Masters celebrate after their first regatta on Oak Hollow Lake.
Jamestown, NC – High Point Rowing Club, the Triad’s only community rowing team will open a new indoor rowing center for winter training in Jamestown in early December.
The Jamestown Indoor Rowing Studio, a 3,000 square foot fitness facility at 124-C Wade Street, will also include two administrative offices for the coaching staff and a storage area for the team’s boating equipment. The Club’s youth program will begin training in the facility on December 1 and the adult ‘Masters’ team will commence on December 2.
“This is an exciting new addition to our rowing activities,” said club director Gene Kininmonth. “We looked at several locations in High Point but concluded that Jamestown is most central for our rowers who come from across the Triad.”
High Point Rowing Club was founded in 2012 to bring the sport of rowing to the Triad in a high energy, team format for people of all ages. According to the team’s Masters Coach Allie Davis, a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and former member of her college’s varsity rowing program, the club takes a team approach to healthy living.
“Working out on your own is challenging for even the most dedicated individual,” said Davis. “Here we train together as a team and race together and that makes it fun and worth returning to each week.”.
The club is currently accepting new members for both the youth and masters winter indoor season. For more information on the club and its programs email director Gene Kininmonth at contact@highpointrowing.com or call (336) 257-9009.
Jamestown, NC – High Point Rowing Club is excited to announce a new season of “Masters Indoor Rowing” for adults at the Jamestown Indoor Rowing Studio. The purpose of Masters Indoor Rowing is to foster healthy living in a fun team environment for adults through the wonderful sport of rowing.
No prior rowing experience is necessary.
“Masters” is High Point Rowing Club’s answer to the high interest in rowing among adults in the Triad and participants may join as individuals or groups through a corporation.
“Indoor rowing has taken off as the new spinning and we have received lots of interest from adults wishing to try out this sport,” says club organizer Gene Kininmonth. “Rowing is non-impact making it safe from injuries, which is especially appealing to adults.”
The Masters Indoor Rowing program for adults is led by coach Allie Davis.
Format: Participants with no prior experience will start with a learn-to-row format on the Concept2 rowing machines. As technique and stamina improve, a more competitive format will be adopted.
Dates and Times: Participants may sign up for either weekday or weekend sessions, or both.
Weekday Sessions: Tuesday and Thursday mornings starting December 2 ending February 8, 2015. Choose to attend either morning sessions from 8:45am to 10:15am or evening sessions at 6pm.
Weekend Sessions: Saturday mornings at 7:30am and Sunday afternoon at 2pm starting December 6 ending February 8, 2015.
Attire: Tee shirt, form-fitting shorts, and running shoes are usual attire. Loose fitting shorts will likely catch in the “slide” (where the rowing seat moves back and forth on the rower). Bring a water bottle too!
Cost: $215 per participant. No partial refund for missed sessions or weather related cancellations. Check with your company’s wellness program for full or partial reimbursement.
More Info: Call Gene at 257-9009 or email contact@highpointrowing.com
High point Rowing Club will host a 3-day Learn to Row Clinic for students entering 8th grade or above at any Triad area school this week from Wednesday through Friday. The clinic will be held at Oak Hollow Lake each day from 4:30pm – 6:15pm.
No prior experience in rowing is needed. Please click here for directions. Total cost for the three day clinic is $35.
“The purpose of this rowing clinic is to give students the opportunity to try out rowing for the first time before they go back to school. This will give them enough experience to help make a determination as to whether this is the sport they wish to do in the Fall semester,” says chief coach Gene Kininmonth.
Participants should wear flip flops (not running shoes) and general running attire suitable for the weather. Do not wear baggy shorts as these will get caught in the moving seats in the boat.
Participants must be confident swimmers as a safety precaution and should have their parents sign the waiver and swim form on the Register page on this website and bring it with them to the first session with their payment.
