GRS spent yesterday with the Masters' squad at Head of the American at the beautiful Lake Natoma. We raced in the 2x and 4x categories with some incredible performances!

Above, Maya and Kaitlin launching in the 2x. We had to walk up to our quads to put the boats in the water - something most of the girls hadn't done before! Everyone took the beach launch in stride... not to mention the cool water felt nice on such a warm Autumn day!
Below, Hannah, Khushi, Elise, and Brooke heading off for their race in the 4x. 

 Everyone's race went well! The double, below, dropped 92s from their race at the Head of the Port, despite some wild race conditions - the U17 men's Eights started their race right after the junior 2xs. Because there are 8 people rowing in those larger boats, they generally move much faster than a boat moved by just 2 people. The U17 men's 8s started passing Maya and Kaitlin before they were half way through their race, and in the picture below we can see them approaching the finish line caged in between two of the 8s. (The girls are in the dark double to the left of the green and white eights; the finish line is to the right) The double held their point and stayed in a straight line for the ~200m that they were being flanked - that's some impressive focus!

Our quad also had a great race. Since their first race EVER at the Head of the Port, they reported that they felt much calmer and more consistent during this race. They dropped 12s from the previous race, and kept their focus on each other instead of on all of the other racers. Catch the end of their race below! 

Our team went to our first official regatta this Sunday, Head of the Port in Sacramento. We entered in the Women's Junior 2x and the Women's Junior Novice 4x. Both boats raced hard and had a blast!!

The Double raced at 10:50 with two of our seniors, Maya Weldon-Lagrimas and Kaitlin Schroeder. (Maya in Stroke, Kaitlin in Bow). The girls battled high winds, white caps, and an unpredictable course to come in second place in their first time racing together!

We are so proud of our team! This weekend, the girls had to truly trust each other. Rowing in a regatta is a pure test of integrity and commitment; without these things, the racers cannot find their limits. The girls have been practicing hard to build the strength of their relationship, and it paid off on the race course.

Girls Row Stockton is back and rowing hard! Our first day of practice was Tuesday, August 7, and we've been on the water every weekday since. 
We've been rowing in singles, doubles, and, obviously, the quad! The picture above is from our practice on Friday. We spent half of practice working on our handle... handling, and the second half of practice working some pressure pieces! The girls were definitely ready to sleep in on Saturday :D

The girls waving goodbye... for NOW!! ​Girls Row Stockton will be back for the fall season on August 7!!

We finished our summer camps on Friday, July 27 with an exhibition row from our girls. It was unbelievable - the scullers have gone from incredible nerves in a quad:

To spending some time in singles...

To really becoming a team!

What a day! We had time for a circuit before getting out on the water, and then a quick warm-up before we started doing pieces with doubles and singles. The important thing to remember about sculling is that even though we sometimes row in just one boat, we are ALWAYS a team. We represent Girls Row Stockton - a sculling team that wants to work hard, go fast, and grow strong as a team. Looking at the picture above, we might look like a bunch of different boats trying to compete against one another, but we have to work as a team to make all of this happen!
We need:
Communication
Trust
Commitment
Energy
When we are on a team, we feed off of one another - we can find our best selves when our community is there to support our search. As competitors, we can push each other to achieve greater things than we thought possible - but only if we, ourselves, are putting in that effort.

​Hello everyone!

First of all, let me say that I am so proud of all of the girls for their hard work this week. They have made INCREDIBLE strides since they first started learning this difficult sport, only 3 weeks ago! If you think about it, they've only had at maximum 15 days on the water. Yesterday, the last day of practice this week, they rowed 6 kilometers together - that's a good row! We wouldn't be able to do this if the girls weren't committed to the sport, to improvement, and most of all, to each other.

On that final note, we took some time at the end of practice on Friday to talk about how to improve our teamwork skills for the coming week (and hopefully, the Fall season!!). We planned out some of the actions that we want to stop, some that we want to start, and some that we want to continue. The girls were very thoughtful about how they have been treating their teammates, how they want to grow closer to their teammates, and how they want to be treated, themselves. 

This Friday, on the last day of practice, we are planning a little exhibition row for all of you supporters - so put that on your calendar and keep your eyes peeled for more details! We will have a little picnic, certificates of completion, racing, and hopefully the opportunity for you all to ride alongside the girls, either in a launch or other boat. It's going to be very exciting!

Take a look at some of the photos we have from this week!

​Our first day back on the water this week and we were joined by two big tugboats, waiting for a GIANT freighter. We took haven in back in the cove, and then started right back out again. Very cool. In the quad are Nia, Rainne, Giolanna, and Hannah, from left-to-right (bow-to-stern)

​On Wednesday, we were joined by two amazing women - Anna Malaika NtiAsare-Tubbs, wife of Stockton Mayor Tubbs and all-around wonder woman. Anna went to Stanford, then Cambridge, and is now working on her PhD. She is devoted to improving young people's understanding of social injustices, and it was a great opportunity for Girls Row Stockton to have her attend part of our practice! After the girls got off the water, they had time for a short q&a with our second fantastic visitor, pictured above: Daphne Martschenko. Daphne grew up in Virginia, where she started rowing in high school. After some setbacks - like being cut from a major juniors rowing camp right after high school - she rallied her inner strength to push toward her goals... and she succeeded! Daphne rowed for 3 years at Stanford, then she continued rowing at Cambridge, where she was the first woman of color to race at the oldest and most famous boat race in the world, the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Not only that... but she won, twice! Daphne is now the president of the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club, and she spends her time here in the United States helping run a summer camp devoted to overcoming the summer learning gap for middle school students. A couple of paraphrased highlights from the q&a:

Question: Did you ever want to go to the Olympics?
Daphne: I did, once. But goals change. There are a lot of different things that make rowing worthwhile... and now I'm spending my time giving back to the community that gave so much to me. You can start rowing for a lot of different reasons; whether you want to row in college, or you want to get in shape, or if you want to be part of a team. There are a lot of lessons that we can take away from rowing, and a lot of important goals that you can achieve that aren't just the Olympics! 

Question: How long did it take you to become a 'master' at rowing?
Daphne: (laughs) Well, I've been rowing for 13 years... and there are still things that I'm working on. That's a beautiful thing about rowing - you are never perfect, you just keep trying to get better.

Question: What was your biggest fear when you started rowing?
Daphne: Flipping the boat! I wasn't a good swimmer, I was so scared of going in the water! 
Question: Did you ever flip?
Daphne: Yes! Twice! But I got back in!

​A couple of photos from Friday Practice: see if you can spot your sculler!!!

​Finally, two photos from our Stop-Start-Continue after practice on Friday, with the girls working together to come up with some ways they will improve their teamwork. what great kids!

Thank you all so much for your continued support - 
Looking forward to getting EVEN BETTER in the week to come, and having tons of fun!