Race Report: Ben & Dave at FISA Worlds

[Thanks to Ben Boehm for this race report.]

Well, we were hoping to win all our races. The way scoring works at Masters Worlds is that they run all the heats independently. There's a winner from every heat. The winner from each heat gets a medal, and there are no 2nd or 3rd place medals.

Dave did win his single, in control of the race the entire course. I had a good row in the single, but wasn't able to win my race. I was 4th off the line and moved into 3rd at about the 500 mark. There was a strong tailwing the entire regatta, so races unfolded very quickly. In the last 250 I was aggressively moving on 2nd place, but he had enough left to hold me off until the finish line. Another 50 meters, and I think I could have passed him.

Our double was Saturday morning. It was probably the worst conditions of the weekend. Strong cross tail wind. Whitecaps near the start and finish. It was quick start conditions, and as soon as they started the quick start sequence, the wind blew our point into the next lane. So, the first 10 strokes of the start, we were on the bouy line. After that, we got straightened out and worked our way into 2nd place. We were about 3/4 a length up on 3rd place going into the last 250.

Unfortunately for us, they were from Boston and windy days on the Charles had prepared them to power through the conditions more effectively than we were able to. So, they just got us at the finish. Shortly after our race, regatta officials canceled racing for the rest of the day due to unsafe conditions.

Dave and I also had a good showing at Masters Nationals. We finished 2nd in the Light B 2x, behind a boat with a multiple time national team member and ahead of last years winner. We also finished 4th in the heavy B 2x. I finished 6th in the light A single.

That's the race reports. I shipped my erg out here to Nevada, and will probably try to hit an erg race this winter.

[Linda note: There were 12 heats for the Men's C 1x event - 83 boats in all. I reviewed the results from all the heats, and... Dave captured 3rd overall! Also, Dave and Ben both typically compete as lightweights, but at this World Class event, there are no lightweight categories. And don't worry, Ben is only temporarily assigned to Nevada. We can expect him back in Dayton later this winter.]

Bill T. Passes Captain's Test

Bill T. was the first rower in 2010 to take the Captain's Test. No surprises (except why did he wait so long?) and we have a winner! -- Photo thanks to Jon D.

The votes have been counted. Here's the fall regatta schedule for open & master rowers:

Oct 2: CFC
Oct 16: Speakmon
Nov 6-7: Hooch
Possible bonus race: Eagle on Oct 30th.

We had a very good Skills & Drills last week, and there will be another class on September 15th. Email Linda to sign up.

Check your email: Due to construction material lurking under the water, traffic under the I-75 bridge is closed until further notice.

Michigan Club Invitational Race Report

GDRA Open & Master competitors journeyed north to Ann Arbor for an interesting weekend of racing. The Ann Arbor venue is cozy with a scant 1500 meters of river, and a shady viewing area. After a pre-race evening of thunderstorms and tornado warnings, on race day we were happy with a bit of rain in the morning and a bit of sun in the afternoon.

The competition (20+ teams from the midwest) was good, and GDRA brought home a respectable collection of medals, and some excellent racing experience.

Gold: GDRA teamed with Grand Rapids to build a composite Masters Rec/Novice 8+. (Ask Beth K if she liked that Resolute!)

Silver: Mike M, Doug, Jake, Ed in the Mens Open 4x

Bronze: Beth K & Denise in the Womens Master 2x
Jake in Mens Open 1x

Some notables:

- This was Mike T's first regatta (gold is good start!)

- Denise and Ed were 5th in a large Open 2x field where the first 5 places were all @ 4:07

- An eight flipped during one race (overheard... "didn't know they could do that!")

- It was a good day for mix-and-match teams:
* Beth K and Denise teamed for the first time
* Mike, Doug, Ed, and Jake teamed for the first time
* The Grand Rapids composite crew was a definate first

David Andes commandeered the trailer packing, driving, and unpacking - and kept the whole show running smooth - thank you Dave!!

Look for this race next year....

Midwest Masters Sprints

GDRA Masters enjoyed a fine day of competition in Columbus. We fielded 18 boats and came away with 6 golds, 4 silvers, and 3 bronzes. Results are attached.

The fastest GDRA raw time of the day was Ben & Dave in the double @ 02:56.8 on the 900 meter course. And congratulations to Lori D. for successfully completing her first race in the single!

This race enjoyed a strong turnout with team throughout the midwest. All heats were contested by 3-5 boats. It was well organized with fully buoyed lanes - an excellent racing experience.

Many, many thanks to Dave Andes for trailering. We all appreciated that close-to-the-docks parking space, and the smooth organization.

Next race: Ann Arbor on July 24.

April Blitz

Learn-to-Row has a new format for 2010. Forms are updated online (see links at right) so you can check it out the schedule, details, etc. Don't forget to send copies to all your friends.

We'll take trailers to at least two regattas this year:

• Saturday, June 19, Midwest Masters Sprints, Columbus OH
• Saturday, July 24, Michigan Club Invitational, Ann Arbor MI

To prepare for competition, we will hold a series of practice races. The first practice race will be May 1st. There will be more info as the date grows nearer.

READY TO ROW

The docks are on the water, the water is liquid, the air is warm... time to row. We had a gorgeous day for the dock launching, and lots of people hanging around the boathouse even after the food was consumed. And there was rowing.

Upcoming events:

• Learn-to-Row classes start May 18th. Brochures should be available in a couple weeks.
• Competition team practices start this coming Tuesday evening... check your email for details.
• Spring tune-up rows start this coming Wednesday evening... check your email
• Adult dues are due now (you've already seen that email)

Some of the regattas for 2010 are posted on the calendar (click on 'look for more' until you get to some events in June) and you can expect more updates in the near future.

See you on the river, Linda