Rowing is now the fastest growing sport in the Triad with many students switching from other sports such as swimming, cross country, and soccer. Click here for some of the many reasons why high school students should try out the sport. The average college rowing scholarship of High Point Rowing Club’s high school seniors in 2014 was $29,000.
Students wishing to participate for the first time should email Coach Gene Kininmonth at contact@highpointrowing.com in advance.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee – High Point Rowing Club’s sweep squad continued its ascent in the high school regional ranks at the Dogwood Regatta on Melton Lake on Saturday. The squad narrowed the gap significantly with regional rivals Atlanta and Asheville from its previous outing at the Clemson Sprints two weeks ago in South Carolina.
The Dogwood Regatta concluded the team’s regular spring racing season with select crews continuing on to the USRowing Southeast Regional Championships in Sarasota, Florida in two weeks.
With the Dogwood Regatta drawing over 500 crews in different boat classes from as far away as Chicago and Detroit, there was a depth of high school talent on display not seen before at the event.
On the women’s side High Point entered sweep crews in the Division I & II novice eights and also the Division I & II varsity eights. On the men’s side, High Point entered crews in the Division I novice eights and fours events.
WOMEN’S RACING
High Points crew of coxswain Kiki Davis, stroke Quinn Eury, Atlanta Maggie, Hayden Davis, Anna Kareis, Paige Steele, Hadley Copeland, Kaylie Mills and bow Margaux Blanchard win silver at the Dogwood Regatta.
High Point opened sweep racing in the Divion II women’s novice eights event and finished second in the Final. The crew, comprised of coxswain Kiki Davis, stroke Quinn Eury, Atlanta Maggie, Hayden Davis, Anna Kareis, Paige Steele, Hadley Copeland, Kaylie Mills, and bow Margaux Blanchard held a steady rhythm throughout the race to finish just behind Cincinnati.
Women’s Division II Novice Eights
1. Cincinnati 2. High Point
3. St. Andrew High School
4. St. Louis
5. Chicago
6. McCallie High School
In the Division I Women’s Novice Eights Final, High Point was represented by coxswain Katharine Komsa, stroke Bethany Brake, Maddie Mullins, Victoria Goldin, Aliute Udoka, Abbey Lowdermilk, Addy Millsap, Jr Ognovich, and bow Kim Pollard. The crew featured significant lineup changes from the Clemson Sprints Regatta and finished with the 8th fastest time out of 17 crews entered. Most significantly in Oak Ridge, the crew narrowed the gap on Asheville by 10 seconds since their earlier race in Clemson.
High Point Novice Eight (left to right) Kim Pollard, Bethany Brake, Victoria Goldin, Maddie Mullins, Katharine Komsa, Aliute Udoka, Junior Ognovich, Addy Millsap and Abbey Lowdermilk. The crew will next race at the USRowing Southeast Junior Regional Championships in Sarasota, FL on May 10-11.High Point’s Division II Varsity Eight was comprised of almost all novice rowers. From left to right – Kiki Davis, Quin Eury, Addy Millsap, Olivia Mangus, Anna Kareis, Abbey Lowdermilk, Hayden Davis, Junior Ognovich and Margaux Blanchard.
With High Point Rowing still little more than 18 months old, the women’s varsity eight continues to improve in just its first spring season of varsity competition. The crew finished fourth in its heat behind St. Louis, Rocket City, and Detroit and posted the 8th fastest time out of 15 teams in the preliminary round.
High Point co-captain Sarah Catto said her crew had a strong race and should be proud of its accomplishments. “This is a big time regatta and to be in the middle of the pack in just our first season of competition is gratifying.”
For Catto, a senior at Westchester Country Day School, the moment was bittersweet as this was her last scholastic race with High Point.
High Point has joined the ranks of some of the best varsity crews in the Southeast. The 2014 crew is comprised of coxswain Bethany Brake, stroke Kim Pollard, Maddie Mullins, Catherine Thompson, Katie Ognovich, Sarah Catto, Aliute Udoka, Emma Lloyd and bow Katharine Komsa.
