The Norwalk River Rowing Association said farewell to three members of its youth team last week at the 133rd Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Brian Helms, Greg Bauerfeld and Olivia Clark all competed for the last time for our club.
The three were joined at the event by Liam McDonough and Kaare Andersen, along with coaches Stephanie Dryer and Luke Auger. The Royal Canadian Henley, one of the more competitive regattas of the year, is held in St. Catharines, Ontario, and draws teams from throughout Canada, the northeast United States and beyond.
Brian and Greg raced in the U19 Double and the U19 Pair, advancing to the semifinals in the latter event and finishing in fifth place. It was the second year in a row they competed at the Henley.
Both young men joined the NRRA youth racing team in 2011, and usually competed together in the pair and double; and in the 4x and 4+, with Kris Petreski and Liam McDonough, with Patrick Lyon and Jamie Fagan as coxswain.
Among their highlights, they twice qualified for the U.S. Rowing Association’s Junior National Championships in the 4x, in 2014 and 2015. They were part of the silver-medal crew in the Youth B (under 16) 4+ at the Club National Championships in 2013; and were on the fifth-place medal-winning team in the 4+ at the Head of the Charles in 2014.
Brian, who lives in Norwalk and was co-captain of the boys team this year, will soon be off to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., where he was recruited for the men’s rowing team.
Greg, who lives in Wilton, will be heading to Syracuse University, where he was recruited for the men’s rowing team.
At the Canadian Henley last week, Olivia raced in the U19 single event. She qualified for the semifinals by finishing second in her heat, and then again finished second in her semi, before finishing sixth in the final.
Olivia joined NRRA in the fall of 2014. Like Brian and Greg, she competed for NRRA in this year’s Junior National Championships, in the double. Olivia lives in Norwalk and will soon head to the University of California at Berkeley, where she was recruited to be a member of the women’s team.
All three had admirable careers at Norwalk River Rowing and we wish them the best!
NRRA’s other two competitors at Henley last week, Kaare Andersen and Liam McDonough, both competed in the U19 single. Both finished second in their heats and qualified for the semis.
Greg Bauerfeld and Brian Helms competing in the pair …Photo courtesy of Greg Helms
