Five U.S. boats advanced to the finals on Saturday to highlight the first day of rowing competition at the 2007 Pan American Games at the Lagoa Rowing Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The men's single sculls, women's single sculls, lightweight men's double sculls, men's pair and women's pair all moved on to Tuesday's finals. The rowing competition includes races in 13 total events and runs through July 19.
Racing in the first of two heats, the lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Andrew Liverman (Oakton, Va.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) had no trouble winning its heat and recording the fastest time of the morning. The duo clocked a 6:33.09 to finish 5.57 seconds ahead of Brazil, advancing to Tuesday's final in the process. Cuba's Yunior Perez and Eyder Batista won the other heat in a 6:39.19, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of Uruguay.
"The venue is gorgeous. You can see Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf from here," Liverman said. "We don't think we've raced in a better place. It's neat to see a bunch of countries competing and it's a testament to lightweight rowing. You see more countries represented than any event, and it's just neat to see countries come from all over the Western Hemisphere just continue to produce some really good crews."
Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.), a 2004 Olympian in the men's four, advanced to the final after finishing second in his afternoon repechage, or second-chance race. Schroeder, who is also racing in the men's quadruple sculls, clocked a 7:26.36 to finish behind Oscar Vasquez from Chile. Vasquez finished in a 7:18.57. In the morning heat, Schroeder finished second in a 7:14.31. Cuba's Yoennis Hernandez, the defending Pan American Games champion from 2003, finished first in a 7:08.12.
The men's pair of Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.) and Patrick O'Dunne (Nazareth, Pa.) finished second in its race for lanes. With only six entries in the event, the crews raced for seeding in Tuesday's final. Canada's Christopher Jarvis and Dan Casaca won the race with a time of 6:43.28 and will be the top seeded crew. The U.S. duo finished second in a 6:50.68, with Cuba finishing third in a 6:51.51.
Likewise, Reilly Dampeer (Weston, Conn.) finished second in her seeding race in the women's single sculls. Dampeer clocked an 8:08.89 to finish behind Myra Gonzalez from Cuba. Gonzalez finished with a time of 8:03.41. Argentina's Maria Gabriela Best finished third in an 8:09.88.
The women's pair of Ruth Stiver (Madisonville, Texas) and Jennifer Reck (Detroit, Mich.) finished fourth in its race for lanes. The duo crossed the finish line in a 7:38.14. Canada's Nathalie Maurer and Zoe Hoskins won the race in a 7:30.77, followed by Chile and Cuba.
Four more U.S. crews will begin competition in the Pan American Games on Sunday.
The lightweight women's double sculls tandem of Carey Brezler (Waynesboro, Pa.) and Hannah Moore (Niskayuna, N.Y.) will take on Guatemala, Canada and Mexico in the second of two heats, with the winner advancing directly to Wednesday's final. The remaining crews will race in an afternoon repechage.
With only four entries in the event, the women's double sculls duo of Margaret Matia (Burke, Va.) and Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.) will race for lanes on Sunday, with the winner earning the top seed in the final. The duo will take on boats from Argentina, Cuba and Canada.
Likewise, Francis Cuddy (Amherst, N.H.) and Deaglan McEachern (Portsmouth, N.H.) will take on five crews in a race for lanes in the men's double sculls. Cuddy and McEachern will race boats from Argentina, Cuba, Peru, Venezuela and Uruguay.
The men's four of Tyler Winklevoss (Greenwich, Conn.), Cameron Winklevoss (Greenwich, Conn.), Sebastian Bea (San Francisco, Calif.) and Gabe Winkler (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) also will take on five other crews in a race for lanes. The four with face boats from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Argentina.
Heats and repechages continue on Sunday and Monday, with finals being held Tuesday through Thursday, July 17-19. The U.S. will be competing in all 13 events. The roster includes 27 athletes, 16 with senior national team experience including four with Olympic experience.