East County rowers race against the best at Youth Nationals in Sarasota

At the USRowing Youth National Championships, held at Nathan Benderson Park June 6-9, spectators ran nearly as fast as the boats they were watching. 

The first half of a Youth Nationals race is predominantly watched on the park's large video screen, but as soon as the boats hit the 2,000-meters-to-go mark, there is a mad rush to the beach to get the best live viewing position. Some fans whip out their cameras, and the particularly zealous among the crowd will shout words of support, even though the rowers on the water are fully focused on the finish line.

The scramble does not stop once the boats cross the finish line, either. The winning boat's teammates and fans will then sprint to the other side of the lake to give their congratulations as the boats head back to the dock. It is non-stop action, especially on Sunday's final day of the four-day event. 

The region's rowing fans should be used to the flow of this event by now. Benderson Park has hosted the event each year since 2019, as well as in 2017 and 2015. The 2024 edition was the biggest yet, with more than 4,000 athletes representing 224 different clubs competing.  

Though no East County rowers, representing either Sarasota Crew or Manatee County Youth Rowing, took home medals this year, the packed house did see several reach the A Final, or the top-eight boats, in their respective events. 

Sarasota Crew's Iaroslav Shuman, an eighth grader at Dr. Mona Jain Middle, helped the team's U16 boys 8+ boat to a fifth-place finish in the event's A Final (6:37.95). The Crew's Jenna Khalil, a Lakewood Ranch High freshman, helped the team's U16 girls 8+ boat to a seventh-place finishin the A Final (7:32.17). The Crew's Sam Obine-Galvin, a Lakewood Ranch High junior, helped the team's varsity boys 8+ boat to an eighth-place finish in the A Final (6:01.58).

Prior to the event, Khalil said the U16 girls 8+ boat's goal was to reach the A Final. That, she said, would put the boat among the best of the best at the biggest event of the year. No matter what happens after that, being in that race is a victory. The boat accomplished its goal by finishing third in its semifinal race on June 7 (7:37.96). Khalil was a large part of the boat's success. She sat in the stroke seat for the race, which is the position closest to the coxswain and the seat that sets the boat's stroke rate and rhythm. 

Khalil said reaching the A Final was a dream come true. 

"We were like, 'Oh my gosh, we did it,'" Khalil said. "Being here, it's a lot. It's scary. You are around everyone who worked year-round to be here. There are so many teams, so many girls, who want it as bad as you do. It's hard, but it feels good (to succeed)."

Khalil credited the Sarasota Crew coaches with helping her boat maximize its potential.

The seventh-place finish is something that rowers like Khalil can build on next year. While everyone wants to take home a medal, there are plenty of reasons to be proud of making the A Finals. The work required to get to this point involves intense training and discipline. Not everyone is cut out for rowing, but for those who are, the experience is deeply rewarding. 

Just ask Sarasota Crew captains Maeva Ginsberg-Klemmt and William Mathes. The two seniors rowed their final high school races at the Youth Nationals. Ginsberg-Klemmt, the girls captain and a member of the girls varsity 8+ boat, said her experience with the Crew showed her the importance of self motivation. While the team's coaches have a deep knowledge of the sport, she said, they put the preparation for big events on the rowers, teaching them how to be responsible and independent. 

"You find out your own limits," Ginsberg-Klemmt said. "It has been nice. Everybody works so hard to achieve their goals, and everybody's goals are different. But at the end of the day, you come together to compete and race. It's a great environment." 

Mathes, the boys captain and a member of the boys varsity 8+, said that every boat's goal at the start of Youth Nationals is to take gold, and they grade themselves by how close they get to that goal. While eighth place is not the finish the boat wanted, Mathes said, but it was not for a lack of effort. 

"We left everything we had on the water," Mathes said.

Another East County rower did not make an A Final, but still finished high. Landon Hess, an eighth grader at Dr. Mona Jain Middle, finished second in the B Final in the Sarasota Crew boys U15 4x+ boat (7:34.95), which equates to 10th overall. Lizabeth Derrick and Haylyn Hastreiter of Manatee County Youth Rowing also finished sixth in the B Final of the U17 2x boat (8:21.96), which equates to 14th overall. 

In the process, the local fans got their money's worth — and some good exercise — sprinting to watch their favorites.