MEN’S RACING
On the boys side High Point Rowing foursome of bow Nick Heflin, Crosby Howard, Colin Howard, Lewis Crotts and coxswain Emma Lloyd experienced some misadventure when they hit an unexpected boat wake during their race. One of the rowers came off the seat during the turbulent moment and the crew finished in 6th place.
High Point Rowing foursome of bow Nick Heflin, Crosby Howard, Colin Howard, Lewis Crotts and coxswain Emma Lloyd prepare for boat racing action in Oak Ridge Tennessee.
Things quickly picked up however for the boys squad with the novice eight crew putting on an exhibition display of rowing in their Final. “Our goal was to beat Asheville after we lost to them at the Clemson Sprints two weeks ago,” said Andrew Wright, who is captain of the boys squad.
High Point finished in an outstanding third place behind Cincinnati and Atlanta. “We beat Asheville’s time by 10 seconds and were only 9 seconds behind Atlanta after finishing 23 seconds back from them in Clemson,” said Wright. “This was a successful weekend of racing for our squad.”
Added High Point head coach Gene Kininmonth: “Atlanta and Asheville are the premier scholastic sweep programs in our region and these are the teams we most want to emulate. Asheville coaches Jack Gartner and Martha Williams have paved the way for youth rowing in North Carolina since they founded their youth program little more than half a dozen years ago. So, anytime we have a boat that can compete with them I am certainly delighted.” High Point (center) powers down the Melton Lake course ahead of Detroit and Augusta in the men’s novice eights final. The crew was comprised of coxswain Kiki Davis, stroke Andrew Wright, Colin Howard, Charles York, Austin Young, Adam Alt, Kyle Koval, Josh Dasnoit and bow Ryan Kurtiak.
High Point, NC – Greg and Caren York have made a generous gift to High Point Rowing Club, the team’s founder Gene Kininmonth has announced. Greg and Caren are parents of Charles York, a sophomore student on the men’s varsity crew.
“I am extremely grateful to the York Family for the trust they have placed in this very new rowing program by making this leadership gift,” said Kininmonth. “The city of High Point is extremely fortunate to have Greg and Caren York and their family as residents.”
Thanks to the York family’s philanthropic leadership, High Point Rowing Club received over $20,000 in gifts from parents of the youth team in April. The funds will be used to add a much needed shell to the fleet.
Leadership Gift
Greg and Caren York – Charles’ parents
$5,000 & greater
Mike and Siobhan Mills – Cara’s parents
$1,000 & greater
Silvanus and Lisa Udoka – Aliute’s parents
Barbara and Russell Pollard – Kim’s parents
Mary Horan – Katie and Jackie’s mum.
Charles and Susie Alt – Adam’s folks
$500 & greater
Robert and Tammy Simmons – Abbey’s parents
Sara Copeland – Hadley’s Mum
Pete and Dana Koval – Kyle’s parents
Derek and Patricia Goldin – Victoria’s parents
$250 & greater
Christine and Mark Wright – Andrew’s parents
Allison Blanchard – Margaux’s Mum
James and Marianne Bennett – James’ parents
Joyce and Steve Eury – Quinn’s parents
$100 & greater
Brett and Sonya Millsap – Addy’s parents
Marlienne Goldin
Jonathon and Alisa Brake – Bethany’s parents
Robert and Cindy Komsa – Katharine’s parents
David Thompson and Janis Antonek – Catherine’s parents
Gary and Galye Coxford
THANK YOU HPRC PARENTS!
To honor Greg and Caren York’s generosity to the Crew, Coach Kininmonth commissioned “The York Cup” to be presented annually to the crew achieving the fastest Bridge to Bridge time over the course of a season on Oak Hollow Lake.
Westchester Country Day School sophomore Charles York raises his shell in triumph after earning victory for High Point at the 2014 Carolina Chase.
