Sam Parish and Barrett North competed in the Men’s Lightweight 2x (double) rowing event at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio from June 13 to 15.

They were up against the best in the country and they did Orcas proud! After three days and four nail-biting races (at least for the spectators) in the intense Ohio heat, Parish and North finished 10th out of a field of 17 representing the best from all juniors in the U.S. Their time in the Petite Final (places 7 through 12) was 7:16.23.

“Sam and Barrett rowed extremely well,” said Orcas Island Rowing Association (OIRA) head coach, Tina Brown. “The whole fleet was extremely fast, much faster than the previous year, and the boys stepped up to the challenge. Each of their four races had close finishes between the top boats. They had to work hard every single stroke.”

They came fourth in their first heat, which meant they had to go to a second race called “Repechage” (second chance) to qualify for the semi finals. Their personal best time was in the Repechage, where they won with a time of 7:09.07, which was over 15 seconds better than their winning time at the Northwest Regional Championships. That’s boat-lengths in difference, not just a few feet!

“We were all very impressed with their performance,” said Tina. “They just rowed beautifully. No errors. No holding back. They didn’t come off the adrenaline rush of that win for quite a while.”

Coach Mike Reid was heard saying, “Wow, just watching that one race was worth coming all the way out here. I won’t ever forget it.”

“And Sam and Barrett were both only juniors this year,” said Tina. “With another year of training together, they have a great chance at making the top six.”

Students and adults interested in joining OIRA can go to the website www.orcasislandrowing.org or contact Tina Brown at tinabrown@rockisland.com or at 376-7677.