Race Weekend: Pictures and Videos

The Leatherneck Warriors entered a 10-person mixed boat in the Senior D Class in the Pan American Club Crew Champions in Montreal, Canada. The Warriors Eleven (not to be confused with Oceans Eleven) made the 1400 mile trek to Canada and spent 4 days racing and enjoying Montreal. The team of Carol, Sue N., Bob G., Dottie, Earl, Ron, Tom U., Don B., Betty, Renie and Joe K were led by Captain Robin Lockerby and joined by Mary Ann (in the role of Julia Roberts?) who acted as team photographer and all-around helper.

The team competed in 3 events- the 200 meter, 500 meter and 2000 meter races. We earned bronze medals in the 200 and 2000 races and achieved 4th place in the 500. The team overcame difficult and changeable water currents, tippy boats and confusing race directions (in French!) to achieve these medaled results. Recording a 1:04:93 in the 200 meter (missing silver by less than 1/10th of a second; and 12:04 in the 2000 meter in a Class D 10-person boat is truly impressive. The Bahamian team, age 20+, shared that their team didn’t enter the 2000 meter race because they didn’t have the endurance our team demonstrated.

Robin was impressed with the spirited enthusiasm and commitment shown during each race. "We worked together as a cohesive unit and critiqued each race by discussing what could be done more effectively to create a stronger boat". It was a team effort from the opening ceremony with Bob Gamble and Sue Nordick as flag bearers to the VIP event with Dottie, Ron, and Robin networking with other team managers, to the medals ceremony with Our Warriors Eleven collecting their medals and congratulating the other teams.

Overall, it was a gratifying event of camaraderie. We not only raced but enjoyed dinners, a Jazz Festival, sightseeing, and even Montreal's crowded Metro. The memories from this Pan American Club Crew Championship will not be forgotten.

Next time maybe our Leatherneck Warriors will have a sequel from Warriors 11 to Warriors 20!