NORTHWEST ROWING - An E-Magazine for Pacific Northwest Rowers and Crew Teams

NORTHWESTROWING.COM A guide to rowing and sculling in the U.S. Pacific Northwest - featuring rowing club directories; rowing classified ads; rowing scholarship information; rowing products; and links to rowing articles, rowing humor,rowing photos, rowing posters & art, and rowing books.

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Sitka Sound Ocean Adventure Race June 14, 2008.

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RowNW Calander Northwest Regatta & Event Schedules, Courtesy of the Northwest Rowing Council.

ERA Junior Rower Paula Welly Records History of Everett Rowing
Paula Welly, an Everett High School senior and captain of the Everett Rowing Association's junior women's team, turned down full-ride scholarships at Clemson and Syracuse Universities in order to take a partial scholarship at Gonzaga. But what really got her noticed was her project to collect a history of the Everett Rowing Association as part of her Culminating Exibition (i.e., Senior Project) (Everett herald, June 6, 2008).

WWU Women Rowers Take Div. II Title Fourth Year in a Row
Western Washington University's women's crew team has continued their domination of the NCAA Div. II, winning the national championship for the FOURTH year in a row! (Everett Herald, June 1, 2008).

Univ. of Washington Men lose IRA title to Wisconsin
The Univ. of Washington Men's Crew team came in second the heavyweight 8+, losing the IRA title to Wisconsin at the national regatta on the Cooper River at Camden, New Jersey (Everett Herald, June 7, 2008).
See also: Badgers get best of Huskies for rowing crown (Seattle Times, June 8, 2008);
UW varsity crew second at nationals (Seattle P.I., June 8, 2008).

Megan Kalmoe Secure in Olympic Berth
Former U.W. rower Megan Kalmoe has already secured her spot on the U.S. Olympic team, so she gets to chear on her teamates at the Olympic Trials starting monday at National Olympic Trials at New Jersey (Seattle Times June 8, 2008).

Mary Whipple name FISA Athlete of the Month
Former U.W. coxswain Mary Whipple was named "athlete of the month" by the International Rowing Federation after coxing the U.S. Women's Eight to first place in Lucerne, Switzerland (Seattle Times, June 6, 2008).

U.W. Sophomore Blaise Didier Explains Choosing U.W. over Cal
When San Francicisco native Blaise Didier was recruited by Cal and Washington, he asked each school could help him get to the 2012 Olympics. The answers resulted in Didier choosing Washington, and set up the face-off for the IRA championships (Seattle Times, June 5, 2008).

Troy Petersesen Named to N.E. All-Region Rowing Team
Troy Peterson, a graduate of Seattle Prep and a collegiate rower for the U.S. Military Acadamy (West Point), has been named to the N.E. All Region Rowing Team by the American Collegiate Rowing Association (Seattle Times, June 4, 2008).

Northwest Women Crew Teams Dominate
Women collegiate rowers from the Pacific Northwest at national competitions. The Western Washington University women took their fourth-strait NCAA Div. II title. The Univ. of Washington women, in a decidedly mixed season, managed to shine in the NCAA Div. I finals when they took the gold in the Varsity Four + race and come home with an overall second-place finish based on points. The Washington State University women rowers took eigth place overall in the same NCAA Div. I competition. The Univ. of Puget Sound took third place overall in NCAA Div. III championships (Seattle Times, June 3, 2008).
See Also: Washington Women Rowers Suprise 2nd at NCAAs(Seattle Times June 2, 2008).
UW women's four boat wins national title (Seattle Times, June 1, 2008).

U.W. Women Working Hard, Trying Every Combo
Univ. of Washington coach Bob Ernst is trying every possible combination of rowers and boats to shake up the U.W. women's rowing program prior to their surprising invitation to the NCAA nationals (Seattle P.I., May 29, 2008).

