NE 4's Rowing - Wet and Windy

Today the NE 4 rowing championships were to be held at Great Herring Pond here in MA. I have been looking forward to this regatta for months. After several years on the Merrimack at Lowell, this event was moving to a new venue which promised stake boat starts and other improvements.

Yesterday it was raining and ugly, and I kept hoping that the weather men would be wrong in their forecasts of continued wind and rain. When we left Boston at 5:00 a.m. this morning, it did not look promising. After posting a two-hour delay, the decision was made to not row -- there was lots of wind and whitecaps.

This event is always very special to us. The coaches who spearhead this regatta make it special. No I have not lost my mind -- referees and coaches all on the same page. Well, at this event the coaches and the referees work together to make sure that the athletes have safe and fair racing. Although saddened to lose the day of racing, getting to the decision was a study in how such decisions should be made.