Two Canadian men's eight crews will face a top U.S. men's eight this weekend at the Windermere Cup in Seattle, Washington.
The Windermere Challenge Cup features a match race between the men's national teams from Canada and the United States. Canada heavyweight men's eight claimed its first world title in the event last year. The U.S, winners of three straight gold medals between 1997-99, placed third at the 2002 FISA World Championships in Seville, Spain. Eight athletes, all based in Victoria, B.C., from Canada's gold-medal crew and seven from the U.S. bronze-medal boat will compete in the Windermere Challenge Cup. The Canadian gold medal athletes traveling to Seattle are: Jeff Powell, Joe Stankevicius, Andrew Hoskins, Adam Kreek, Kevin Light, Kyle Hamilton, Ben Rutledge and coxswain Brian Price. The seven visiting athletes from the third-place U.S. crew are: Peter Cipollone, Jon Watling, Bryan Volpenhein, Wolfgang Moser, Mike Wherley, Joseph Hansen and Ryan Torgerson. Canadian men's coach Mike Spracklen, the 2002 FISA (international rowing federation) Coach of the Year, makes his second Windermere Cup appearance. His British national women's team won the 1998 race, becoming the only crew to defeat the Washington varsity eight in the last 11 Windermere Cup regattas.
The 17th-annual Windermere Cup takes place Saturday, May 3 at 10:20 a.m. The Windermere Cup races are the headline event of the 34th-annual Opening Day Regatta on Lake Washington's Montlake Cut and are held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's annual celebration of the opening of yachting season.
Canada's entries (Windermere Challenge Cup, May 3):
First eight Kevin Light of Sidney, B.C., Adam Kreek of London, Ont., Jeff Powell of Winnipeg, Man., Joe Stankevicius of Dundas, Ont., Andrew Hoskins of Edmonton, Alta., David Calder of Victoria, B.C., Barney Williams of Victoria, B.C., Cam Baerg of Saskatoon, Sask., Brian Price of Belleville, Ont. (cox)
Second eight Geoff Hodgson of Whitehorse, Yukon, David Kay of Peterborough, Ont., Kyle Hamilton of Richmond, B.C., Ben Rutledge of Cranbrook, B.C., Tom Herschmiller of Comox, B.C., Jake Wetzel of Saskatoon, Sask., Peter Dembicki of West Vancouver, B.C., Kevin Burt of Victoria, B.C., Victoria Agate of Victoria, B.C. (cox)