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Fairfield Rower Finishes With Two More US Titles

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The final numbers for Fairfield’s Rosie Grinalds from three trips to the USRowing Youth Nationals are nothing short of astonishing.

The Harvard-bound rower picked up two more gold medals in last weekend’s national championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn. for her career, won three national titles and was part of crews that finished that second and third. She won the Women’s 1x and was part of the New Milford-based GMS Rowing team that won the Women’s Youth 4x at Oak Ridge.

“Every year that I went, I came back and learned something new,’’ Grinalds said. “It was an amazing experience.”

Grinalds won the pair at the 2011 national meet with her sister, Lucy, who recently completed her freshman year at Harvard. Rosie, who will join her sister at Harvard in the fall, was also part of the Connecticut Boat Club teams that finished second in 2010 and third in 2011 in the Women’s Youth 8+.

She joined GMS this year to work with Wilton’s Guenter Beutter, the sculling coach for the U.S. Junior National team. “This year I transitioned from sweeping to sculling because of some back issues,’’ said Grinalds, who also trained at Saugatuck Rowing Club in the fall and winter. “I was working on the single, but we thought we could double up and put together a good quad.”

Grinalds teamed with Westport’s Alex Zadravec, New Canaan’s Jackie Cloud and Erin Reelick of Brookfield to capture the 4x. In the 1x, Grinalds won in 8:08.734, followed by Elizabeth Sharis in 8:11.015. Zadravec just missed a medal, finishing fourth.

The GMS crew had an easier time in the 4x, winning by more than eight seconds. “We had one of the most positive groups I’ve ever been with,’’ Grinalds said. “Every time we got together, we had a good time. We never had a bad practice. It was fun to practice with them.”

Grinalds made the adjustment to competing without Lucy, who made the Women’s 8 in her first year at Harvard. “My sister is my best friend,’’ Rosie said. “I have a lot of new friends on the team, but it was weird not having her in the same boat.”

Grinalds is training at GMS and hopeful for a berth on the World U23 team later this summer before heading to Harvard. She’s also going to have to find more room at home to add the latest additions to her crowded trophy case.

“Looking back on my career, I can’t help but to be thankful for all the people I met,’’ she said. “From the coaches, the teammates and my father, who drove me up to practice early every morning. I’ve had a lot of support from every one. It was great.”

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