SEATTLE, Sept. 17, 2006 - Olympians Bryan Volpenhein, Mike Hess, and John Stillings helped lead an eight-oared crew of mostly former University of Washington rowers to a win in the men's masters eights on Sunday morning at Seattle's seventh annual Row for the Cure regatta on Lake Union.
In the rowing events on Lake Union, Volpenhein, a gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, helped the UW alumni eight to a 10:54.5 win in the 3,500 meter men's masters eight event. Volpenhein was among 15 former U.S. national team rowers and seven Olympians to participate in Row for the Cure. Other Row for the Cure winners include the Big Brother and Little Sister tribal canoes, which paddled in unity for the Tulalip Tribes, while Lane Powell won the corporate challenge event for the second consecutive year. The Seattle regatta is one of ten annual Row for the Cure regattas in the U.S. and one in Frankfurt, Germany.
"What you are doing really matters," said Lynn Hagerman, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation during the Row for the Cure awards ceremony at Seattle's Pocock Rowing Center. "I'm inspired by participants who come out to the row because of their personal stories."
Among those is Faye Bradley, 70, a member of the Tulalip Tribes who successfully beat breast cancer after a diagnosis at age 62. "I asked Faye if she came to cheer on the paddlers from her community," said Hagerman. "She said, 'No, I paddled - it's the first time I've been in a boat and didn't know that I could do it.' It's that whole focus on making choices to really live your life that is remarkable about what events like Row for the Cure can do."
Among the other paddlers was Mel Sheldon, Vice Chairman of the Tulalip Tribes. "Row for the Cure is a great opportunity for our community to be involved with other people for a common cause," said Sheldon, 55, who estimates that the Tulalip canoes participate in some two-dozen events both within the Tulalip community and outside each year.
"The opportunity to educate women in our community about the importance of maintaining their health is important," added Sheldon whose Tulalip Health Clinic is a beneficiary of a Komen Foundation Grant that brings a mobile mammography unit into the community to provide easy-to-access breast cancer screening. "By participating in Row for the Cure, I'm going to ask our board of directors to look at other opportunities to raise the overall health consciousness in our community," said Sheldon.
Leading the way in fundraising at Seattle's Row for the Cure was Phyllis Warman of Seattle's Pocock Rowing Center with $2,520, Steff Fowler of Bellevue and Martha's Moms Rowing Club with $2,500, Andy Hess of Edmonds and Martha's Moms Rowing Club with $2,175, and Celeste McDowell of Seattle's Green Lake Crew with $1,250.
Proceeds from each Row for the Cure benefit the local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, where 75 percent of the money raised stays in the community for education and treatment of breast cancer. The remaining 25 percent of monies raised support national breast cancer research projects.