Following the racing, the 1V4+ and 2V4+ traveled up to Saratoga Spring, NY to take part in the Saratoga Invitational, a regatta that supports racing for over 1200 crews from both scholastic and club teams. While the Deerfield crews missed the racing on Saturday, they were seeded into the Varsity 4+ events to start the day on Sunday morning. The conditions proved to be excellent with clear skies and flat water – ideal for fair and fast racing in the 10 boat fields.
The 1V4+ found themselves in a race with the nine crews who had produced the fastest times during the heats on Saturday and acquitted themselves well. A strong start pushed them to the lead and they maintained the advantage all the way down the course, ultimately crossing the line in a time of 4:57, just ahead of strong crews from PNRA/Mercer, Greenwich, and RowAmerica Rye.
The 2V4+ raced immediately after the 1V4+ and employed a similar strategy – get out fast. In the first few hundred meters, the Deerfield crew pushed to the front and slowly moved away from the field, hitting the line first with a time of 5:06, nearly 7.5 seconds ahead of the second place crew from PNRA/Mercer.
Full results can be found here and video of the racing can be seen here. The final few hundred meters of the 1V4+ race begins at 18:50 and the 2V4+ race follows directly after (23:24).
Attending this event was a first for Deerfield and the athletes embraced the challenge of racing in a new venue against elite competition. Their focus was on showing up with their best effort and they certainly produced at a high level.
The top four Deerfield crews will head to Lake Waramaug in Washington, CT for the Founder’s Day Regatta on Sunday, May 8, which they will race against eleven other crews from across New England in a full day regatta (heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon).
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For more information on the Saratoga Invitational and venue information, click here.