Three WWU Rowers Named Div. II All-American
The Collegiate rowing Coaches Association has named three Western Washington University women rowers to it's NCAA Div. II All-American team: Junior Staci Reynolds, senior Metta Gilbert, and senior Samantha Marikis (Seattle Times, May 28, 2008).

U.W. Men Sweep Pac 10 Finals
The defending champion Univ. of Washington Men's Crew team swept the Pac 10 finals in all events, setting them up for a potential repeat of the IRA National Championship (Seattle P.I., May 19, 2008).
See Also: UW men's crew team cruises in Pac-10, women's team finishes fourth (Seattle Times, May 18, 2008).

Washington Rowers Sweep Windermere Cup
The Univ. of Washington Men survived a quick boat change caused by a broken pin to win the Men's Eight+, defeating the Poland Under-23 Team and Navy in the premier race. The U.W. Women also won their event against Navy and Melbourne University, snapping a losing streak against California, Washington State, and Oregon State (Seattle Times, May 4, 2008).
Windermere Cup Regatta Results

Kelly Foster Has Success as U.W. Rower
Kelly Foster switched from soccer to rowing while in high school at Lake Stevens, Washington, and after rowing for Everett Rowing Association she was offered full rowing scholarships at both the Univ. of Washington and Stanford. Choosing Stanford, she was red-shirted after a back injury, but returning as a Univ. of Washington rower she is making quite a name for herself (May 3, 2008).

Windermere Cup Regatta Offers Unique Experience
Visitors to the Windermere Cup Regatta as part of Seattle's Opening Day of Boating Season are surprised to see the large crowds and ceremony which attends this mainstay of rowing in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle P.I., May 2, 2008).

U.W. Coach Callahan Get's Fatherly Advice
As the recently promoted Univ. of Washington Men's rowing coach passes the midway mark of his first spring season, he got some advice on leadership from his father, a former nuclear-submarine captain to "loosen up" on a rower. "My dad said, 'He's not driving a $3 billion submarine with 100-plus warheads on it.' It's OK." (Seattle Times, May 2, 2008).

U.W. Rowing Continues Winning Streak
The Opening Day festivities probably won't affect the Univ. of Washington's dominance of the field (including the Navy, Melbourne, and Polish teams) at the Windermere Cup Regatta in Seattle on Saturday May 3rd (May 1, 2008).

Photographer Rod Mar Accompanies U.W. Rowers
Seattle Times Photographer finds out about the dedication and work ethic of Univ. of Washington rowers as he accompanies them on their morning practice (and takes some great pictures in the process) (Seattle Times, April 30, 20008).

New U.W. Men's Crew Continues 2007 Success
The 2007 Univ. of Washington Men's Husky Crew Team was undefeated and national champions, but only three rowers returned to man the 2008 Varsity Eight - even the coach went on to take over the U.W. Women's team. But the 2008 rowers have continued to dominate every event, sending predictions of a "rebuilding" year into the eddies (Seattle Times, April 30, 2008).

Seattle's Opening Day/Windermere Cup Schedule
Seattle's annual "Opening Day of Boating Season" (the first Saturday in May each year) will have their usual parade of boats, culminating in the Windermere Cup Regatta featuring the Univ. of Washington crews against invited competitors, and lots of junior and master's races, all beginning around 10:20 at the Mountlake Cut in Seattle (Seattle Times, May 1, 2008).

Bjorn Larsen finishes second at Lake Mercer
Lake Stevens, Washington resident Bjorn Larsen finished second in lightweight sculls doubles at the 2008 National Selection Regatta on Lake Mercer, N.J. (along with boat-mate Richard Montgomery) (Seattle Times, April 28, 2008).

Sammammish Juniors Win Brentwood Trophy
Sammamish Rowing Association junior rowers took home the trophy from the Brentwood Regatta in British Columbia (April 25~27, 2008), with Victoria City Rowing Club (Victoria B.C.) in second and Green Lake Rowing Club (Seattle, WA) in third (April 27, 2008).

