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PATRICK: Chance of a lifetime

A former rower himself, Marietta High School crew coach Tanner O’Connor knows first-hand what his girls are going through as they prepare for Saturday’s competition on an international scope.

The five-member team of Mo Caslow (coxswain), Eden Ingram (bow seat), Wilkey Smith (three seat), Katie Lovejoy (two seat) and Madi Lovejoy (stroke) are part of the 22-member field in the Junior 4+ Division for this weekend’s Henley Women’s Regatta.

Races are held at England’s River Thames – the birthplace of competitive rowing.

“Crew is the one sport where you spend 365 days trying to make six minutes perfect,” said O’Connor, who was part of the contingent of more than 20 individuals from Marietta who made the flight to Europe earlier this week. “Crew is hard and frustrating. Ultimately you have that perfect race and perfect moment that makes it all worth it.”

The format begins with time trials, which begin at 11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. local time) on Saturday. The fastest 16 times advance to the regatta’s version of match play. It’s you against another shell – one versus one as part of the bracket. Win and advance to the next round.

The field will be whittled to eight later on Saturday afternoon in time for the final three rounds on Sunday. The quarterfinals are set for 11:04 a.m. (6:04 a.m. EST). The final two survivors go head-to-head at 17:08 p.m. (12:08 p.m EST).

The course measures 1,500 meters. Comparable to the length of 5 1-2 football fields. When all is said-and-done, the eventual winner and runner-up will have raced more than 4 1-2 miles. At stake is the Groton School Challenge Cup.

In addition to studying the sport from another perspective, the girls from Marietta High School are experiencing the adventure of a lifetime in terms of learning about various cultures. In addition to the British female rowers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Henley Women’s Regatta welcomes entries from Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand – in addition to the 18 clubs from America.

The girls are making memories which will last a lifetime. Nobody can take that away regardless how they fare in the water.

“We were joking around – during our high school season we know who everybody is and what to expect,” O’Connor said. “We will have no idea when we get to England. Assuming we can make the top 16, which we hope, we still don’t know who is favored or who is the underdog. We truly have no idea.

“We talk about focusing on what we can control. Rowing is like track. Certainly, strategy is involved, but the competition will do what they do. Our strategy is how do we make our boat faster. We talk a lot about being unshakable and being in the moment, and continuing to do things that make Marietta OK.”

Of the three seniors on the team, Caslow is the lone individual who will continue her crew career at the next level when she arrives at the Ohio State University campus in the fall.

For the other two seniors Katie Lovejoy and Ingram, they are wrapping up their final days in the sport doing something no other Marietta crew team – boys nor girls – has had the opportunity to attempt. And that is compete outside the border of the United States and Canada. Truly international.

“At the time we heard we were going, I was still debating whether or not I was going to row in college,” Ingram said. “It was one of those things if I don’t row in college at least I’m ending my career at an awesome regatta. So yes, everything worked out.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

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