Posted on

High Point Honors Rowers at Spring Crew Banquet

The awards table at the 2014 Spring Crew Banquet for High Point Rowing Club.
The awards table at the 2014 Spring Crew Banquet for High Point Rowing Club.

Oak Hollow Lake – High Point Rowing Club celebrated the youth rowing program at the annual Spring Crew Banquet last night by honoring the rowers and in particular the high school seniors who will graduate in just weeks from now.

Following a delicious pot luck feast, the evening’s celebrations were kicked off by Grimsley HS students, Quinn Eury and Aliute Udoka, who sang an inspiring duet version of the National Anthem, which brought many students and parents to near tears by their beautiful performance.

Mary Horan, who is parent liaison to the team and a director of the non-profit board, then proceeded with introductory remarks by thanking parents of the rowers for their generous support of the team, in particular Susie Alt and Cathy Howard for hosting the food tables at all crew regattas.

The evening then took on a humorous twist with Bishop McGuinness sophomore Emma Lloyd entertaining the audience with rower awards based on fitting superlatives. These awards have now become a popular annual tradition with the crew.

Next up chief coach Gene Kininmonth presented The York Cup to the crew that recorded the fastest time from Skeet Club bridge to Johnson Street bridge during the previous twelve months. Following this Coach Kininmonth thanked the team’s captains, Sarah Catto, Katie Ognovich, and Andrew Wright for their service to the team and then announced the new Captains for 2014, Addie Millsap, Kim Pollard, Adam Alt, and Colin Howard. Coach then presented awards to rowers for ‘Most Improved’, ‘Rookie of the Year’, and ‘Rower of the Year’.

The most important part of the ceremonies then arrived as seniors Catherine Thompson, Sarah Catto, and Katie Ognovich were honored and thanked for their service to the crew. Emotions ran high as the three seniors each made stirring speeches, each reflecting on their own personal experiences of High Point Rowing Club.

Winning the privilege to drink a Toast from The York Cup in 2014 were Margaux Blanchard, Andrew Wright, Colin Howard, Adam Alt, Ryan Kurtiak, Jackie Ognovich, Aliute Udoka, Victoria Goldin, and Maddie Mullins.
Winning the privilege to drink a Toast from The York Cup in 2014 were Margaux Blanchard, Andrew Wright, Colin Howard, Adam Alt, Ryan Kurtiak, Jackie Ognovich, Aliute Udoka, Victoria Goldin, and Maddie Mullins.
High Point Rowing Club's "Most Improved" Rowers for 2014: Andrew Wright & Jackie Ognovich.
High Point Rowing Club’s “Most Improved” Rowers for 2014: Andrew Wright & Jackie Ognovich.
2014 Rookies of the Year: Colin Howard and Aliute Udoka.
2014 Rookies of the Year: Colin Howard and Aliute Udoka.
High Point Rowing Club's 2014 Male Rower of the Year is Adam Alt.
High Point Rowing Club’s 2014 Male Rower of the Year is Adam Alt.
2014 Female Rower of the Year (pictured with chief coach Gene Kininmonth): Katie Ognovich.
2014 Female Rower of the Year (pictured with chief coach Gene Kininmonth): Katie Ognovich.
Seniors say farewell: Katie Ognovich (University of Oklahoma), Catherine Thompson (University of Wisconsin), and Sarah Catto (Liberty University).
Seniors say farewell: Katie Ognovich (University of Oklahoma), Catherine Thompson (University of Wisconsin), and Sarah Catto (Liberty University).
Team photo on the dock - an annual High Point Rowing Club tradition.
Team photo on the dock – an annual High Point Rowing Club tradition.
Posted on

High Point Women Sweep Charlotte

High Point Rowing Club swept the women’s events in dominant fashion at the Charlotte Erg Sprints on Saturday with championship victories in the women’s varsity, varsity lightweight and novice indoor rowing events.

Indoor rowing competitions take place on rowing machines, called ergometers, and the Charlotte Erg Sprints, hosted by the Charlotte Youth Rowing program, is now the most popular competition of its kind in North Carolina.

In the Women’s Novice (1st year high school rower) event, High Point’s Aliute Udoka won the championship in a time of 7 minutes 56 seconds.

“Novice rowers are so new to the sport you really never know what to expect,” said head coach Gene Kininmonth. “Aliute’s performance was more on par with a very experienced high school varsity rower and yet she is still a sophomore. There is no question that Aliute has a wonderful career ahead of her in rowing.”

Aliute Udoka with her father, Silvanus, after winning the women's novice indoor rowing championship in Charlotte.
Aliute Udoka with her father, Silvanus, after winning the women’s novice indoor rowing championship in Charlotte.

The next win for High Point came in the Women’s Varsity Lightweight event when Kim Pollard led from wire to wire to row to victory in 8 minutes 35 seconds.

“It felt amazing to win!” said an exhausted Pollard after the race. “I felt like all of my winter training had paid off and made a huge difference in my performance on the erg. In addition to the erg, I’ve mainly been doing crossfit workouts to incorporate into functional fitness.”

A junior at Northwest Guilford High School, Pollard says she is now looking forward to the spring boat racing season and winning medals with her High Point crew mates.

High Point rower Kim Pollard led from wire to wire to win the Women's Varsity Lightweight Championship at the Charlotte Erg Sprints.
High Point rower Kim Pollard led from wire to wire to win the Women’s Varsity Lightweight Championship at the Charlotte Erg Sprints.

In the final event of the day, High Point’s Catherine Thompson put on the most dominating exhibition of rowing seen at the competition when she won the Women’s Varsity Championship in a time of 7 minutes 32 seconds, besting her previous personal best erg time by 11 seconds.

“Catherine Thompson is truly one of the founders of High Point Rowing Club and she will leave a legacy of inspiration with this team when she goes to row for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Fall.” says head coach Gene Kininmonth. “Catherine was a member of our very first crew. Her first stroke propelled our team into existence and her first boat race victory was this team’s historic first victory. Now, here she is today, continuing to be such a positive force for her team and performing at a level she can be so proud of.”

A senior at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, Thompson represented her high school in volleyball and Track & Field before making the switch to rowing. On Saturday in Charlotte she led the field right from the outset, setting a blistering pace that none of her competitors could follow.


In the men’s competition in Charlotte, High Point Rowing Club was represented in the Men’s Novice event by Josh Dasnoit and Adam Alt, with Alt finishing in third place with a personal best time of 7 minutes 29 seconds.