PRINCETON, N.J. - There were definitely obstacles to overcome for the twenty-eight USRowing development junior athletes who competed at the 2015 CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico City this weekend, not the least of which was adjusting to racing at altitude.
At least three junior men passed out in their boats while leading in their events on the first day, but in the end the U.S. squad took wins in men's and women's fours, the men's quadruple sculls and the men's and women's eights, and finished second in total points.
Canada won with 104 points. The U.S. scored 99 and Mexico ended with 91.
"I thought it was just a great experience for these age eligible athletes," said Steve Hargis, USRowing Junior National Team Development Coach. "The Mexican federation did a great job and created a great environment. We stayed at the Olympic training center in Mexico City and we had a chance to race on the former Olympic racecourse. The hospitality was just fantastic."
The eight-day regatta was held on the 1968 Olympic venue in Virgilio Uribe and featured racing in sculling and sweep events among teams from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Virgilio Uribe course is an artificial venue that was built for the rowing and canoeing competitions in the 1968 Olympics. Racing was contested in 12 events including the men's and women's youth single sculls, men's and women's youth double sculls, men's and women's youth pair, men's and women's youth quadruple sculls, men's and women's youth four with coxswain and men's and women's youth eight.
"The racing was extremely interesting," Hargis said. According to Hargis adjusting to the high altitude and lack of oxygen on the Mexico City course took a toll on the athletes on the first day. Hargis said the men's pair was leading the field when the stroke of the boat passed out. canammex
"The officials were shocked," Hargis said. "They were up by a couple of lengths at twelve hundred and fifty meters in and the stroke seat just started to lose it. With four hundred meters to go they drifted from lane six to lane three. Just to cross the finish line, the bow managed to paddle across and over to the dock."
Hargis said it was a repeat of what had happened earlier in the men's four, when two athletes passed out during the racing.
"By the end of the first day we were down sixteen points to Canada. I was really wondering how the team would respond," Hargis said. "But then, when racing started up again on Sunday, the boy's quad won going away. They led wire to wire. No one expected that," he said.
Hargis said the entire team was motivated by the performance and what followed were wins in the men's eight with an adjusted lineup, a win in the women's eight and a second place performance by the women's quad.
"It was impressive team camaraderie," Hargis said. "You could just feel it."