The first 2005 National Selection Regatta (NSR) will be held May 6-8 on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J. The national selection regattas are one step towards making the 2005 National Team, which will compete at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships August 28-September 4 in Gifu, Japan.
NSR I will include races in four boat classes -- the men and women's single sculls and the men and women's lightweight single sculls. In a change from previous years, winners of the men and women's open weight single sculls will automatically make the national team without further selection if they meet the time standard during the NSR or at a subsequent event held before June 20. If they do not meet the time standard, the boat category will be opened up to all competitors at the 2005 World Championships Team Trials scheduled for mid July.
The women's single sculls category leads the way in numbers of entries with 36. The field contains several past national team members including 2004 Olympian Michelle Guerette, who raced in the women's quadruple sculls in Athens, and 2004 Olympic alternate Liane Malcos.
The men's single sculls category has 29 entries. The field includes 11 former national team members and five past Olympians -- Wyatt Allen, Conal Groom, Greg Ruckman, J. Sloan DuRoss and Steve Tucker.
The lightweight men's single sculls event has 27 entries. The list is led by six past national team members including Rich Montgomery, who represented the United States in the event at the 2004 World Championships, as well as Mike Altman, Simon Carcagno and Tom Paradiso, who were all members of last year's world championships' squad.
The lightweight women's single sculls event also has 27 entries, including six past national team members. Julie Nichols, Renee Hykel, and Maria Picone, who led the U.S. to a bronze medal in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls at last year's world championships, are all entered in the event.
NSR I racing begins on Friday, May 6, with morning time trials and afternoon heats. Semifinals and select finals will be held on Saturday, with the remaining finals being held on Sunday morning.