LONG BEACH, Calif. - Racing at the 2008 Masters National Championships continued Friday at Marine Stadium in Long Beach, Calif. with heats and finals. Long Beach Rowing Association led the gold medal count for the day, picking up a total of 12.
Coxswain Ariel Suarez, Joan Van Blom, Debbie Nowinski, Rachel Alexander, Barbara Connolly, Joan Pendleton, Helen Frykman, Suzanna Walther and Mary Perrot of Long Beach Rowing Association pulled ahead of defending champion Saugatuck Rowing Club to win the women's D eight final. Long Beach clocked a 3:31.56 for gold, with Saugatuck in a 3:37.18 for second. Masters Coaching finished in a close third with a time of 3:38.36, followed by Sacramento State Aquatic Center Rowing Club with a 3:39.79.
In the men's club C four with coxswain, Pocock Rowing Center's Tina Ultican, Chapin Henry, Greg Narver, Chris Hoffman and Steve Tilles clocked a 3:32.28 for the gold medal. Capital Rowing finished 1.51 seconds behind for second place in a 3:33.79, followed by River City Rowing Club in third with a 3:35.29.
Marin Rowing Association sprinted to gold in the final of the men's club D eight. Coxswain Jay Rhodes, Alex Filatov, Mike Stralka, Bob Wagner, Dick Draeger, Alan Collenette, Joel Kimmel, Michael McGinn and Alex Dunne pushed through the final few strokes to win in a 3:13.18. San Diego Rowing Club crossed second in a 3:16.97, with Rocky Mountain Rowing Club in a 3:23.15 for third.
Seventy-six-year-old Eve Green won gold for the second consecutive year in the women's I single sculls. Green, one of the founding members of Saugatuck Rowing Club, clocked a 5:16.66.
The Long Beach Rowing Association crew of Rob Slocum, John Nunn, Bob Brayton and Will Reimann pulled ahead of Ashland Rowing Club for gold in the men's G quadruple sculls. Long Beach clocked a 3:42.14, while Ashland crossed second in a 3:48.48. Saugatuck followed in third place.
Less than an hour later, Nunn teamed up with his son Jack Nunn to win the father/son double sculls event. The duo clocked a 3:33.31, followed by Union Boat Club's James and Donald Besser in a 3:40.96 for second place. Dan and Earl Johnson of Long Beach Rowing Association crossed third in a 3:41.24, just 0.24 seconds ahead of Lake Natoma Rowing Club.
In one of the closest finishes of the day, John Saxelby of Cygnet Rowing Club won gold in the lightweight men's E single sculls. The youngest competitor of the event, Saxelby clocked a 3:56.87, just 0.63 seconds ahead of second-place Patrice Rioux from Los Gatos Rowing Club. Rioux crossed in a 3:57.50, followed by San Diego Rowing Club's Peter Billings in third with a 3:58.33. Fort Worth Rowing Club's Jim Trimble finished fourth in a 3:59.02, missing the medal stand by 0.69 seconds.
Hosted by USRowing and the Long Beach Rowing Association, the four-day event will feature more than 1,200 masters competitors from 83 clubs. Masters rowers ages 21 to 83 will race for national titles in 199 events. Located near Alamitos Bay, Marine Stadium is home to the Long Beach Rowing Association and was the site of the 1932 Olympic Games. In recent years, Marine Stadium has hosted a variety of rowing events, including the annual Long Beach Invitational for junior crews and the USRowing Southwest Masters Championships in 2003, 2004 and 2008.
Racing continues Saturday at 8 a.m. with morning heats and afternoon finals. For complete schedule and race results, visit www.racetrak.com.