Steve Tucker and Greg Ruckman won their heat in the lightweight men's double sculls and all three U.S. crews racing to represent the U.S. at the 2003 World Championships kept their national team hopes alive on the first day of competition at the 2003 Bearing World Cup stop June 20-22 in Munich, Germany.
Based on USRowing's selection procedures and their performances at the second National Selection Regatta (NSR), three crews - the lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls and women's pair - have the opportunity this weekend to earn berths on the 2003 National Team that will compete at the 2003 FISA World Championships August 24-31 in Milan, Italy. A top six finish in Munich gives those crews the option of representing the U.S. at the world championships or going back into selection for a different boat. If the crew does not finish in the top six or chooses not to accept the berth on the national team, that boat class will be contested at the 2003 USRowing National Team Trials July 10-15 in Princeton, N.J.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.) and Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) won its heat on Friday to advance directly to Saturday's semifinals. Tucker and Ruckman clocked a 6:36.83 to defeat Hungary by 6.13 seconds in the first of three heats. Denmark won the second heat in a time of 6:35.94, while Germany won the third heat in a time of 6:38.13. The three heat winners will be joined in the two semifinals by Spain, Switzerland, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, and two crews from Hungary, all of which advanced from the repechages, or second-chance races.
In the lightweight women's double sculls, Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Rachel Anderson (Darien, Conn.) edged out Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska) and Mary Obidinski (Oneonta, N.Y.) by 0.3 seconds at the second NSR to earn the opportunity to race for a spot on the national team in Munich. On Friday, Schlenker and Anderson finished second in their morning heat and then came back to win their afternoon repechage to advance to Saturday's semifinals. Schlenker and Anderson clocked a 7:23.66, finishing behind Great Britain in the third of four heats, before stroking a 7:13.03 to win the repechage.
Borgman and Obidiniski, who are also racing in Munich but do not have the chance to earn a national team berth this weekend, finished third in their heat and second in their repechage to qualify for the semifinals. The duo clocked a 7:23.74 in its heat and then stroked a 7:16.83 to finish second in its repechage. The two U.S. crews join the four heat winners - Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Denmark - and the other crews advancing out of the repechages - China, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Norway, and the Czech Republic - in the semifinals.
In the women's pair, the duo of Lianne Nelson (Seattle, Wash.) and Katie Hammes (LaCrosse, Wis.) finished second in its heat behind the crew from Great Britain. The U.S. boat clocked a 7:15.95 to finish 3.93 seconds behind the first-place British crew. Germany finished third in the heat, while a second U.S. boat comprised of Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.) and Wendy Wilbur (East Bridgewater, Mass.) finished fourth, clocking a 7:40.81. Germany won the second heat in a time of 7:09.89. Both U.S. crews will race in a repechage on Saturday for the right to join Great Britain and Germany in the final.
Several other crews are racing in Munich but do not have the opportunity to make the national team this weekend. The lightweight men's four of Steve Warner (Novi, Mich.), Paul Teti (Upper Darby, Pa.), Matt Smith (Woodbridge, Va.) and Erik Miller (Renton, Wash.) finished second in its heat and then won its repechage to advance to Saturday's semifinal. In the heat, the crew clocked a 6:15.97 to finish 4.6 seconds behind Austria. In the repechage, the boat finished in a time of 6:14.05 to defeat Germany by just under two seconds. The U.S. joins heat winners Denmark, Chile, and Austria, as well as Spain, Japan, Switzerland, the Netherlands, two crews from Germany, and two additional crews from Denmark, in the semifinals.
The duo of Kelly Salchow (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Laura Rauchfuss (Riverside, Conn.) finished third in the first heat of the women's double sculls and will now race in a repechage on Saturday. Salchow and Rauchfuss stroked a 7:14.49 to finish behind Germany and Belarus. Germany clocked the fastest time of the heats, finishing in a 6:55.97. Great Britain won the second heat in a time of 6:58.18. The other two U.S. women's doubles scratched from the field in order to focus on the women's quadruple sculls final to be held on Sunday.
The women's quadruple sculls, women's eight, and lightweight men's pair will all race in a finals-only race on Sunday.