On August 31, the “Rowing Against Cancer” regatta took place, in which we as a club have been participating for several years now. This gives us the opportunity to row and demonstrate our athleticism.
The event is organized by the “Living with Cancer” foundation. This year, we were once again able to put together a team and participate in the regatta. The event takes place alternately in Halle and Magdeburg – this time we met as a team on the Elbe River at the Magdeburg Mückenwirt. However, the preparations and training to achieve the best possible results took place in Halle. Four training sessions were conducted there by the Halleschen Ruder-Club e.V. Many thanks for that!
Our team, which has been gaining rowing experience for several years now, was highly motivated to row its way to victory. Philipp, Maja, Meike, and Dominic boarded the boat full of energy and competed in the first race, which served to classify them into performance classes (beginners or experts). Unfortunately, we had a difficult start and were unable to make up the deficit over the 300 m course. As a result, we were placed in the beginner class, where our next race took place in the quarterfinals. Given the high number of participants (63 boats), a victory was necessary to advance to the semifinals.
With a confident start, we achieved our first victory in the second race – and thus advanced to the semifinals. Our goal was to surpass last year's performance and finally make it to the finals this time. To do so, we had to finish at least second. Fully focused and wearing our group costume, we entered the race – and even managed to finish the semifinals as winners. Finally, it was certain: we would be rowing in the finals!
This milestone alone was a dream come true. Now we dared to hope – for a place on the podium or maybe even victory. In the final race, we once again delivered a strong performance. However, the finish was so close that it remained unclear for a long time whether we would win silver or gold. It was only after the return trip and the boat was lifted out of the water that the relieving news came: WE HAD WON!
At the subsequent award ceremony, we were proud to receive our gold medal – the reward for all those hours of training. Our new goal for next year is now set: victory in the expert class.
Special thanks go to Kinderplanet for making our participation possible!
(Dominic Reichert)