Clemson, South Carolina – High Point Rowing Club produced a strong showing at the Clemson Sprints Regatta on Saturday by earning numerous finals appearances in the premier eights events.
The Clemson Sprints is one of the strongest regional spring competitions, drawing college and youth rowing teams from Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia and the Carolinas.
High Point qualified for the finals in all three of the premier high school eights events, earning bronze in the men’s junior novice eights, and fourth place finishes in both the women’s junior novice and high school varsity eights championships. Novice events are for rowers in their first year of racing. After one year of racing high school rowers must race in varsity events.
High Point also earned a bronze medal finish in the women’s lightweight fours championship. Addy Millsap and Victoria Goldin carry their oars to shore after racing in the women’s novice eights event at Clemson Sprints.
Head coach Gene Kininmonth said he was impressed with the results of the team in Clemson and pointed out that High Point has clearly grown from strength to strength in the past 12 months.
“We saw much stronger competition this week and two take-aways stood out from this event,” said Kininmonth. “Firstly, we have phenomenal athletes on our program – no question. To be finishing top three or four in our events with all the high school programs from so many states here is such a credit to our rowers. The second take away is that if we are going to catch the two or three programs ahead of us we must have an indoor training facility in place for next winter. The elite programs ahead of us this week such as Asheville and Atlanta can either row all though the winter on lakes heated by nuclear power plant cooling systems or they have indoor rowing facilities. We can beat these teams but we clearly need more than three weeks of rowing to do so.”
High Point opened racing at the Clemson Sprints Regatta by winning a bronze medal in the women’s junior lightweight fours event. The crew was comprised of stroke Bethany Brake, Maddie Mullins, Emma Lloyd, Kim Pollard, and coxswain Katharine Komsa. High Point’s crew of cox Morgan Sheehan, stroke Andrew Wright, Colin Howard, Charles York, Adam Alt, Josh Dasnoit, Austin Young, James Bennett, and bow Ryan Kurtiak winning bronze in the junior novice eights at the Clemson Sprints. Abbey Lowdermilk, Maddie Mullins, Bethany Brake, and coxswain Kiki Davis lead High Point’s novice women’s eight to a program best fourth place result at the Clemson Sprints. High Point finished 5th in this event in 2013. In just its first season of varsity competition High Point’s women’s varsity crew earned a 4th place finish at the Clemson Sprints Regatta. The crew was comprised of coxswain Katharine Komsa, stroke Catherine Thompson, Katie Ognovich, Olivia Mangus, Aliute Udoka, Sarah Catto, Morgan Sheehan, Emma Lloyd, and bow Bethany Brake.
High Point, making its debut in the high school women’s Division 1 varsity ranks, shocked Triangle Rowing Club of Raleigh to win the prestigious women’s varsity eights title at the 2014 High Point Regatta on Saturday.
The crew of coxswain Cara Mills, stroke Catherine Thompson, Katie Ognovich, Olivia Mangus, Sarah Catto, Aisinn Antrim, Morgan Sheehan, Emma Lloyd, and bow Bethany Brake led from the outset on the Oak Hollow Lake rowing course to clock a new record time of 5 minutes 1 second for the 1,500m race.
High Point demonstrated its strength in the sport by picking up five of the seven titles in the sudden death duel boat series with Triangle. High Point also won the women’s first and second division novice eights, and the men’s novice eights and fours events.
Entering the regatta as the underdog, High Point quickly saw the momentum shift to its favor once racing started in the Women’s Varsity Eights event and the hometown crew powered to more than a boat length lead over its Raleigh rival. What started out as a Cinderella story soon became a dominant triumph in the closing stages as High Point pushed out to a comfortable win.
“This was High Point’s first attempt in the Division I ranks and to earn a victory against this Raleigh program was a big time win for our program,” said High Point head coach Gene Kininmonth. “The crew found great rhythm out on the water today and truly stepped up.”
