By the closing remarks of the USRowing 2007 annual awards presentation at the USRowing Convention in Miami on Friday, December 7, there was still no sign of Male Athlete of the Year Wyatt Allen. His parents were there, his brothers were there, a presentation speech had been made by his coach Mike Teti, but Wyatt's presence in Miami remained a rumor - something about flights and weather and changing into a suit in the backseat as Bryan Volpenhein racing through traffic to deliver Wyatt to the podium.
So USRowing president Glenn Merry thanked all the award winners and attendees, and up went the lights - just as Wyatt busted through the door in street clothes with a duffle bag over his shoulder and a slip of paper in his hand - a Lost Luggage claim ticket from his flight into Miami. He was invited up to the podium, said a sentence or three of thanks to his peers for selecting him for the award, and jumped off the podium to meet the embraces of his family.
Whether it was a dramatic or anticlimactic moment for Wyatt is hard to say, but without question he joined a group of extremely worthy award recipients on the evening. While everyone knows an awards ceremony can come up short of a raucous evening, every year you can't fail to be impressed by the achievements and dedication of the people honored at this banquet (and it was a masterstroke for USRowing to make it a quick Friday cocktail party rather than a sitdown banquet). This year was no different, whew - following is a list of the award winners, links to previous news items with more information on the achievements of the award winners, and a photo gallery from the awards ceremony:
2007 Award recipients:
Julian Wolf Award: Ryz Obuchowicz
Jack Franklin Award: Dick Alcock
Ernestine Bayer Award: John and Phoebe Murphy
Clayton W. Chapman Award: Allen Eubanks
John J. Carlin Award: Marc Nowak
USRowing Man of the Year Award: Conn Findlay
Jack Kelly Award: Finn M.W. Caspersen
USRowing Club of the Year: Carnegie Lake Rowing Association
Awards Ceremony Photo Gallery
Allen and McGee Named 2007 USRowing Athletes of the Year
USRowing Names 2007 Annual Award Winners