Rowing competition at the 2007 Pan American Games gets underway Saturday with heats in five events - the men's single sculls, women's single sculls, lightweight men's double sculls, men's pair and women's pair. Racing is being held at the Lagoa Rowing Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.), a 2004 Olympian in the men's four, will begin his busy race schedule with a heat in the men's single sculls. Schroeder, who will be racing in both the single and quadruple sculls this week, will take on scullers from Chile, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela in the second of two heats. The winner of each heat advances directly to the final, while the remaining rowers will race in an afternoon repechage, or second-chance race.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Andrew Liverman (Oakton, Va.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) will race in the first of two heats. The duo will take on crews from Chile, Canada, Brazil and Venezuela, with the winner advancing to the final and the remaining boats moving on to a repechage. Both national team veterans, Liverman and Montgomery have already qualified to represent the U.S. at the 2007 FISA World Rowing Championships scheduled for late August in Munich, Germany.
With only four crews entered in the event, the women's pair of Ruth Stiver (Madisonville, Texas) and Jennifer Reck (Detroit, Mich.) will race for lanes on Saturday, with the winner earning the top seed in Tuesday's final. The duo will take on boats from Canada, Cuba and Chile.
Likewise, Reilly Dampeer (Weston, Conn.) will take on five other scullers in a race for lanes in the women's single sculls. Dampeer will race rowers from Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela and Argentina. Like Schroeder, Dampeer will race in both the single and quadruple sculls in Brazil.
The men's pair of Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.) and Patrick O'Dunne (Nazareth, Pa.) also will race for lanes tomorrow. The duo will take on crews from Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba. Beery, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the men's eight, and O'Dunne, a two-time national team member, also will race in the eight later in the regatta.
Heats and repechages continue on Sunday and Monday, with finals being held Tuesday through Thursday, July 17-19. In total, the U.S. will be competing in all 13 events. The U.S. roster includes 27 athletes, 16 with senior national team experience including four with Olympic experience.