Raleigh Emerges as New Force at 2016 High Point Regatta

Festival Park at Oak Hollow Lake was the venue for the 2016 High Point Regatta.
Festival Park at Oak Hollow Lake was the venue for the 2016 High Point Regatta.

Festival Park at Oak Hollow Lake, High Point – Triangle Rowing Club, the premier youth rowing program from Raleigh, turned the tables on High Point in dramatic fashion at the 2016 High Point Regatta on Saturday.

The Raleigh squad notched up 14 wins in the youth events compared to High Point’s three. High Point won the Girls First Eights, the Boys Double Sculls, and the Girls Quad sculls events.

“This was a reversal from last year when High Point dominated the regatta,” says Coach Gene Kininmonth. “I give full credit to Triangle for bouncing back the way they have. Now it is our turn to find ways to bounce forward from this weekend.”

Kininmonth says anyone watching Saturday’s races would assume that Triangle is significantly better than High Point. “The difference between the two squads isn’t that deep and is likely only 3-4 rowers on each of the boys and girls sides of the roster. Small roster differences can have big impacts on rowing squads and that is why we can see such huge swings in the results from one year to the next. Full credit to Triangle for raising the bar this year.”

In other racing action, High Point’s Masters squad raced rowers from Raleigh Rowing Center and Belmont Rowing Club on Saturday. Opening the day was the Masters Maiden Eights in which two High Point crews battled each other to the line.

High Point’s ‘most adorable couple’ of Scott and Katie Jones then led High Point to victory in the Masters Mixed Double Sculls. Scott and Katie won the Head of the South in Augusta, South Carolina last Autumn and have their sights set on the Virginia Boat Club Masters Sprints in Richmond later this summer.

In the Women’s Masters Eights final, High Point’s ‘A’ boat lost narrowly to Belmont Rowing Club in the 1,000m sprint, with High Point ‘B’ completing the field.

FULL RESULTS

High Point Rowing – Spring Regatta with Triangle and Belmont from Carolina SkyWorks on Vimeo.