On Friday, April 24, at 4:00 a.m., while most Lakesiders slept, a group of rowers piled into a bus to make the eight hour drive to Mill Bay, British Columbia. They were headed to the 54th annual Brentwood Regatta, where their historic finish would set the stage for regionals just three weeks later.
The Brentwood Regatta, which Lakeside typically attends biannually, is a favorite among the crew team. Described by Ahan D.C. ’26 as being “like a summer camp,” the regatta offers rowers the chance to race on the ocean, with pleasant weather, food for sale, and a fun, vacation-like atmosphere. This year, the regatta was the stage for one of Lakeside’s best-ever finishes, and one which, particularly for boys crew, marks a promising new tide of excellence and depth.
On the boy’s side, the 1V8 and 2V8 both placed third and the 3V8 placed second. The 1V4 placed third as well. Seven boats made finals for their respective events — meaning they placed in the top six during heats — and of those, six went on to medal.
Meanwhile the girls team placed third in the 1V4, third in the 2V8, and second in the U17 4+. Piper D.G. ’26, who raced in both the 1V8 and 1V4, has attended Brentwood three times, but until this year had never medalled. “That was my big ambition going into it,” she said, referring to reaching the podium as her “little personal hope.” She would go on to win bronze in the 1V4, ahead of fourth place by only 0.8 seconds. “We were pushing all the way to the line,” she recalled, noting that in the qualifying round, they were in sixth place among the sixth boats that made the final. “As a senior,” she added, “I want to leave a good legacy […] So that was really exciting for us as a team.”
These Brentwood finishes are outstanding in and of themselves, but a few details make them more notable. First of all, Lakeside was the only school other than Inglemoor High School to compete at this regatta. The club teams they were competing against had the chance to cherry-pick rowers, often offering scholarships, rendering the more motley Lakeside team at a slight disadvantage. “For teams like Lakeside that is simply not possible,” said Raymond Z. ’27, “we kind of just have who we have.”
Furthermore, Brentwood includes a variety of Canadian teams who aren’t eligible for nationals in the U.S. For instance, the boys 1V8 placed third, but behind two Canadian teams who wouldn’t be present at the upcoming regional qualifier.
This finish also marks the growth of Lakeside’s program over the last few years. “These are just results that we could not have imagined two or three years ago,” said Raymond. Even the men’s 4V8 raced at a speed comparable to what the 2V8 would have achieved only a couple years ago.
At regionals, the boys’ 1V8, 2V8, U17 8, and U16 8 all qualified for the National Championships. Only the 1V8 and 2V8 will attend because of a shortage of resources. While the team can’t send all four boats to Sarasota, FL, where the competition is held, this shows not only the depth and speed of the program but a new era it may be entering. Outside of those boats, the 3V8, 4V8, 2V4, 3V4, and 4V4 all finished in the top three. “This kind of across the board finish is quite rare,” said Raymond, emphasizing the success of not only the “best of the best” but the team as a whole. It has been 20 years since the boys 1V8 medalled at the regional tournament, and for the past three years, the 2V8 and 3V8 have only qualified for the B finals after heats.
“I was really grateful to just be in the boat in the first place,” said Raymond, who was in the 2V8, “we have nothing to lose and everything to gain here.” He also emphasized the unity of the team, who “support each other and push each other to do better […] This is not something any of us would be able to do by ourselves.”
Ahan, who raced in the boys 2V8, remembered, “Crew, to me, almost started as a backup option. I never really considered it as a sport that I would continue for this long.” He described his first Brentwood as the “pivot point” when he began to understand the impact the sport would have on him over the next four years.
On the girls’ team, the 1V8 and 1V4 both qualified for the national championships, though only the 1V4 will go.
Ahan described these regattas as a “testament to how much faster and stronger the team has developed to be over the time that I’ve been here.” This season, both the boys and girls crew teams have achieved unbelievable results, drawing on every individual on their roster and setting a high standard for performance in the years to come.
