The racing may be heating up at the NIKE National Rowing Trials, but the conditions were anything but hot. Competitors were greeted with a light dusting of snow at the Elk Lake rowing facility in Victoria, B.C. this morning for the first round of racing at the trials.
"The racing went very well under very trying conditions for the athletes," said Rowing Canada head coach Brian Richardson. "There was a high standard, as expected, and some very exciting heats."
2003 World Cup champions Jacqui Cook of Burlington, Ont. and Karen Clark of Delta, B.C. opened the day with a win in the first heat of the women's pair in 6:56.63.
"The attitude in (training) camp has been super - everyone is working hard, and making gains as a group," said Cook, who was also a bronze medallist in the women’s eight at this year’s worlds.
In the second women's pairs heat Buffy Williams of St. Catharines, Ont. and Roslyn McLeod of Burlington, Ont. won in 7:06.24, and in the final heat, Andreanne Morin of Montreal, Que with Darcy Marquardt of Richmond, B.C. won in 7:03.71.
The winners in the first of two heats in the hotly contested men's pairs event were Andrew Hoskins of Edmonton, Alta. and Joe Stankevicius of Dundas, Ont. in 6:12.65. "It was colder than expected," said Stankevicius of today's conditions. "With one pair going directly to the final, everyone keeps pushing right to the end.”
The second heat of the men's pair saw a tight race right to the finish line with Darren Barber of Victoria, B.C. and Scott Frandsen of Kelowna, B.C. finishing in 6:13.45, and last year's top pair of Jake Wetzel of Sasaktoon, Sask. and Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C. crossing the line in 6:13.59.
"To be in competition with these guys (Wetzel and Williams) gives us a lot of confidence," said Barber, who was a gold medallist back in 1992 in the men's eight. "But it's only the heats, and Scott and I have to go back to the drawing board to find more speed. At the end of the day, it was good fun."
In the men's lightweight pairs, Jon Mandick of Victoria and Jon Beare of Toronto, Ont. won the first heat in 6:25.35. Doug Vandor of Dewittville, Que. and Iain Brambell of Brentwood Bay, B.C. won the other heat in 6:15.23.
"We all know each other so well," Brambell said of competitors and former Olympians Chris Davidson and Gavin Hassett, who came second in their heat. "So we just have to work hard on trying to stay relaxed for the start and focused on our race plan."
The first heat of the women’s lightweight single was won by Fiona Milne of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. who is the 2003 World Champion in this event. Milne’s time was 7:31.05. The second heat was taken by Mara Jones of Aurora, Ont. in 7:27.19.
New Brunswick natives Jane Rumball of Fredericton and Stacey Norwood of St. John won their respective heats in the women’s single event. Rumball, who now lives in London, Ont., won her heat in 7:28.56, and Norwood’s time was 7:22.91
In the men’s single, the first heat was won by 2000 Olympian Dominic Seiterle of Montreal, in 6:50.95 and the second heat was won by Jeff Powell of Winnipeg, Man. in 6:56.64, who was the stroke of the World Championship men’s eight earlier this year.
In the men’s lightweight single scull, 2003 National Team member Jeff Bujas of Grimsby, Ont. won in 6:55.08, and his doubles’ partner from the World Championships, Matt Jensen of Innerkip, Ont., won the second heat in 6:57.21.
These trials are held to help determine the Olympic training camp. Canada has qualified seven boats so far for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Only one event repechage will be held this afternoon – the women’s pair. Semi-finals run on Saturday, followed by finals on Sunday beginning at 8 a.m.