By Cole Garvey
Sports Editor
Seniors Jessie Duckworth and Michelle Drandell rowed their way to an impressive finish at the 2018 Youth National Rowing Championships.
Duckworth and Drandell competed in the 2018 Youth National Rowing Championships from June 8-10 at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, California. The girls raced three times during the weekend in the Women’s Varsity 4x event and placed fourth in their time trial, first in their heat and fourth in the grand final.
“I trained super hard for this event,” Drandell said. “Many mornings we woke up at four a.m. to practice. All of our extra hours of training and dedication paid off and we placed fouth in the nation.”
The Youth National Rowing Championships was hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center and included 1,500 athletes, 350 crews and 150 teams, who all came together at Lake Natoma to compete in one of the top rowing events in the country. This final event was the culmination of seven other qualification regional championships around the country.
“It was a tough crowd and we raced the best crews in the country, so coming out with fourth place is an amazing accomplishment,” Duckworth said.
Duckworth and Drandell both row for the Marina Aquatic Center (MAC). MAC is one of the most competitive rowing programs in the Los Angeles area. MAC pulls athletes from high schools such as Mira Costa, El Segundo, Brentwood, Redondo Union and Palisades Charter. MAC helps its rowers progress to the next level, as MAC alumni compete at 45 universities throughout the United States. MAC has been competing in competitions around the country since 2007 with most important races taking place in San Diego.
“MAC has been super influential in my life,” Duckworth said. “I’ve not only met some really incredible people, but I’ve had opportunities to travel all over the country for races, competing against the top junior programs. MAC is and always will be my second home and second family.”
In the final race of the season, the girls faced off against four of the best rowing teams in the nation. The race was close throughout, with many lead changes in the first several meters. In the final minutes of the race, Connecticut Boat Club proved to be the clear winner, easily holding off Row America Rye a club from Milton Harbor New York for first place.
“Nationals was such an amazing experience, and I loved racing against the fastest crews in the country,” Drandell said. “I’ve learned that in order to compete at a high level you must be willing to sacrifice things and be 100 percent dedicated.”
Dayton Rowing Club is a located in Miami, and MAC was neck and neck at the end of the race, both vying for the third place spot. MAC eventually fell 2 seats behind Dayton, yet still battled for position. Dayton barely edged past MAC, taking the third place medal in the tournament. Although MAC finished fourth and just off the podium, they were extremely proud of their performance.
“This season, my team and I are hoping to repeat last year’s success,” Drandell said. “We are going to train harder, get faster, and improve everyday to be the best that we can be.”
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