The electric atmosphere that comes with the Royal St. John’s Regatta is something that Amy Barry has enjoyed for the past three years as an avid rower with the Humber Valley Rowing Club.
Barry, a Corner Brook native, is going back on the water as a member of the Barry Group for the 200th anniversary of the regatta today and she couldn’t think of a better place to spend the day.
Just being a part of the regatta is a special feeling for Barry. Seeing large crowds on hand supporting the event and the athletes is something that has impressed her for years and she expects things will be even more exciting with the hype surrounding the 200th anniversary of the regatta.
“There’s so many people involved and that’s something we wish that Corner Brook would grow into,” Barry said Tuesday from St. John’s. “It’s going to be a great day to be involved and racing.”
The Barry Group team, with Jeff Griffin back as coxswain, includes Barry, Sarah Rowe, Katie Alteen, Jaimie Gazley, Jaleesa Hawco, Laurie McCarthy and spare Brittany Ellsworth.
For the regatta, however, former team member Sarah Squires will take the place of Hawco in the boat because Hawco was unavailable due to work commitments. Ellsworth, as the new spare, is relatively new to the sport and should be ready to take a spot in the boat next season.
The crew is scheduled to race at 3 p.m. and this is something Barry feels could be interesting because her team has always hit the water in the morning and now the wind and sun could be a factor in how the races unfold with an afternoon start meaning higher temperatures and peak time for the wind to howl.
She likes the positive side of that situation by realizing there won’t be a big rush to get up in the morning, but she’s just going to let it all play out and focus on getting the most from the experience.
“We’re just hoping that nothing gets postponed just so that everything goes smoothly,” she said.
All she can hope for is a smooth ride, but she knows anything can happen on race day so the team will just have to adjust.
“Our goal is to have a smooth race and feel good about what we’re doing,” she said. “We don’t want to be hammering down and out of tune with each other because where it’s a huge event obviously you are more nervous and more likely to be untidy.”
