On this quiet post-holiday Monday morning, on the shores of Mercer Lake sit a small group of spectators—family, friends, coaches—peering out over the water to see the results of the Para-Rowing Trials. The winners of the four events will be heading off to South Korea in late August to compete against a large pool of international competition.
The FISA name change this winter, from Adaptive Rowing to Para-Rowing, was a testament to this new era in the sport. The athletes are fiercely competitive and train seriously. All of them spoke to the growth the sport has seen—whether they have been rowers for a decade or just a year—all said the competition has grown, the bar has been raised both nationally and internationally, and the equipment has improved drastically. Today’s races were another chapter in the story of this growth as a new group of athletes competed for spot on Team USA.
Arms-Shoulders Women’s 1x
Dana Fink has only been rowing for three years, but this competitive athlete will be representing the red, white and blue at her second Para World Championships this summer. “I’ve been rowing for about three years,” said Fink. And, she adds, “I have done about every adaptive sport imaginable.”
Fink was a collegiate wheelchair basketball player at the University of Illinois, and upon graduation moved to Washington DC for work, thinking her competitive athletic days were over. “I was just looking for something to keep me in shape and that’s why I got involve with rowing, and it turns out, ‘Hey! I’m actually pretty good at this!’ So I kept doing it. I’m a pretty competitive person, so it’s hard to knock that out of me.”
Fink represented the USA for the first time at the Para World Championships in Serbia last summer. Though her podium finish gave her a very respectable bronze medal, she looks forward to improving her place at the games the summer. “This is step one on my journey and I want to make a good showing in South Korea," she said. "Serbia wasn’t all the top boats because most of those had qualified for the Paralympics by then, so this will be a new opportunity to see what the competition looks like in preparation for Rio.”
Arms-Shoulders Men’s 1x
Dan Ahr was beaming when he got off the water. Perhaps it was having just qualified for Worlds compounded by the recent announcement that he and his wife are expecting a baby. There was a clear love for rowing and life that was apparent as he interacted with his coach, competitors, and family.
“I was in the Navy before I got hurt,” said Ahr, “and I loved being on the water. I was a really active skier when I got introduced to this sport and I thought the opportunity to get back on the water and have something to do in the off season and in the nice weather—now I ended up rowing year-round and barely got to ski this year. Speed, wind, water, fresh air, out in the summertime; there’s a lot to love.”
In his second year of rowing, Ahr is a newbie to the sport, but already has his goals set high…and is well on his way. “I’m very excited. I figured I had to play the long game and this being my second season I had to come out and see what this race is like. I didn’t have any expectations. I figured if I made it then fantastic, if not I’ll get out here last year with some experience in this race. From the beginning my real goal was to be in the Paralympics. From this season forward, I see it as building. Every opportunity I get is a block toward the long-term goal.”
Legs Trunk and Arms Mixed 2x
In the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Double, Natalie McCarthy and Paul Hurley may have been the only boat on the water, but it didn’t make the race any easier. “Not having any competition was tough,” said McCarthy, who has been rowing for eight years. “Just racing against the clock I surprised myself at how the pre-race nerves still got to me. I think that’s good—it means we are race ready.”
Hurley, a lifelong athlete, was a runner prior to his injury. “Marathons and long distance stuff,” he says. “Afterwards I swam, but when my swim coach moved away, I met Patrick (Johnson, Medstar Paralympic rowing coach), and I’ve been rowing since.”
McCarthy began her rowing career in college after looking for a sport that could accommodate her vision impairment. “I ran track in high school, but wasn’t fast enough to run in college. I was a freshman at Pacific Lutheran and wanted a sport—someone suggested rowing, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” McCarthy now trains in Oklahoma City at the training center, and a month ago traveled to DC to begin rowing with Hurley.
The duo have only been rowing together a month, and are unexpected boat mates with Hurley towering over his partner. “I think we compliment each other very well in a double,” says McCarthy. I’m short, and light and far as rowers go, and he is tall and nothing but power. I think we each have different strengths and weaknesses that blend together well in the boat.”
The two have an intense focus and have a plan to succeed in South Korea, “Every day we make sure to get some good practices in—the longest we did was 3 hours,” comments Hurley.
McCarthy adds, “We’ve got about 7 weeks before we head out. 6 days a week, 2 practices a day. Lots of volume, lots of intensity; there will be no such thing as overtraining for the next 7 weeks. We’ll get as fast as we possibly can before South Korea.”
Trunk and Arms Mixed 2x
The names Rob Jones and Oksana Masters are practically synonymous with Para-rowing in the United States. The powerful were the first American Paralympians to bring home a medal when they captured the bronze in London last summer.
Jones began rowing two and a half years ago, “…like most people do; I started off wearing a life vest, had pontoons and I didn’t know how to feather. I was only rowing a few times a week, but then I met Oksana and eventually moved to Florida to row full time.”
Less than a year before their Paralympic showing, Masters, a rower of 11 years, and Jones began training together. Masters had been a rower since her early teens but, “I was only rowing recreationally, on Saturdays. Eventually I became more serious and rowed more and more until Rob and I got together two years ago.”
Their success last summer gave them confidence for today’s trial. “Coming in this year we were a lot more confident than last year,” said Jones. “We hadn’t really been tested last year before trials, and now we have done four international and national races together. We were a lot more comfortable this time around.”
The two are excited to see their international competitors, “I’m looking forward to seeing how we stack up against the competition,” Jones said. “I want to get revenge on the French for beating us twice, and I hope the Chinese are there so we can get revenge on them too.”
Best of luck to all athletes as they train this summer and head to South Korea!
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by:
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by: