From Columbus, Ohio, it is not far to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We could have been home in time for dinner. But one final detour was necessitated by the youngest of our children, affectionately dubbed "The Fifth & Final." Sarah is a rower in college, about to start her senior year. The pandemic has significantly impacted her collegiate rowing career. As luck (and a lot of hard work) would have it, the Oak Ridge Invitational Regatta was held in Oak Ridge Tennessee on May 23 and 24. Sarah earned a spot on the "Prestige Worldwide" team. Ron and I had never seen Sarah row "live", so we altered course, and headed southwest out of Columbus.
It was a perfect first regatta for us.
The event took place on Lake Melton, on a large side inlet. The course was a straight 2K, and seven lanes were marked with bright yellow buoys anchored ten meters apart. There was room on the far side of the course for the contestants to make their way from the finish area (where they launch their shells) to the starting gate. A new race starts about every 12 to 15 minutes, so we were constantly entertained. There were not many fans in attendance, and it has been a very strange season for the athletes, so as a mom, I felt it was important for me to cheer on all the rowers.
I learned the difference between two oar rowers and single oar rowers. In sweep rowing each rower handles a single oar; in sculling a rower uses two oars, or sculls. The boats are called "shells" because the hull is only about 1/8" to 1/4" thick to make it as light as possible. Pairs and fours can come with a coxswain or without. The coxswain, pronounced "cox-en", are significantly smaller and lighter than the rowers because they're not powering the boat — they're steering it and directing team members all the while.
The national finals were held on Sunday. Sarah qualified for two races: the Women's Four Varsity with a coxswain, and the Women's Pairs, without a coxswain. She won bronze medals (third place) in both events!!!
Car Talk
Columbus, Ohio to Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Distance: 373 miles
Driving Time: 5 hours, 47 minutes
Mileage: 34.0 mpg
Average Speed: 64 mph
Trip Total: 9,903.1
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