Over two thousand competitors and thousands of spectators came together today for the 2008 C.R.A.S.H. – B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship. Ranging in age from 14 to 90, from as near as Boston to as far as New Zealand, men and women came together to row the 2000 meter erg piece at the Agganis Arena in Boston. A few members of the Exeter Crew community made the trip, including Lane Pertusi ’09 (pictured top), Josh Sans ’09 (middle), coach Marshall Moore, (bottom), coach Becky Moore, and coach Sally Morris.

After his race, Pertusi noted “It’s really exciting to be part of such a big event with so much energy and to see everyone together like this. I guess it’s also kind of nerve racking for the same reason.” When compared to erg tests at Exeter, he thought “I think it’s better at Exeter since I have my friends and teammates I’m competing with to push me.” Nevertheless, Pertusi thought that going to C.R.A.S.H. – Bs was a “good experience.”

The Charles River All-Star Has-Beens Sprints began in the early 80s by a number of US Olympic and World Team rowers as a regatta to “break up the monotony of winter training.” Since then, C.R.A.S.H. – Bs have grown into one of the largest indoor rowing competitions in the world, attracting world class rowers on an international scale. Past winners at the indoor championship include the late Olympian Andrew Sudduth ’79, who won the event three times in the mid 80s. Matthias Siejkowski of Germany, the current 2000m men’s heavyweight world record holder (at 5:37.0), won an astonishing seven times between 1989 and 2001. American Lisa Schlenker set the current women’s lightweight world record (at 6:56.7) at C.R.A.S.H. – Bs in 2000. This year, Henrik Stephansen of Denmark set a new world record in the men’s lightweight at 6:02.2.

Check the C.R.A.S.H. – Bs website for full results from the races.

Discuss this story!

Last fall, the club crew season was cut short by two weeks when Exeter’s Facilities Management Department discovered major structural problems in the retaining wall next to the docks. Instead of reinforcing the wall with pilings, the corrugated sheet metal alone held back the weight of the entire shoreline. Surprisingly, this inappropriate construction held for decades before any serious instability was noticed. Though the discovery abbreviated the fall season, any delay would have pushed the reconstruction process into the spring season, potentially disrupting the practice schedule.

With little more than a month until crews hope to get back on the Squamscott, construction efforts are well underway. A new retaining wall supported by a reinforced concrete slab (pictured left) will provide much greater support and stability. All in all, the construction is on schedule to be completed in time for the start of the spring season in the last week of March. Hopefully the ice will clear by then!

In the meantime, a number of Exeter rowers have been training in preparation for the CRASH-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship this Sunday. The event will be held at the Agganis Arena in Boston, and is free to all spectators. Entrants from the Academy include Lane Pertusi ’09, Josh Sans ’09, Will Scheffer ’09, Nick Cushing ’09, Ryan Jones ’09, and coaches Sally Morris, Rebecca Moore, and Marshall Moore. For further information and complete seeding information, head over to the CRASH-B Sprints website. Planning to attend? Let others know on the forums.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Safir ’08.

Discuss this story!

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.

Discuss this story!