Regionals

This was Kylie's last year at Regionals.  She and her team would be racing together for the last time, unless they qualified for Nationals.  They had two chances, in their Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+, to place in the top three in the finals. But first they had to qualify for finals by placing in the top three in their heats. Needless to say, the atmosphere was pretty tense!

 

Fortunately the water was calm!

 

First was their 8+ heat race, early Friday morning.  They launched before Brad and I got there, and I was too nervous to take many pictures during the race!

 

It was close, but they placed 3rd, earning a spot in the finals.

 

Finals for the 8+ were Saturday morning. Competition was tough.

 

Kylie's boat is on the far left.

They ended up in 5th place.

The mood was very somber as they came off the water. 

 

 

Their next race was Saturday afternoon, the qualifying heat for the 4+.  This was their last chance to qualify for Nationals. 

They don't look too stressed out, do they?

Varsity 4+: Natassja, Kylie, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Justeen

They've been rowing together for four years and have worked so hard! 

 

This picture captures so much!

 

 

 

Heading out, full of confidence!

They placed 2nd in their heat, so made it to finals!

 

Sunday morning was grey and rainy. 

The race started at 7:08 am and was over 8 minutes, 13 seconds later.  They finished 5th.  The girls were so disappointed.  For Kylie, this was her last real race.  The other girls are rowing in college, but Kylie will go to the University of Denver, which doesn't have rowing.  It was really hard for her to accept that her rowing career was over.

One more race at the end of the day, the High School 8+ which isn't an official race, helped them to cheer up.

This is a theme race, where they get to dress up and have fun.  Their boat was the most creative with costumes, and they came in 2nd.

 

I'm sad Kylie is done rowing.  It has been wonderful to see her develop as an athlete, to set goals and work so hard to achieve them. She was an inspirational, motivated team captain this year.  I'm very proud of everything she's accomplished and had a great time cheering her on!

 

Windermere Cup

Because of Kylie's boat's 2nd place finish at the Brentwood Regatta, they were invited to race in the Windermere Cup on opening day of boating season.  Ben and I made a day of it and went to watch.

Walking to the Montlake Cut, we ran into the Husky Marching Band!

We sat across the Cut from the official Windermere tent.

Looking up the Cut, which was closed to boating traffic during the race.  I think these boats must have been getting in position to watch the parade.

Our seats were right across from the finish line, which I didn't even realize until we had been sitting there for a while!

And right in front of the Husky Cheerleaders! 

Ben and I waiting for the races to start.

There they go!  In first place!  Kylie is in the red hat.

After the race, which they won, they stayed out in Lake Union until all the races were finished.

Rowing back.

Ben and I stayed for a bit of the Opening Day parade.

Here's the marching band again, in the parade!  It was a fun day!

Brentwood Regatta

 

 We weren't able to travel to the Brentwood Regatta this year, which was a disappointment since it was Kylie's last time rowing there and I never had a chance to go, but it was broadcast live on the internet.  Almost as good as being there...well, not really, but at least we got to kind of see her race!

Her boat is in lane one.  The angle is very deceptive and made it look like they were behind the whole race. 

Now you can see them in a correct perspective.  Kylie's boat is in 2nd. 

Crossing the finish line for 2nd place!

Posted results

Results with roster

 

Congratulations, girls!  Good race!

 

Covered Bridge Regatta

  Brad and I went down to Eugene, Oregon to watch Kylie row in the Covered Bridge Regatta, held on Dexter Lake, and to celebrate our 21st anniversary.  It was a beautiful Spring weekend, and we enjoyed a stroll through the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum before heading out to the lake.

 

 

 

 

How can we possibly have been married for 21 years?  Do we even look old enough?

 

 

 

 The Covered Bridge Regatta is named for an actual covered bridge at the top of Dexter Lake.

 

You can't drive across it anymore.  It's been turned into a museum, which unfortunately was closed when we were there.

Team bonding before the race.

Their 8+ boat won 1st!

 

 

It's tradition to throw the winning cox into the lake!

And their 4+ won 2nd.  A great regatta and a beautiful weekend!

Mt. Hood on our way home. 

We also saw Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, but I wasn't fast enough to get pictures. 

1-5 is a volcano corridor!

Kylie's visit to University of Tulsa

Kylie was invited on an official crew recruiting trip to the University of Tulsa. She graciously let me come along with her.  We didn't really know what to expect, since it was her first official visit. (Athletes who are being recruited can accept  up to five official visits from schools.)  From the minute we stepped off the plane, everything was planned out and taken care of.  Our flight got in a few hours late, so instead of checking in to our hotel first, we headed straight to the school for a "Welcome Recruits Bar-Be-Que."

 

The whole rowing team was there, wearing matching t-shirts so we would know who they were.  Girls not in yellow are the recruits.  There were nine girls on this visit.

 

Right behind the room pictured above is this indoor rowing tank, donated by a generous alumni.  Unfortunately, the recruits didn't get to try it out or see it in action, but it was still very impressive.

The work out room.

Kylie and the other recruits got to observe a team weight training work out. 

We also took a tour of the campus.  This is a view of downtown Tulsa from the campus.

In front of the "commons."  The pretty building in the background is the library.

The students are each issued a yellow bike at the beginning of the year.  They ride them all over campus. It's pretty flat in Oklahoma, so these "beach cruisers" work well. 

Another of the campus buildings.  All the buildings are built of the same yellow brick and the grounds are immaculate. 

One of the student apartments...not bad for student housing!

We got to go to a football game in the evening.  I sat with the other parents and Kylie had some time to meet students and talk to the rowers. She spent the night with three of the rowers and I went back to the hotel.

The next day we went to a practice.  They take the team bus out to the Verdigris River, which is about 1/2 an hour from campus.

The boat house from the outside.

And the inside.

The recruits.

Watching the boats head out.

They try to be synchronized getting into the boat.

Rowing on the river.  It's a beautiful location, but very different from what Kylie is used to.  No salt water, no tides, no ferries...and lots of sun and humidity!

We were in one of these launches with some of the other recruits.

  

Saturday morning, we went on a tour of Tulsa.  Except there was a Race for the Cure event going on and all the roads were closed, so we couldn't get anywhere they were planning to take us.  We sat in a coffee shop for a while and watched this storm blow in.

 

We ate brunch on famous Route 66. 

Tally's Café is pretty famous in Tulsa. 

 

They had very...large food.

Six of the nine girls at the airport.  They formed a Facebook group so they can keep in contact and find out where they will all end up.