Gold Rush Masters Regatta

DSC was well represented at this year’s Gold Rush Masters Regatta at Lake Natoma. All four events generated much excitement. Bob Oprandy waited his turn at the starting line till the other five older racers were off, and with a strong push in the second half he passed three of his competitors. In his first non-novice race, Bob Lee bested Bob O’s time by quite a bit in a later race, finishing behind three of the fastest Masters scullers in his age category in the U.S.! In a Women’s Novice 1x race, only 5.6 seconds separated all four entrants and Linda Payne, in her first race ever, finished less than 2 seconds behind the winner and just ahead of Shari Lowen, former DSC Board member who finished in third place. Rebecca Abreu would have been right in the mix if an equipment failure hadn’t forced her out of the race, but she later sculled alongside Rachel Tappero in the TA (Trunk and Arms) race. Mario Gonzales raced in a 2x with Renaldo Abreu in bow in the LTA category, finishing in 5:35. Rachel and Mario continue to be para rowing pioneers in Central California regattas. A host of DSC volunteers helped make the day a great success.