Around-n-Over Rower near Palau, Needs Supply Drop
Seattle based extreme athlete Erden Eruç of Around-n-Over is attempt to row solo from California to the Philippines. Already at sea for 288 days, Eruç will set the world record on May 10th for number of continuous days at sea by an ocean rower. He will also become the first to row solo across the North Pacific, east to west. Short of supplies, he will receive a supply drop supervised by Kenneth Crutchlow, Executive Director of the Ocean Rowing Society in London. Mr. Crutchlow will be in Seattle for a press conference Friday April 25th, and there will be a reception Friday evening at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Posted April 24, 2008).

U.W. vs. Cal Dual Regatta: Men win, Women, not so much
The varsity Univ. of Washington men continued their winning streak, defeating rival Univ. of California at Berkely, winning the varsity eight event at their dual meet. The U.W. women varisty eight, however, dropped their third in a row. Other races were split between the two teams, indicating a strong continued rivalry for years to come (Seattle Times, April 27, 2008).

OSU Upsets Washington Women in Dual Meet
The unranked Oregon State University women's varsity eight upset the eigth-ranked Univ. of Washington women in their dual meet, handing the U.W. women their second straight loss in a row. The other U.W. boats all won their races, including both men's and women's crew teams. Meanwhile the W.W.U. women continued to dominate winning six of nine races and the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championship on Vancouver Lake. In Boston at the Charles River Challenge, the Gonazaga women won the varsity four, and placed second in the varsity eight (Seattle Times, April 20, 2008).

WSU Women win "Apple Cup of Rowing"
Washington State University Women's crew won it's third-straight victory over the Univ. of Washington women in the dual meet between the two crews. U.W. teams took heart in that some of their younger boats did well in that same regatta (Seattle Times, April 13, 2008).

Washington Returns to San Diego with a Bang
After skipping the Sand Diego Crew Classic for three years in a row, the Univ. of Washington returned this year to take first place in both the men's and women's premier varsity eight events, and to also take home medals for their freshmen, novice, and JV boats (Seattle Times, April 7, 2008).

Washington takes 5 of 6 at Husky Open Regatta
While the Univ. of Washington varsity boats competed at the San Diego Classic, those left behind won five of six races at the Husky Open on the Mountlake Cut in Seattle. Washington State Women won their event, and Green Lake Crew dominated the junior rowers, winning five of seven races. On Vancouver Lake, Western Washington Univ. women continued their dominance of NCAA Div. II rowing at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Invitational (Seattle Times, April 6, 2008).

College Notes: Western Washington Women Sweep Daffodile Regatta
Western Washington University women continued their NCAA Div. II dominance in sweeping the eights and fours events in the Daffodile Regatta in Tacoma, and the Gonzaga novice men's eight won at the Pac 10 Challenge in Redwood City, CA (Seattle Times, March 30, 2008).

UW Class Day Regatta: Freshmen Men, Junior Women Win
UW rowers endured icy rain to compete in the annual Class Day regatta, pitting different U.W. classes of rowers against one another. In the featured race between the class Eights, the Freshmen Men and the Junior Women beat their upperclass teammates to take home the George M. Varnell trophy. (Seattle Times, March 30, 2008).

Lake Stevens Rowing Club Now a Major Player
Lake Stevens Rowing Club has become both a regional and a national competitor, thanks in part to it's location at one of only two 2000-meter buoyed courses in Washington State (Everett Herald, March 18, 2008)

Katelin Snyder Honored at P-I Banguet
U.W. coxswain Katelin Snyder was honored at the Seattle P.I. Sports Star Banquet for her role in the Univ. of Washington's Men's Crew team going undefeated in 2007 and winning the national championship (Seattle P.I., Jan. 23, 2008).

