our Dirt 2- in a post!

Arriving at camp, we went straight to check out the historic Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill

Anna catching some coaching after a first-place finish in the pair heat race at RowFest.
Thanks, Coach Sierra! We love you!

There were so many reasons to smile at RowFest. What a way to cap off the summer!

Our dad and mom made the trip from Florida to cheer us on. No way they would miss it!