Bermuda Rowers Win Silver In U.S. Regatta
Michael Swain and Tom Riddle were among 4,500 rowers competing in a competition in Virginia, with the pair winning a silver medal in the Head of the Occoquan Regatta.
Speaking after the race, Mr Swain said, “What was really gratifying was that most of the other crews had been training together all season to ensure that their technique was spot-on and blade timing very precise.
“The actual race was our first time rowing together so we managed to nail all of the essentials on the 4,000 meter row to the start line. The actual race felt very fluid and the boat glided beautifully.
“There were some very tight turns around the bends of the river and of course rowers face backwards. So steering is particularly difficult. Tom made some great calls around the marker buoys and our tight line and power bursts certainly helped our finish time.
Mr Swain is President of the Bermuda Rowing Association, and Mr Riddle joined the Bermuda Rowing Association after visiting Bermuda as a rowing tourist four years following his retirement as a Colonel at the Pentagon
In between races the squad took the opportunity to squeeze in some promotion for the island, handing out Bermuda Tourism products to the visiting athletes and answering many questions about the benefits of rowing on the beautiful waters of Bermuda.
Congratulations to Michael and Tom for doing so well in the race and for helping to promote Bermuda sports tourism.