Katelin Snyder Wins PI Sports Star Award
Even though she can barely swim, Katelin Snyder has led the Univ. of Washington crew team to championships and glory from the cox seat, and earned a spot as one of ten "Sports Star of the Year" awarded by the Seattle P.I. (Seattle P.I., January 18, 2008).

"Your Real Estate Agent May be a Rower, Too"
The connection between a real-estate firm and rowing might at first seem tenuous, but there is a reason why Windermere Real Estate is such a big sponsor of big regattas, such as the annual Windermere Cup held on opening day of boating season in Seattle (Everett Herald, April 23, 2008).

Bob Ernst, U.W. Men's Crew, and Pocock Family win Honors
At the annual Northwest Rowing Council's dinner banquet, the awards went to the Bob Ernst and the U.W. Men's Crew (undefeated IRA national champions in 2007), and the Stan Pocock on behalf of the entire Pocock family, for their contributions to crew generally and to crew in the Northwest in particular (Seattle Times, January 13, 2007).

One of New Seattle Storm Owners is a Rower
Ginny Gilder, one of the four new women owners of the seattle Storm WNBA team, was a rower at Yale from 1977 to 1979, won a bronz medal at the 1983 World Championships, and was a silver medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games (Seattle Times, Jan. 9, 2008).

Vancouver Lake Crew Hit Hard by Tornado
Vancouver Lake Crew suffered considerable damage from the Jan. 10th tornado, being "ground zero" for the touchdown of the twister. A couple of portable office/storage buildings were demolished as well as the boat trailers, and most of the 30+ shells, 18 ergs, plus oars, launches, cox boxes, etc. appear to have been destroyed, although no one was injured (morning practice was over).(Everett Herald, Jan. 11, 2008). The team will need lots of assistance in rebuilding the club, rowing clubs are forming work parties and other assistance around the region.
More stories and pictures of the damage:
Vancouver Lake Crew Website
Vancouver Columbin: Vancouver Lake Crew Damage
Portland Oregonian: Goodwill Follows Storm's Wake Through Rowing Club
US Rowing: "Help Needed"

Windermere Cup Features Polish, U.S. Navy, & Melbourne Rowers
The Univ. of Washington rowers will face off against rowers from the Polish Rowing Federation, the U.S. Navy Acadamy, and the University of Melbourne at the Windermere Cup Regatta on May 3, 2008 as part of the Opening Day of Boating Season festivities (Seattle Times, Feb. 21, 2008).

Erin Lauber Follows Legacy of Rowing
Erin Lauren's parents were both rowers at the Univ. of Washington, and her older sister rows for San Diego State University. But Erin didn't even begin rowing until she joined the summer program at Green Lake Crew, AFTER she received recruiting letters of interest from both the Univ. of Washington and Washington state crew coaches. Both teams were impressed with her general athletic ability, her 6'2" frame, and her genes probably didn't hurt, either. Erin has opted to row for the Univ. of Washington, continuing the tradition started by her parents (Seattle Times, Jan. 9, 2008).

Rooney Lee was a Harvard Oarsman
This admitedly doesn't qualify as breaking news of any sort, or even "Northwest" news, but it does seem interesting. In the course of an unrelated research project, we learned that William Henry Fitzhugh "Rooney" Lee (son of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee) was a skilled oarsman while at Harvard University between 1854 and 1857, and was the 1857 president of the Oneida Rowing Club at Harvard. He and his boatmates are credited with originating the Harvard crimson colors when they wore bright red bandannas during a regatta with the Union Boat Club on the Charles River (Source: Harvard Magazine, May 2002). Other sources describe "Rooney" Lee as tall and powerfully built, "too big for a man, too small for a horse". He dropped out of Harvard in 1857 to take an officer's commission in the U.S. Army, but resigned that commission in 1859 to manage one of his family properties after the death of his grandfather. During the Civil War he joined the Confederate Army as a captain of cavalry, and eventually became a major general. Surviving the war, he served in the Virginia Senate and later the U.S. House of Representatives from 1887 until his death in 1891.