The 29th annual C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, recognized as the premier indoor rowing regatta in the world, will take place on Sunday, February 14, at Boston University's Agganis Arena. Competitors from around the globe, including World and Olympic medalists, will vie for the famed "Hammer" trophy on Concept2 Model D Ergometers (rowing machines).
Racing 2,000 meters against the clock, rowers will compete in several categories including Men's and Women's Open, Lightweight, Under-23, and Junior (eighteen and under) divisions. There are also Master's and Veteran's brackets for older competitors.
Heats begin at 9:00 AM and conclude by 6:00 PM. Admission for spectators is free.
This year marks the first time that the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints will host an Adaptive Rowing Division for mentally and physically-challenged participants. Athletes from the adaptive program at Community Rowing Inc. in Brighton (MA), the Paralympic Military Program, and many others will go 1,000 meters on specially-altered Ergometers to meet their respective needs.
"The popularity of rowing continues to grow," said Linda Muri, President of the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints and head coach for freshman lightweight rowing at Harvard University. "Our event is the highlight of the winter indoor training season and we're excited about welcoming such a diverse collection of athletes this year."
The C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, known as the World Indoor Rowing Championships, originated in 1982 when a group of Boston rowers, many of whom were members of the United States National and Olympic Rowing Teams training out of Harvard University's Newell Boathouse, named themselves the "Charles River All-Star Has-Beens" and organized the first indoor meet of its kind in the world. Twenty-eight years later, over 2,200 athletes from as far away as China and New Zealand (ranging in age from fourteen to ninety in 2009) are welcomed to Boston each year for this grueling race against the clock.
Media inquiries may be directed to Linda Muri via email: [email protected].
For further information, please visit the official web site for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints at http://crash-b.org.