Three Pacific Palisades teens, Sophia Berman, Oliver Carlson and Martine Johannessen, participated in the Long Beach Invitational Rowing Regatta as members of the California Yacht Club Rowing Team on April 16 and 17. The Invitational is one of the largest regattas of the season with more than 20 teams participating from as far away as Oklahoma and Florida. Berman, a freshman at Marlborough School, competed in the J.V. doubles and the J.V. quad events. In doubles, she and her partner, Regan Estes, qualified for the finals and placed fourth overall. In the sculling quad event, Berman and teammates Rachel Reynolds, Genevieve Shaw and Estes placed fourth in their heat. Carlson, a junior at Loyola High School, qualified for the finals in the junior men’s single event, and placed sixth overall. In the junior men’s double event, he and his partner, Spencer Goodman, placed third in their heat. Johannessen, a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake and a member of the novice team, competed in the women’s lightweight doubles, impressive considering she only recently joined the team in January. The next regatta is the Southwest Regionals on May 7 and 8 in Sacramento; the fastest boats will qualify for Nationals in Tennessee this June. The CYC rowing team, which trains in Marina Del Rey, consists of about 20 young people ranging in age from eighth grade thru high school. Rowers do not need to be members of the California Yacht Club to participate. The philosophy of the team is to teach sculling, a style of rowing in which the rower uses two oars, as opposed to sweeping, when each person rows just one oar. The coaches believe this develops better technique and balance in the boat. Team members compete in the singles, doubles and quad sculling events. CYC rowing has two tracks: the novice track, which practices three days a week and competes in some regattas, and the competitive track, which trains five to six days a week. If you are curious about rowing or have any questions about the team, feel free to stop by or visit online at: www.calyachtclub.com.
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