High Point Rowing Club’s youth squad opened its 2018 season in bone chilling conditions at the John Hunter Regatta in Gainesville, GA on Sunday.
Combining with Greensboro rowers the squad raced as HPG Rowing on the 1996 Olympic Regatta race course and won medals in many key events.
“It was freezing cold but nothing could cool the spirits of our rowers in the first regatta of our spring,” says coach Gene Kininmonth. “The rowers have been waiting all winter for this.”
The team’s U17 sweep squad opened racing in the morning in the sweep events. HPG finished 4th in both the boys and girls U17 eights events in extremely competitive fields.
In the sculling events High Point was well represented by Arte Blythe and William Hundley in the single sculls events. William took home the silver medal with Arte finishing with the 6th fastest time overall out of 18 female scullers.
William Hundley later combined with Harry Capizzi in the double scull for bronze and later in the day the two also combined with Govind Harish and William Scarpa III in the quad scull to win a silver medal.
In the biggest surprise of the day lightweight rowers Matthew Hronich and Jacob Messick then won bronze in their men’s double sculls flight. The two had not rowed together before the race but immediately clicked to race down the course at a breakneck speed on Lake Lanier.
More gold came to High Point Rowers in the women’s quad sculls event. Molly Hilemn, Lindsay York, Arte Bluyhe, and Emily Winberg led the field in dominating fashion from start to finish.
Molly and Lindsay then teamed up to win gold in the women’s open double sculls event.
It was no surprise to Ella Nichols and her crew of Matthew Hronich, Sean OConnell, James Li, and Sarvesh Venkittu to win bronze in the men’s varsity four event. The foursome finished just behind Lake Lanier and Charlotte.
