For the third consecutive year, the United States will send a men's eight to race at the E.On Hanse Canal Cup in Rendsburg, Germany. The three-day event scheduled for October 3-5 is highlighted by the 12.7-kilometer international men's eight race, which includes crews from Germany, Great Britain, and the Netherlands in addition to the U.S.
The U.S. crew will be made up of coxswain Marcus McElhenney, Dan Walsh, Brian McDonough, Jon Watling, Jamie Schroeder, Matt Deakin, Chris Liwski, Garrett Klugh, and Ryan Torgerson. Eight of the nine U.S. boat members raced at the 2003 FISA World Rowing Championships this past August in Milan. McElhenney, Deakin, and McDonough were members of the men's four with coxswain that won the gold medal, while Watling and Torgerson won silver medals as members of the men's eight. Walsh, Schroeder and Klugh raced to a seventh-place finish in the men's four. While Liwski did not race in Milan, he did row to a gold medal in the men's eight at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.
Last year, Germany won its second consecutive Canal Cup title in front of 160,000 spectators. Organizers expect a similar crowd this year.