CAMDEN, N.J. - The 2009 USRowing Masters National Championships kicked off Thursday at the Cooper River in Camden, N.J. Fifty crews won national titles on the first day of the four-day event.
To highlight racing Thursday, Annapolis Rowing Club won gold in the mixed B four with coxswain by just 0.66 seconds. The crew of coxswain Lee Roman, Steve Bromley, Kyle Strace, Jennifer Lowe and Amy Luken recovered from a boat-stopping crab 250 meters into the race to cross first in a 3:43.18 and take home the Espresso Splendido Cup. Greater Columbus Rowing Association finished second in a 3:43.84, followed by D.C. Strokes Rowing Club third in a 3:52.51.
"I remember looking back over my shoulder and Columbus was about half of a deck down," said Roman. "The crew came together in the final stretch and it all came down to the last few strokes."
"We felt like we held them [Columbus] off the whole way," added Luken. "We weren't going to let it go in the end."
In the men's A single sculls, Narragansett Boat Club's Scott Whitney swept the preliminary races en route to winning a national title. Whitney dominated in the first of four morning heats, winning by nearly 18 seconds. Then in the semifinals race, Whitney crossed first in a 3:56.19, just 0.11 seconds ahead of Riverfront Recapture, Inc.'s Paul Fitzgerald. Forty-one-year-old Whitney continued his streak into the finals, this time holding off Dallas Rowing Club's Timo Carl by 0.63 seconds for the gold medal. Whitney clocked a 3:51.09, with Carl second in a 3:51.72. Fitzgerald took bronze in a 3:53.65.
Saugatuck Rowing Club won gold women's club D eight, crossing 1.91 seconds ahead of Boulder Community Rowing. The crew of coxswain coxswain Britany Wengel, Pam Reese, Heidi Marcus, Tanah Kalb, Caryn Purcell, Purcell, Rene Bowie, Valerie Leinfelder, Kit Huber and Pam Raila clocked a 3:43.96. Boulder finished second in a 3:45.87, with Carnegie Lake Rowing Association in third with a 3:51.42.
Co-hosted by USRowing, Rutgers Alumni Crew at Camden, Cooper River Rowing Association and the Camden County Parks, the regatta features more than 1,800 entries from 147 clubs competing for national titles in 195 events. The regatta is the largest masters national championships in history.
Racing continues Friday at 8 a.m. Heat sheets and results are available online at www.racetrak.com.