Rowing: Brainerd Club finishes 6th in Duluth – Brainerd Dispatch

DULUTH – A first place finish in the men’s 2s and third place in the women’s 8+ highlighted the Brainerd Lakes Rowing Club’s efforts at the 64th Duluth International Regatta on Saturday, July 13.

In the overall ranking, the club finished sixth.

The regatta, which featured teams from Minnesota, Michigan and Canada, was held in Duluth Harbor on Lake Superior. It was the third time the Brainerd Club had participated in the event. This year, the club participated in 14 of the 29 races, but some races had to be canceled due to high winds.

“It’s been great to see the club grow so explosively,” said junior coach Rykken Johnson. “We’re getting faster and faster times every year and we’re competing hard with clubs that have been around for over a century. It’s great to see our rowers doing that and giving it their all after working so hard to get to this point.”

Rower Shelly Thelen said, “This was my second Duluth Regatta. The experience was so exhilarating. You push your legs, you pull your body, you give it your all and give it your all – exhausting but also exhilarating. The camaraderie is tremendous, both in the boat and between the participating clubs. At the end of the day you go home fulfilled.”

Rower Susan Moen of Brainerd echoed this sentiment, calling the event a “wonderful experience” – one that “brings together people of all ages, from junior rowers to professionals in their 70s” and “highlights that rowing is a sport that lasts a lifetime.”

“It’s so inspiring,” Moen added. “No matter what club you row for, everyone cheers each other on. As we rowed to the starting line for our race, another boat from Minneapolis Rowing yelled ‘Way to go, Brainerd!’ It’s competitive and everyone rows hard, but at the end of the day, we all love the same thing and want to see the sport thrive.”

Brainerd’s boat defeated a field in the men’s pairs that included former Danish national team rower Andrej Bendtsen, and both the women’s and junior boats’ overall times improved significantly from the previous year.

Contributed photo

The Minneapolis Rowing Club secured first place with a total score of 523.
followed by the Duluth Rowing Club with a total score of 390 and by clubs from Long Lake, Thunder Bay, Rochester, Brainerd and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Isaac Boesen, Daniel Johnson, Brigt Johnson, Beckett Svir, Mullen Bratney and Hudson Brekken competed for the junior men. Josie Naillon, Gabby Bratney, Rio Neifert and Kate Haglin competed for the junior women; helmsman Sullivan Bratney supported both teams.

The women’s team coached by Brooke Watland included Susan Moen, KC Brekken, Amber Schlegel, Natalia Lynch, Shelly Thelen, Deby Zarling, Amber Ladd and Danise Miller as well as Bekah Kinman, Tessa Capelle, Alysia Iverson and Ashley Keck.

For more information about the Brainerd Lakes Rowing Club, visit
www.brainerdlakesrowing.org .