Community Rowing, Inc. Holds Middle/High School Indoor Rowing Competition
Community Rowing, Inc. yesterday held the Second Annual YETI (Youth Erg Trials International) competition, the largest indoor youth rowing championship in the country, with more than 1,100 indoor rowers from 26 Boston Public and other area schools participating.
The competition, for Boston-area middle-school and high-school students, took place at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.
State Rep. Chynah Tyler, from the Suffolk County 7th District, joined the crowd to cheer on the students, and Paralympic Silver Medalist Jennifer Sichel handed medals out to the winning relay teams. Lawrence High School took home the trophy oar for the most overall points, having swept the high school level event, placing first, second, and third.
"This was a fantastic event,” said Community Rowing, Inc. Board President Lila McCain. “It was so inspiring to see so many kids racing competing in all the activity challenges."
Middle-school students in mixed teams of four each rowed for 90 seconds in the
sprint competitions on C2 indoor rowing machines provided by Community Rowing.
High-school students, including students with disabilities, rowed relay races of mixed teams of three, each rowing for two minutes. Separate competitions were held for teams from each school in grades 5 through 12.
A summary of the top winners at yesterday’s event:
5th Grade Relay:
1st: Haley School
2nd: Warren-Prescott
3rd: Mildred Ave. School
High School Inclusion Relay:
1st: Boston Green Academy
2nd: Brighton High Shcool
3rd: Brighton High School
Middle School Inclusion Relay:
1st: Warren-Prescott School
2nd; Mildred Ave
3rd: Frederick Pilot School
6th Grade Relay:
1st: Dover-Sherborne
2nd: Eliot
3rd: Gardner Pilot
7th Grade Relay:
1st: Donald McKay School
2nd: Haley School
3rd: Gardner Pilot
8th Grade Relay:
1st: Maritime
2nd: Dover
3rd: Maritime
High School Relay:
1st Lawrence High School
2nd Lawrence High School
3rd Lawrence High School
Participants yesterday were rowers in CRI’s in-school indoor rowing programs.
“YETI helps celebrate the amazing progress of the youth in our Middle School Indoor Rowing Program,” said Ted Benford, Interim Director of CRI. “The program works in partnership with the Boston PublicSchools and other towns across New England to increase daily physical activity and introduce youth with and without disabilities to the sport of rowing.”
The event also featured sports clinics by community partners including Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center, Artemis Yoga, BOKS, and Billion Mile Race.
Community Rowing provided 60 Concept2 indoor rowing machines for the event. Prizes included medals for the fastest team in each grade, and Lawrence High was awarded the first-place-overall full-sized oar.
The event was sponsored by Tufts Health Plan, Gentle Giant Moving Company, The New Balance Foundation, and The Boston Foundation.
Last year’s overall winner was Mildred Avenue, in Mattapan.
ABOUT COMMUNITY ROWING, INC.
Community Rowing, Inc., based in Brighton, MA, is the largest nonprofit rowing organization in the United States, serving more than 7,000 youth and adults with a range of programs for beginners, recreational rowers, and competitive athletes. CRI promotes health and fitness for the entire greater Boston community, delivering after-school programs to urban youth, health and fitness programs to physically and mentally challenged members of the community, and learn-to-row programming for kids and adults. Programs include one-time learning-to-row classes to year-round memberships. CRI was founded in 1985 by a group of Olympic and National Team Rowers with the goal of widening the circle of rowing and securing public access for the sport on the Charles River. Today the organization has more than 30 programs and a fleet of more than 120 sweep and sculling shells. Learn more at www.communityrowing.org.
