Twelve members of Inly’s 8th grade class competed in the Icebreaker: Northeast Regional Youth Open Water Rowing Championships hosted by the Hull Lifesaving Museum on November 21. A total of 185 middle- and high- school-aged athletes competed in round-robin-style races that ran from 10 am to sunset, ending with a 25-boat Nautical Mile sprint across Hull Bay. Twenty-nine crews participated, from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine.
Inly’s 8th graders competed in the “Novice Six” category. They rowed in six-oared Pilot Gigs (32-foot-long, coxed, open-water rowing boats), weighing 600-900 pounds each, racing against crews from Boston and Plymouth, MA. Inly crews raced in three grueling sprints, each just under a half-mile in length. One Inly crew placed Fourth in their division, and one placed First! Both crews showed outstanding poise, courage, sportsmanship, and senses of humor throughout the demanding and exciting day.
Inly’s entire Middle School participates in the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s open water rowing program, beginning with a three-day Harbor Island camping trip each fall, and continuing with monthly rowing-based adventures throughout the school year. This fall, a handful of hearty 8th graders elected to attend extra after-school practices to hone their skills in preparation for the Youth Championship event. Lory Newmyer, the HLM director, reports that “From the first day of practice, our remarkable students demonstrated the maturity, good will, self confidence, and appreciation of others that are the hallmarks of Inly’s social education.”
For more photos of the event, visit the Hull Lifesaving Museum web site.