PRINCETON, N.J. - Racing in the men's and women's single sculls and the men's pair with coxswain got underway with heats this morning at the 2010 World Championships Trials under overcast skies and in gusty winds.
The heats kicked off a week of racing to determine who will represent the United States in 12 events at the 2010 World Rowing Championships, October 31-November 7, in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. Finals will begin Thursday.
Bids are being contested for the men's single sculls, women's single sculls, lightweight men's single sculls, lightweight women's single sculls, men's pair, women's pair, lightweight men's pair, men's pair with coxswain, lightweight men's quadruple sculls, lightweight women's quadruple sculls, women's four and lightweight men's eight.
In the opening heats this morning 2008 Olympic single sculler Ken Jurkowski ( New Fairfield, Conn.) posted the fastest time, winning in 7:32.957. Jurkowski finished 11 th in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Jurkowski will advance to the semifinals along with Craftsbury Sculling Center's Thomas Graves, (Cincinnati, Ohio), who crossed in 7:34.437, GMS Rowing Center's Michael Sivigny, (Hudson, N.H.), 7:42.196, and Penn AC's Stephen Whepley, (Moquon, Wis.) 7:39.333.
In the women's single sculls, University of Michigan women's crew entry Brett Sickler, (Los Gatos, Calif.) posted the fastest time with an 8:16.673, followed in the next two heats by Seattle Rowing Club's Lindsay Meyer (Seattle, Wash.) and Cambridge Boat Club's Genevra Stone (Newton, Mass.), who posted an 8:25.928.
Colorado Rowing Camp's Greg Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted the fastest time in the lightweight men's single sculls with 7:46.835. Winning the other two heats was Undine Barge Club/Vesper Boat Club entry, Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.), who finished with a 7:50.105 and the United States Training Center/Malta Boat Club entry Shane Madden, who finished with a 7:54.501.
The next event was the men's pair with coxswain, which had a total of five entries. Winning the first heat and advancing to finals was Penn AC's Vincent Puma (Bronx, N.Y.), Christopher DeFelice (Centerreach, N.Y.,) and Martin Reschke (Huntington Beach, Calif.) that crossed in 7:40.128.
Winning the second heat and advancing to the finals was the United States Training Center/Penn AC boat of coxswain Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.), Steve Kasprzyk (Cinnaminson, N.J.) and Troy Kepper, (Tallahassee, Fla.) that finished in 7:37.995.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, Ursula Grobler (Pretoria, South Africa) advanced to the final with a time of 8:21.819, followed in the second heat by Undine Barge Club's Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.), who finished with a time of 8:25.022. Sarbanis finished fourth in the lightweight single in the 2009 World Rowing Championships.
Grobler is attempting to be the first athlete in rowing to represent the United States in three events at the same world championships. Grobler was already named to the 2010 U.S. National Team in June, having won the lightweight double with teammate Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho) at the 2010 National Selection Regatta #2 and at the 2010 Rowing World Cup in Bled, Slovenia.
Grobler competes Thursday in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls.
Racing is scheduled to continue this afternoon with repechages (second chance) in the men's single sculls. Semifinals in the men and women's singles are scheduled to begin tomorrow along with repechages in the men's pair with coxswain.
For complete schedule and results, visit www.powerhousetiming.com.