Regatta Secretary Mary Horan said the team is very grateful to Triangle for coming to High Point to race this weekend. “We are also very thankful to all of the volunteer supporters including parents and coaches, who brought such enthusiasm to making this event such a special one for all the rowers from both teams.”
Next week the High Point Crew heads to South Carolina for the Clemson Sprints, a regional regatta featuring top high school and collegiate crews from five different states.
High Point opened the 2014 spring season by winning the women’s varsity eight event at the 2014 High Point Regatta. The varsity crew was comprised of coxswain Cara Mills, stroke Catherine Thompson, Katie Ognovich, Olivia Mangus, Sarah Catto, Aislinn Antrim, Morgan Sheehan, Ema Lloyd and bow Bethany Brake.High Point’s novice crew of coxswain Kiana Davis, stroke Bethany Brake, Maddie Mullins, Abbey Lowdermilk, Anna Kareis, Cheyenne DeLaney, Kim Pollard, Hayden Davis, and bow Katherine Komsa led from wire to wire at the 2014 High Point Regatta.Gorgeous silver punch cups were presented to the rowers of each winning crew.High Point oarsmen Andrew Wright, Colin Howard, Josh Dasnoit, Adam Alt, and coxswain Will Wright won the Novice Fours event at the 2014 High Point Regatta and then teamed up with James Bennett, Henderson Beck, Austin Young, and Ryan Kurtiak to win the Novice Eights title.Triangle just nips High Point at the finish post in the Middle School/3rd Novice Crew Exhibition event. High Point was represented by coxswain Kaylie Mills, stroke Lewis Crotts, Gabby Reenstra, Crosby Howard, Kyle Koval, Allie Augustin, Nick Heflin, Paige Shields and bow Lindsay York.High Point’s crew of coxswain Aine Mills, stroke Alice Nafekh, Addy Millsap, Victoria Goldin, Rebecka Lassiter, Junior Ognovich, Hadley Copeland, Kate Wenger, and Margaux Blanchard won the Second Division Novice Eights title in a photo finish with Triangle Rowing Club.
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.
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.
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.
High Point Rowing Club’s Katie Ognovich has made a verbal commitment to row for the University of Oklahoma, head coach Gene Kininmonth has announced. Ognovich has been offered a full-ride scholarship to row for the Oklahoma Sooners.
“I am so excited to study and row at the University of Oklahoma,” says Ognovich. “I looked at some great colleges but the opportunities Oklahoma offers to their athletes and especially their rowers is what makes this decision right for me. I can’t wait to spend my next four years at such an amazing University and with such a competitive Division I rowing program.”
Under NCAA rules, university athletic departments cannot legally sign female high school rowers to a National Letter of Intent until November 13th but athletes can make a verbal commitment to the college of their choice at any time prior to this date.
A senior at Greensboro Day School, Ognovich entered the fall season as one of the most prized rowing prospects in the nation. In the summer, Ognovich won gold against Canada and Mexico on board the United States’ junior women’s eight crew at the 2013 CanAmMex Regatta. The victory was the first international class win for Ognovich, who is only the second rower in history from the Triad to make a United States rowing team. She follows Caroline Lind, the two-time gold medalist in the USA women’s eight at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
Ognovich was selected to Team USA following a standout performance at a three week USA High Performance Camp in Connecticut, where she led the squad in fitness testing with an erg score of 7 minutes 11 seconds. The time is currently the best of any high school senior in the country.
“We are so pleased for Katie and her family. She has an incredible collegiate rowing career in her future,” says High Point coach Gene Kininmonth.
High Point Rowing Club is only a year old and Kininmonth says Katie’s success is proof of just how powerful the scholarship opportunities are for female students with rowing experience. “Women’s rowing is the sport selected by hundreds of university athletic departments as the counter sport to men’s football. Colleges want female rowers and there are more places on college teams for female rowers than there are high school rowers to fill them right now,” Kininmonth says. “This is the greatest educational opportunity outside of the classroom for girls in High Point.” Katie Ognovich has been offered a full ride scholarship to row at the University of Oklahoma.
