By LARRY COLE
The inaugural Ocean City High School Crew Back Bay Chase Race was held Saturday morning on the waterways south of the 34th Street Bridge.
The visiting high schools were St. Augustine Prep, Mainland Regional High School and Haddonfield Memorial High School.
The four teams fought strong October winds and tides, but proved their skills on a technical course, which had many twists and turns that are not traditional for the sport of crew.
The Ocean City Women’s Varsity 1 boat took first in their division. The Ocean City Men’s Varsity 1 boat took second in their division behind St. Augustine Prep.
All OCHS crew athletes got to participate in the event and showed off their skills to the crowd of spectators who watched at the base of the 34th Street Bridge.
This was the first event of its kind held by the OCHS Crew Boosters program, which is primarily funded by parents and community donations.
The coaches, volunteer parents, along with the Master Program Under the Bridge Rowing Club, helped keep the young athletes on track and safe during the inaugural event.
The OCHS Crew Boosters program had great feedback and looks forward to hosting more events in the future.
Special thanks goes to the Ocean City Department of Community Services, as well as the Ocean City Police Department and the New Jersey State Police and their Marine Unit.
This story was written by Larry Cole, the Ocean City High School crew coach.
Additional photos of the race by Glen Stewart are available at https://www.facebook.com/oceancitycrew/.
For more information about the OCHS crew teams and OCHS Crew Boosters, visit https://www.ochscrew.com/.
