Laguna Crew Member Helps Teammates 'Pull' to Victory

Submited photo Newport Aquatic Center's team moments before crossing the finish line at a national championship last month. From left, coxswain Alexa Moss, Morgan Bowman, and Connor Reid as the realization sinks in. The Newport Aquatic Center (NAC) sent teams in both the lightweight and heavyweight divisions in the men's eight varsity class to the US Rowing Youth National Championships on Lake Harsha in Bethel, Ohio, on June 14, and, for the first time in the event's history, both gold medals were earned by the same club.

Laguna Beach High School's Connor Reid was on the NAC's lightweight team that dominated a field of 24 teams, going undefeated in both the heats and semifinals. They won a six-team finals race with a time of six min 10.99 seconds over the second place-holder and past champion Marin Rowing Association (from the Bay Area) by a close .23 seconds. The heavyweight team from NAC also won in a close final over second place Phillips Andover (from Massachusetts) and the Kent School (from Connecticut) in third.

The championship event for high school and club rowing teams was attended by 146 teams from 25 states. All earned a berth by placing in one of six regional qualifying regattas across the nation.

Each boat seats eight rowers and one coxswain (who never rows a stroke but sets the pace and controls the steering). The lightweight boat for the NAC included coxswain Alexa Moss, from Newport Beach, as the lone female on the team.