Nutrition propels Parati to victory in Austin

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Parati Competitive Rowing athletes arrived at Festival Beach in Austin, Texas unabashedly wearing “pumpkinhead” knitted caps for the 28th Annual Head of the Colorado Regatta. Affectionately known as “The Pumpkin Head", hence the unique headgear of Parati, this regatta draws 30 clubs together for intense competition each fall.

Entering 24 boats amidst a field of 572 entries, Parati returned time and again to the podium throughout the day to collect their medals. Fueled by a customized meal plan designed by team nutritionist Robert Duffy working in concert with local restaurateur Aaron Johnson, the athletes were surrounded by sustenance designed to achieve optimal performance.

You had to wake up pretty early to catch site of Montgomery High sophomore Liam Watkins as he brought home the gold medal in the Mens Junior Novice Single event closely followed by teammate Woodlands High School freshman Andres Bandera who secured the bronze medal.

Midday yielded another Gold medal finish for the dynamic duo of senior Hugo Gomez and his brother and Andrew Gomez as they catapulted past the competition in the Mens Junior Lightweight Double event, finishing with a time of 15:47.3, more than one full minute ahead of the next best team. A senior and a junior respectively, the Gomez brothers are students at the Conroe ISD Academy of Science & Technology.

The Parati cheering section continued to grow hoarse as they zealously witnessed the hard-fought bronze medal finish of Woodlands High School seniors Daniel Dalton and Hector Bandera in the Mens Junior Double Scull event.

In an elegant display of rowing finesse, Woodlands High School senior Ian Miller capped off his fall season with a Silver medal, nearly overtaking the first place finisher with a time of 17:15 flat for the Mens Junior Lightweight Single Scull race. In the same event, close on the heels of the third place finisher was Austin Bae, College Park Academy of Sciences Junior.

But, the day was not yet over for the prolific Parati crew as John Puzz, Homeschool junior, vanquished 7 other contenders, earning the bronze medal in the Men’s Junior Single scull event.

Unfazed by her sophomore status, Maddie Miller of The Woodlands High School, blistered past the varsity field to take home the Gold in the Women’s Junior Lightweight Single Scull competition.

With 7 trips to the podium, nearly 30% of the boats entered by Parati captured a top 3 finish and 10 other Parati boats (rowed by seniors Grace Carbajal, Sydney Barker, Nick Fazzino, John Burton, Shu Liu and Luke O’Connell; juniors Colin Jones, J.D. Telford, Marcello Falchetti, Nate Johnson and Blake Eastwick; sophomores Lewis Longbottom, Audrey Brown and Emma Sorrell )placed in the top 10, including boats with novice rowers competing against varsity athletes.

In total, Team Parati clocked approximately 38 rowing hours and logged over 288,000 meters during this one day head race, burning nearly 19,000 calories in the process. What were the key ingredients that played a vital role in this unprecedented level of success?

Perhaps it was the 35 pounds of chicken, 180 eggs and 12 pounds of bacon or the perfectly timed consumption of granola bars, protein shakes and dried fruit and nuts.

“We devote significant attention to calculating the ideal energy needed by our rowers for successful training and competition. We focus not only on getting the correct nutrients but also on timing. The rowers start carb loading two nights in advance. We are looking for every advantage we can get and proper fueling on race day is crucial” explained Nutrition and Strength Coach Robert Duffy.

“The athletes often send me photos of their food choices to verify proper calibration for the stamina needed in these grueling 5000 meter races.” Or, some might ascribe this level of prowess to the thousands of rowing hours this newly formed high caliber team jampacked into the seven short weeks since acquiring their fleet of boats.

Either way, Parati Coaches Mike Rosman and Gordon Erndt closed the regatta by congratulating the athletes for the success borne of their persistent commitment to hard work, ethical conduct and sportsmanlike competition.

Parati returned to The Woodlands exhausted but victorious, motivated by their achievements, primed and “ready” (Parati means “ready” in Latin) to pursue a rigorous training regimen over the winter in preparation for the spring sprint season. Meanwhile Parati seniors continue to participate in official college visits with collegiate rowing teams across the country eager to sign letters of intent with these talented varsity athletes.