INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The United States will have nine crews competing at the 2005 FISA Junior World Rowing Championships beginning on Wednesday at the Beetzsee Regatta Course in Brandenburg, Germany.
The U.S. will be competing in the junior men's single sculls, junior women's single sculls, junior men's double sculls, junior women's double sculls, junior women's pair, junior women's four, junior men's four with coxswain, junior men's eight and junior women's eight. In total, 690 athletes from 51 countries are entered in the regatta, which runs through Saturday.
The men's double sculls tandem of John Cerrone (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Justin Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa.) will race in the largest field, as 30 boats are entered in the event, while Sean Medcalf (Philadelphia, Pa.) will face 28 other competitors in the junior men's single sculls.
The junior men's eight of coxswain Jimmy Germano (Pomona, N.J.), Mike Gilson (San Francisco, Calif.), Clayton Sachs (Lincoln, Mass.), Jesse Johnson (Mercer Island, Wash.), Neil Stanga (Arlington, Va.), Neil McPeak (Linwood, N.J.), Henrik Rummel (Vaerloose, Denmark), Michael Rossidis (Garden City, N.Y.) and Derek Johnson (Hillsborough, Calif.) will race 12 other crews, while the junior women's eight of coxswain Ariel Frost (Oakland, Calif.), Jenny Cromwell (Bellevue, Wash.), Alie Fishman (Dallas, Texas), Ellie Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Lauren Hofmayer (Orinda, Calif.), Erin Knox (Snohomish, Wash.), Elizabeth Demers (Andover, Mass.), Annie Gayman (Seattle, Wash.) and Caitlin McGrath (Westport, Conn.) is one of seven entries.
Both the junior men's four with coxswain and the junior women's pair will take on 12 other crews. The men's four with coxswain includes coxswain Zach Vlahos (Piedmont, Calif.), Adam Jones (Pomona, N.J.), Lucas Spielfogel (Boca Raton, Fla.), Bradley Wernst (Falls Village, Conn.) and Tyler Montgomery (Baltimore, Md.), while the women's pair is made up of junior national team veterans Desiree Burns (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Kari Stenbakken (Sammamish, Wash.).
Junior women's single sculler Caroline Berson (Falls Church, Va.) will take on 16 other scullers, while the junior women's double sculls duo of Meredith Meehan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Katrina Gagnon (Bettendorf, Iowa) will face 17 other crews.
The junior women's four rounds out the U.S. boats. The crew of Jordan Peek (Jacksonville, Fla.), Adrienne Mecham (Lake Stevens, Wash.), Sara Gribler (Marysville, Wash.) and Lori Gordon (Winchester, Mass.) will take on 11 other nations.
All nine crews will race in heats on Wednesday beginning at 9:30 a.m. local time. Repechages, or second-chance races, will take place on Thursday. Semifinals for events with more than 12 entries will take place on Friday, while all finals will take place on Saturday.
Of the 35 U.S. team members, 11 are returning from last year's junior national team including Burns, Stenbakken, Gordon, Fishman, Gayman, Hofmayer, Knox, McGrath, Jesse Johnson, Rummel and Stanga. Last year, the U.S. failed to medal at the junior world championships. The top finish came in the junior women's four, where Knox, McGrath and Burns led the U.S. to a fourth-place finish.
To compete in the world junior championships, rowers must be 18 years or under. An athlete can compete as a junior until December 31 of the year in which he or she reaches the age of 18.