row2k Features
Masters Nationals; Post Mortem
August 20, 2009
Merrill Hilf

There were few surprises at Masters Nationals; a quick look at the results will tell you how intense the competition was, and make you wonder how USRowing managed to cram in as many races as they did. Certainly anyone who has spent time in the Garden State wasn't surprised by the heat and humidity in August, or the close proximity of Wegmans. I did speak to a woman from the west coast that was puzzled about the absence of left hand turns in New Jersey, and I was unable to explain the origin of this traffic tradition. Many of the faces were familiar from spring and summer regattas, especially from the local rowing clubs in the northeast. It was no surprise to me that I sweat more than I thought was humanly possible, and that I came home without any medals.

Despite the emotional roller coaster that racing is, I was more than surprised about some of the stories and some of the scenes I either witnessed or heard about. The happiest group had to be the crowd hanging out at the Masters International tent. They had chairs, cold drinks, fruit, assistants, and even made time to row, and win numerous age 60 plus events. When it came to rowing, they were serious, as long as no one pushed the stroke rating up too high. Watching these older crews is inspiring, but not as touching as a 75 year old breast cancer survivor offering to remove her prosthetic breast to make weight. Or seeing a former patient of mine back in a boat after coronary bypass surgery. Or watching a friend overcome lymphoma and race in both an eight and a quad.

This is not to downplay all the people who defied the odds, and beat people no one thought they could. There were many close finishes, and many valiant efforts. There also was a tremendous display of club unity and teamwork as evidenced by the number of rowers. The official number was 1500 not 1800 as I had mentioned. Maybe the missing 300 went to Wegmans for a cold drink, and decided to never leave.

I'd like to thank the officials for doing a truly thankless job, for free. And thanks to those kids someone conned into lying around and roasting on a stake boat, while their friends were home playing video games in air conditioning. And thanks to the "fans", also known as spouses, partners, children, and really good friends, who pretended to be excited about waiting around for hours to see the last 200 meters of a race. Mostly, I want to acknowledge all the people who spent countless hours training, organizing, traveling, and somehow finding the time to support this event. Personally, I'm looking forward to the day that all port-a-pots are placed in the shade, and registration comes complete with an ice vest.
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