Though it’s been quite a while since the site was last updated, the rowing world is preparing for another exciting spring season. Also, a discussion board is now active at http://exetercrew.com/forum/index.php.

Both the Boys and Girls Varsity teams will devote a week of their spring break this March to honing their technique and improving their fitness as another racing season approaches. By the time the crews get back to Exeter on March 24th, the Squamscott River will hopefully be clear of ice so practices may begin in preparation for their first race on April 19th. Girl’s co-captain Allison Courtin ’08 said that “All the girls are really excited and optimistic, especially since this is the first spring training trip we’ve had in a few years.” Courtin also noted that “the entire team is going to be very competitive this year, from first to sixth boat.” Boy’s co-captain Ian Winthrop ’08 said that “the particularly strong senior class this year combined with a competitive group of younger oarsmen should continue the trend of fast varsity boats.” Co-captain Tim Moore ’08 also noted that “three of the seniors are returning to row on the first boat, and with Vaughan Coder back from an injury last spring along with Chris Jones and Andrew Safir from the second boat I think that the seniors will push this year’s crews to compete at the highest level.” Boys head coach Lawrence Smith also mentioned that with an additional coach coming on board, both sides of the boathouse will have more flexibility to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of practices.

2008 is also an Olympic year, and two Exonians are getting ready to row in Beijing this summer. Sloan DuRoss ’95 and Deaglan McEachern ’01, who qualified the United States in the Men’s Quadruple Sculls event at the Rowing World Championships last summer in Munich, are training to race for Olympic gold.

On the other side of the country, a bad thunderstorm turned into a disaster when a tornado hit the Vancouver Lake Crew boathouse in Vancouver, Washington. According to the news report released by the club, the tornado “lifted the club’s two buildings off of the ground and scattered them over 300 feet away completely destroying the contents. All 18 training ergs were destroyed along with all the equipment and supplies. Out of the approximately 50 shells stored at the site only 3 survived the falling trees and blowing debris. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment has been destroyed.” Fortunately, no one was inside when the tornado struck. While cleanup is underway, the non-profit club is seeking donations to help rebuild their boathouse and replace their devastated fleet of shells. For more information, visit the Vancouver Lake Crew website here.

Lastly, the CRASH-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships are barely a month away. Registration for the February 24th event at the Agganis Arena in Boston ends February 10th. A number of Exonians are slated to race the 2000 meter “sprint” as their first erg test before pre-season starts in mid-March.

Photos courtesy of The Boston Globe and Row2k.

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