High Point Rowing Club celebrated its first birthday this weekend with a morning row followed by a potluck brunch for rowers, families and friends at Oak Hollow Lake.
In contrast to a year ago when eight high school students launched the team’s first boat, today’s team boasts almost 40 athletes from public and private high schools across the Triad.
The poignancy of the occasion was captured in a stirring speech to the Crew by team co-captain Sarah Catto, a senior at Westchester Country Day School. “I was not here a year ago for the first row, but neither were most of us,” said Catto. “That is part of what makes this first year of the team such a remarkable story. Everyone here has had their own experience from their first day to today and for all of us here it has been a new love of this sport from the very first stroke.”
“We ask ourselves “WHY THE HECK DO WE DO THIS?”
“You are with a group of your best friends who are all in the same boat…literally…striving for the same goal of doing your best and succeeding! I mean I don’t think there is a better feeling of knowing that every single person you’re in the boat with is working towards the same goal! And I wish there was a better way to describe the feeling you get from crew. But there are really no words to describe the amazing bond between crew members. The definition of a team sport is crew because there are definitely no other sports out there where you literally are relying on everyone in the boat, and need every single person there to reach that goal. I know every single one of us have never felt more blessed to be able to not only find the sport of rowing but to have found each other on our home here on Oak Hollow Lake. High Point crew all the way!”
Team founder Gene Kininmonth says there is an extraordinary community building around the club. “This first year we have laid a cornerstone. There is no question that the sport of rowing is now here to stay in High Point. We are fortunate to have an incredible partner in the City of High Point’s Parks & Recreation department, which provides us with access to one of the most beautiful lakes in North Carolina in Oak Hollow Lake.”
Boys and girls attending any Triad area school (Yrs 9-12) are eligible to join the team. No experience necessary. Email contact@highpointrowing.com or see the Registration page for details.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, – High Point Rowing Club completed its spring racing season with a Finals appearance at the USRowing Southeast Regional Rowing championships on Sunday.
Three crews of high school students represented High Point in Tennessee over the weekend with the crew of cox Bethany Brake, stroke Emma Lloyd, Katie Ognovich and Liz Haenel winning its heat at the championships and then qualifying through the sem-final round to race in the final on Sunday afternoon.
High Point’s crew of cox Katharine Komsa, stroke Aislinn Antrim, Anna Kareis, Olivia Mangus and Sarah Catto also raced in the fours event but were knocked out in the first round in a competitive field of teams from across the southeastern United States.
RESULTS – Women’s Junior Novice Four:
Round One Heats
1 High Point Rowing Club A 8:23.79
2 Charlotte Youth 8:27.77
3 Coconut Grove RC 8:29.59
4 Westminster 9:05.60 5 High Point Rowing Club B 9:26.05
6 Augusta Junior 10:12.63
Semi Final:
Place Name Time
1 Sarasota Crew 8:14.75 2 High Point Rowing Club 8:24.52
3 Miami Rowing 8:27.84
4 Revolution Junior Rowing 8:30.09
5 St. Andrew 8:32.11
6 Westminster 9:10.50
Final
Place Name Time
1 Sarasota Crew 8:21.08
2 SORA 8:24.86
3 Coconut Grove RC 8:26.73
4 Charlotte Youth 8:27.03 5 High Point Rowing Club 8:40.77
6 Miami Rowing 9:01.86
High Point’s junior women’s eight crew prepares its boat for launch at the USRowing Junior Regional Championships.
In other racing action, High Point also entered the women’s junior novice eights event in Oak Ridge. Despite covering the 2000m championship course with a time faster than 5 of the crews of the 17 entered, High Point’s crew of cox Emma Lloyd, stroke Maria Donadio, Bethany Brake, Cara Mills, Sara Catto, Quinn Eury, Katharine Komsa, Jessica Critchley and bow Zoe Kelley did not qualify for the semi final round.
