At the Saltwater scrimmage 2020, the very first scrimmage of the spring season this past Sunday, March 8, Bainbridge Island Rowing varsity and novice teams took first in 7 out of 19 races and second in another 6 races.
The biggest loss of the day for BIR was in the category of sleep. With the end of Daylight Savings, rowers had to give up a precious nighttime hour to meet at 5 a.m. to begin the trek down to Budd Inlet for the scrimmage hosted by Olympia Area Rowing. The dark was accompanied by the cold: For several hours, the temperature hovered around 34 degrees, as rowers waited for the fog to lift. But once it did and the sun began to make an appearance, the temperature rose a welcome 12 degrees.
The scrimmage was attended by three teams. Vashon Island Rowing Club joined BIR and the event’s host, OAR, for the event.
This was the first regatta for many of the novice rowers. With some rowers out sick, a number of the junior rowers had to jump in new boats to sub. Despite the unanticipated challenges, Saltwater Scrimmage 2020 represented a good start to the season.
Photo courtesy of Timothy Verharen.
