Eight athletes from Vashon Island Rowing Club travelled to Sarasota, Florida this month, where they picked up impressive wins in the USRowing Youth National Championships.

The women’s under-17 quadruple sculls (Kiran Rajaratnam, Gwen Tomlinson, Willa Lee, Rose Ely) and the men’s under-16 coxed quadruple sculls (Brendan Blower, Arlo Harris, Alden Metler, Grayson Hamilton, coxed by Kiran Rajaratnum) earned their spots on that national stage back in May, with strong performances at the Northwest Regional Championships in Vancouver, Washington.

During the lead up to nationals, the athletes dedicated themselves to their training and fundraising efforts for the big trip. They held a successful car wash and bake sale, met with support from the Vashon community that made their competition at nationals possible.

The team encountered hot, humid and temperamental weather in Florida, where competition began Thursday, June 12. The U17 quad’s time trials were postponed due to thunderstorms, but both crews found success in the first race of the weekend and both boats qualifying for semifinals that Friday.

Issues in the competition caused a long wait for the U17 quad semifinals and left the teams anxiously wondering if they’d qualified. “Our boat went through some quick turnarounds with boat placing uncertainties,” rower Willa Lee said, “but I think we did a great job of staying on top of everything, having each others’ backs and keeping a positive attitude through it all.”

In the end, the girls boat participated in a nine boat semifinal instead of a typical eight boat race. They put down their fastest pace of the year, leaving the course feeling proud and accomplished.

“During our second race we were completely in the zone and rowing as one body and mind,” rower Rose Ely said. “After a complicated day full of race delays, we had been given a chance to come back and absolutely crush it. That’s exactly what we did.”

The boys’ semifinal was tougher. “Going into the semifinals we had high hopes coming off such a great performance the day before,” Grayson Hamilton said. “The race didn’t turn out exactly as planned. Even after a not ideal performance, we stayed positive and kept high hopes for the next day.”

On Saturday the boys had their chance at redemption — and they delivered. Racing against the fastest crews in the country, the U16 coxed quad placed 11th in the nation and the U17 quad finished 12th.

The team’s spirit and camaraderie went beyond just boats, with their coach, teammates and parents showing up at the course to cheer on the boats as they crossed the finish line. Back on Vashon, their teammates woke up at 4 a.m. to attend a watch party to root for them.

“After a record breaking year with our roster and a lot of rapid growth, including adding coaching staff and expanding our fleet to make sure everyone had a seat and set of oars, seeing forward progress across the entire team brings the coaching staff a lot of excitement for next year,” said head coach Ben Steele. “For now we’re focused on enjoying summer out on the water with our youth and adult team.”

Learn more about the rowing club, including summer programs available for youths and adults, at vashoncrew.com.

Kiran Rajaratnum is an athlete with the Vashon Island Rowing Club.