The latest issue (January 2019) of the print magazine Rowing News features the best reader-submitted photos of 2018. One of those photos, splashed across a spread near the center of the magazine, features four 8s passing under the Montlake Bridge at the University of Washington-hosted Head of the Lake Regatta this past November. There in the center of the photo are two combined images of one of Bainbridge Island Rowing girls’ varsity 8 squads.
Photographer Alex Grummer captured the BIR boat and a rival Holy Names Academy squad just as they were passing under the bridge. Grummer explained that he created a single composite image from four separate photos, two of each team, by stitching them together.
The result is what looks like a dead heat among four boats, two of which are Holy Names Academy squads and two of which are BIR 8s. Two boats are at the catch stage of the stroke, and two are in recovery. The BIR images are stitched in the center of the photo and the Holy Names images are on the outside.
In the photo’s caption, Grummer explained his decision to stitch the photos together: “Part of my inspiration for creating this image was the mental challenge of head racing, where the boat you’re trying to beat is not necessarily beside you or even within your view, but you’ve got to keep the pressure on the whole time like they’re right there beside you.” Grummer’s photo is also featured on the home page of his photography website, Grummer Photography. The photographer showcases numerous other sharp and breathtaking pictures of Seattle and its surrounding waters in his portfolio.
Joshua Kyles, a novice rower with Vashon Island Rowing Club, also submitted a Seattle-based photo that was included in the Rowing News January 2019 feature. His photo shows a mass of boats gathering under the Fremont Bridge.
Rowing News is a publication of USRowing. All Championship-level members of the organization are subscribed to the magazine. USRowing enjoys a membership of about 80,000 athletes and 1,400 organizations.
Photo courtesy of Alex Grummer.