FIRA wrap-up

Post date: Apr 19, 2010 1:47:24 AM

The team had a great time at the FIRA regatta in Sarasota this weekend! We had a lot of fun traveling to Florida as a team on a charter bus, but once we got there it was game faces on and racing on our minds. Through the hot Florida sun and slightly choppy race course, your Yellow Jackets pulled off a great showing against some major Florida Schools! As this was a regatta hosted for Florida schools by the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association (FIRA), GT was not eligible to win the team points trophy even though we were competitors on the field, as we did last year! Either way, those Florida crews knew who the real champions of the day were, trophy or no. Racing took place over two days, Friday and Saturday, with some Novice/Frosh boats racing on Friday and the rest the next morning. On Friday we had both of our Novice Men’s and Women’s Fours finish with our first gold medals of the regatta, setting us up for victory! Way to go guys and girls! Early the next morning the Varsity 8’s went off first. We had the Men’s V8 place 2nd overall and the Women’s V8 place 5th overall! Great racing! The next races were the JV8’s where we had both the Men’s and Women’s teams place 2nd, taking home silver medals! Awesome job guys! The Women’s Varsity Lightweight 8, getting some betting shirts in the process, won our first Gold of Saturday racing! Great job girls! The pairs went off next. The Men’s pair placed 3rd overall and the Women’s pair placed 2nd overall! Awesome job pairs!! Continuing with small boats, we had David Judah and Sean Gibel brave FIRA on their own as they raced in Singles. They both did amazingly as David placed 2nd and Sean placed 3rd! Great job! Next our Novice Men put out a Lightweight 8 that placed 3rd overall! Awesome job Novices!

More betting shirts were won by our Varsity Men’s and Women’s Lightweight Fours! Jackson Esoda, Andrew Dluhy, Blake Vander Wood, and Nick Hudak blew the competition away as they shot down the course clenching the first place victory! Awesome job everyone!

GT really showed Florida what we’re all about as we schooled them at their home field!

This weekend we have the SIRA regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee! Our competition is at one of the highest its going to be as we have names from across the country, such as Ohio State, Texas, Tulane, Florida, Jacksonville, Temple, Washington, Notre Dame, and Delaware, coming to compete, bring the heat, and challenge your Yellow Jackets on the water!