What is in a name?
A commemoration.  An identity.  A triumph.  A history.  And a future.
Sunday morning — the last day of the Brentwood regatta — is a time typically dedicated to the finalists in their respective races.  But perhaps as significant, Brentwood takes this last day to christen a new boat into the Brentwood fleet.  This christening is not merely the hollow acceptance of an asset for the Brentwood rowing crews.  Rather, it is a moment of subtle significance in the continued progression of the Brentwood rowing program.
The coxed four shell has been dedicated to Malcolm Howard (Class of 2001). Purchased by the school last June, the boat sat unnamed until the regatta weekend. Malcolm Howard was a Brentwood graduate from Victoria who later went on to a very successful career at Harvard. At university, Malcolm won four eastern Sprint titles and three national championships. At the end of his career he went on to win a world championship on the Under-23 men’s eight. In 2004, he won a silver medal at the World Championships in the coxed four. This medal was the inspiration in naming this new shell after him. 2007 was a break-out year for Malcolm: he was in the Canadian men’s Senior Eight that went undefeated, winning two World Cup events in Poland and Lucerne; a Royal Henley Grand Challenge Cup victory followed; and his first Senior World Championships yielded a gold medal in the eight. In October, he jumped into the single and beat the reigning world champion from New Zealand at the prestigious Head of the Charles. Malcolm has recently been named to the Canadian men’s eight that will be competing in Europe later this month. His name on the Olympic roster will have to wait until the end of June. In most likelihood, Malcolm will be the School’s 22nd Olympian to emerge from the ‘little campus that could’ in Mill Bay. The Brentwood College rowing programme celebrates Malcolm’s achievements and wishes him success over the next four months.
But as fascinating as Mr. Howard’s story is, just as much can be said about the future of his boat.  In this boat, some day, a student may experience the joys of the water for the first time.  A regatta may be won.  While the christening of the boat is a celebration of the history behind it, we should celebrate, too, the future that this boat holds.

Photo credits: Catherine MacDonald et al