An incredible eight Brentwood College School students and graduates are representing Canada or the U.S. at international events this summer, something rowing coach Brian Carr doesn't think any high school anywhere can match.
"This is the second year in a row that Brentwood has put athletes onto all three levels: senior, U23 and junior," he said. "I would challenge any school in the world to beat that. For us as a rowing club, I think that's very special."
Brendan Hodge, a 2003 Brentwood graduate, will sit in the bow seat of the Canadian lightweight men's four at the highest level, the Senior World Championships, which will be held at Aiguebelette, France at the beginning of September.
In the Pan Am Games in Toronto later this month, 2012 graduate Martin Barakso will row with the Canadian men's pair and men's eight. Barakso was most recently at the Henley Royal Regatta in England with the Princeton University team. Barakso will captain the Princeton crew next season.
Also later this month, 2014 graduate Rielly Milne will row with the U.S. men's coxed four at the U23 Worlds in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Three 2015 graduates will compete for Canada in the World Junior Championships in Rio de Janeiro at the end of August. Rowing this year in the junior men's quad, Elliot Rogers will make his second trip to the World Juniors after placing ninth with the men's pair last year. Women's pair teammates Yvonne (Evie) Anguelov and Sydney Payne will row in the women's pair.
The World Juniors will serve as the test regatta for Rio's Olympic race course to make sure everything is ready for the 2016 games.
"They'll be treated like royalty, treated like Olympians," Carr said.
Finally, Alex Ridenour and Ellis Hollands of the Class of 2016 will head to the CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico City on July 5-12 with the Canadian junior B team. Ridenour will compete with the sculling team, which is coached by Carr, while Hollands will row with the sweep team.