Head Coach Gene Kininmonth said he was pleased with the efforts of the team at the Championships. “This is a highly competitive regional championship and for a first-year rowing program to come in and even make a dent in the results is incredible. I hope every rower on this team is really proud of how much progress they have made in such a short time.”
High Point Rowing Club is a youth rowing program open to all male and female students attending high schools in the Triad. For more information email Gene Kininmonth contact@highpointrowing.com or call (336) 257-9009.
I hope you all enjoyed the holidays. If you are like me, you can’t wait to see our team back out on the water again.
In the cold winter months, however, we must recognize that rowing carries new challenges that must be understood and mitigated. On Wednesday, I took the water temperature at Oak Hollow Lake, which was 45F. This was prior to last night’s snowfall. Regardless of whether or not you are a great swimmer, this is dangerously cold water if you were to fall out of the boat. This is because if you are suddenly immersed into water this cold you are at great risk of experiencing cold water shock, which is where the body can immediately shake uncontrollably and one hyperventilates for up to 2-3 minutes. If a person is under water they could drown before ever making it to the surface.
Although our team has never had a rower fall out of the boat, I think all of us would agree unanimously that such possible risk to life is unacceptable. So, until lake temperatures rise, all participants must now wear a life jacket while on the water. Life jackets suitable for rowing are those that automatically inflate when immersed in water and they cost about $220 each. Any other type would be either too bulky and inhibit rowing or would require pulling a cord to inflate and for someone experiencing cold shock, this may be impossible to do.
And this brings me to a request for support: we need at least 25 life jackets for our team to immediately begin rowing. This is an investment of about $5,000. If you would like to make a donation to the team to purchase a life jacket(s) please contact me as soon as possible via email at contact@highpointrowing.com or by calling me directly at (336) 257-9009.
Checks should be made payable to ‘High Point Rowing Club’.
Learn to Row classes scheduled for January have been cancelled due to extremely cold weather forecasts with significant snowfall expected overnight and freezing conditions to remain through much of the weekend.
“The weather forecast makes for more than just unpleasant rowing conditions,” says program director Gene Kininmonth. “It would be simply unsafe to row in and the risks increase as water temperatures at the lake drop below 50F.”
An announcement will be made on this site and the team’s Facebook page when a date is determined for the Learn to Row classes to be held.
Nine young women made history in High Point today by launching the first Crew for the High Point Rowing Club, the Triad’s first community Rowing team.
The all women crew launched from North Ramp at Oak Hollow Lake on Saturday morning in glorious sunny Fall conditions. A light breeze blowing across the lake proved no challenge for this new team of oarswomen, who sculled their 60 foot long shell effortlessly across the water with grace.
The High Point Rowing Club is now looking forward to recruiting its first crew of male high school students in addition to another 15 female students.
Interested students should email contact@highpointrowing.com for details on how to join the Crew.
The High Point Enterprise published a wonderful article on the efforts to bring rowing to High Point.
We are very grateful to the Enterprise and journalist Jimmy Tomlin and photographer Sonny Hedgecock for their contributions to this story called Use Your Scull.
Rowing enthusiast Gene Kininmonth has drafted Articles of Incorporation for a non-profit corporation to bring the sport of rowing to High Point, North Carolina.
“The sport of rowing should have a place in the fabric of High Point,” says Kininmonth. “It is simply a wonderful sport and recreational activity and provides incredible educational opportunities.”
Since Title IX, the female sport of choice of collegiate athletic directors to counter the large male participant numbers in football is women’s rowing. Thus, there is a huge demand for female high school students with rowing experience.
“By not having access to rowing in High Point, our students here are missing out on one of the biggest educational opportunities out there,” says Kininmonth.
Kininmonth has made initial contact with the city’s park service officials about establishing a permanent base for rowing on Oak Hollow Lake and will sit down with leaders in the next few weeks. “I think we can get this done. Once we start, there is no doubt in my mind this is going to take off,” says Kininmonth.
