Rowing Club of the Woodlands: Mastering All Elements

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Rowing Club of The Woodlands is building momentum ahead of next month's USRowing Central Youth Regional Regatta, with strong performances in three dramatically different weather conditions across the country.

The season began at the Heart of Texas Regatta in Austin in February, where Woodlands rowers reached the podium in 16 events despite freezing temperatures. This strong start established a pattern of resilience that would continue throughout their campaign.

In late March, a contingent of 12 athletes traveled to the prestigious San Diego Crew Classics. In the men's 1V quad, Liam Barnes, Harry Godin, Graham McCoy, and Mariano Gomez won the B group finals, putting them in 8th place. The men's V2 quad, consisting of Charlie Adams, Adrian Manrique, Elliot Godin, and Evan Bebak, also rowed well in San Diego. Alisha Muncherjee, Lili Shiver, Enya Krathaus, and Maria Bustamante rowed to 4th place against much larger West Coast crews in the women's top varsity quad. This will surely be the competition at USRowing Nationals in Sarasota. All athletes and coaches enjoyed the beautiful venue and perfect weather. They even found time for a swim at the beach before flying home.

Most recently, twelve athletes confronted snow and near-freezing conditions at the OKC Youth Invitational. Elliot Godin, Shawn Su, Maria Nakashima, Elsie Godin, Elli Jelineki, Harry Godin, Charlie Adams, Allison Fruehwirth, and Dariia Pylypenko hit the water in singles in 38-degree weather. As snow fell on their boats, Allison and Dasha finished first and second, respectively, in their women's U19 1x race. Shawn placed 2nd in the U17 Men's 1x, and Elliot placed 3rd. Maria (1st), Elli (2nd), and Elsie (3rd) swept the U17 women's 1x category. Harry and Charlie raced in the men's U19 1x, placing 2nd and 4th, respectively. Alexia Fierro Lopez and Isabella Irarragorri won first place in the Women's U19 doubles, and Allison and Elsie placed second. Brothers Harry and Elliot Godin competed in the U17 men's doubles for the first time together and won first place. Madi Dillard and Maria Nakashima also placed first in their U17 double. All twelve athletes competed in quads and scored high in their categories.

The club has bolstered its coaching staff for the championship push, welcoming back guest coach Mark Levinson, who rowed at Dartmouth and on the US National Team, to introduce specialized training protocols and advanced technique refinements to both the Junior and Masters teams. Levinson joins an already robust coaching team that includes British Olympic rower Cameron Buchan as program design specialist, along with Head Coach Richard Kelvin and Coach Joe Flynn.

Under the expert guidance of their expanded coaching team, athletes have returned to the Lake Woodlands boathouse, where they've begun an intensive month-long training regimen designed for the Central Youth Regional Regatta.

For community members interested in joining the program, the club offers adult learn-to-row weekends and junior learn-to-row camps beginning in mid-June. More information is available at www.woodlandsrowing.org.