Good morning from the first day of Henley Royal Regatta 2011. It is cooler than the unseasonably hot Monday, when temperatures hit close to 90F. Today, the sun was still shining as fans trickled in at 9:00 am, and the water looked calm, although not fast. There was a fickle crossing wind from Buckinghamshire to Berkshire, which occasionally shifted to a light tail wind, resulting in faster times.
On a long day of racing with five minute intervals and shorter breaks for luncheon and tea, it is all about advancing, or in some cases almost just a cameo on the Thames. Hustle through this schedule, and you have eighty fewer crews by day’s end. Ah, the brutality of a first-day knock-out. Five of the seven morning US races were Temple duals, one of three cups contended with 32 entries, along with the Wyfold and Princess Elizabeth.
It has been all good news for US crews this morning, with a few of the teams having the leisure to lower the stroke rating and get some oxygen to the muscles, holding off that lactate hangover for another day.
The US success story commenced in the seventh race of the day with Yale University lightweight crew taking the first round of the Temple Challenge Cup over St. Hild and St. Bede, Durham, by a little over a length, rowing long and relaxed. Yale lights haven't played on the Thames for several years, and although they have won five IRA National championships (1990, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2011), they have yet to repeat their year 2000 performance of taking an undefeated record all the way to the Temple Challenge Cup.
In 2005, now 23-year Coach Andy Card's crew made it to the finals and were beaten by the heavyweight crew from Trinity. Card's lightweights have had a lot of success against heavier crews here at Henley. We will see more from this crew shortly, as tomorrow they face Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) heavyweights, who won their bout against Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club later in the day, but with more drama.
At the start of the twelfth event and third Temple scuffle of the day, it looked very certainly like it was FIT's to lose. The Melbourne, Florida crew had a strong start at a 37 against the Cambridge lights, but about 300-400 meters into the race, were drawn to the Berkshire shore. The wind pushed a little, and oars hit the wooden booms near the wall. All handled well, but it took the coxswain a few strokes to bring the crew together and back into the lane.
Later Coach Jim Granger shared that there was a slight bend in the rudder, which they are going to look at before facing Yale tomorrow. He had yet to have a pow-wow with the coxswain about the clash at press time, but when noting that a couple oarsmen stopped during the race, Granger paused and said, "Well that's never a good thing during a race." You can say that again, and surely they will not be able to win by more than a length with a bobble like that Thursday.
FIT Athletic Director Bill Jurgens watched the race from the launch. A rarity in college sport, AD Jurgens is a former rowing coach at FIT from 1969-1988, and even served dual roles as coach and AD from 1977-1988. FIT has limited experience at the Henley (their last visit was 1996), but looked strong in this first round. Jurgens coached athlete, and later coach of FIT, Casey Baker -- current coach Granger is just happy that the crew made it to the next day unscathed... along with their equipment.
FIT's 6-seat David Crooke's father lives in England, and as such FIT was granted a hub of training out of the Henley bustle upon arrival. The stern pair of Jonas Karailus and Mindaugas Beliauskus had departed Florida after finishing a close second to Michigan in the Dad Vails to get in the mix for the Lithuanian U-23 camps, but both are back having not made the U23 squad. Both are young and will have another chance to earn a spot. Dad Vail winner Michigan was unable to accept the invitation to attend Henley, so FIT accepted the offer from Aberdeen Asset Management, sponsors of the Dad Vail Regatta to fund their trip.
Round four of the Temple had Harvard University winning over University of West of England by two and 3/4 lengths. Nearing the finish line, they had tugged at the reins enough to be at a 26, while UWE was spent and exhausted. Harvard rowed to the docks comfortably. Much like the unfortunate University of Warwick crew who faced the undefeated California, Berkeley team later in the Temple, it was just a mismatched draw. In the Cal race, the winning crew was stroking at a 23 as they crossed the line 4 and 3/4 lengths ahead. Two more US crews move on in the Temple.
University of Virginia, a club program, decided to make the trip to Henley 11 months ago, and this event has been a focus for them during their season stateside. Coach Frank Biller says they secured a sponsor early on in BW Furlong, Equine Veterinarians in Virginia, and knowing they would be racing internationally at the close of the season fostered intensity for inter-squad competition and excellence.
Biller says that it has also brought up some unexpected athletes, including the outright novice in 7-seat, who rose to the challenge when two varsity athletes couldn't make it to Henley. In some respects, the shifting around of seats, "has made us faster," says Biller. He suggests also that his winning four in the Prince Albert this morning is skilled and ready for more, this after besting University of London by one and half lengths.
The UVA eight entry in the Temple also scored big, rowing well over University of East Anglia. Coxswain Ali Plettner said they had performed a lot of practice starts since they arrived in Henley, so they were ready despite corrections on the start to keep a point. "Our plan was to go as hard as we could to the Barrier," says Plettner, who then had the option to settle low if she desired, as they were already ahead by more than a length. "We kept it at full pressure the entire time, and we wanted to get our length and rhythm," she adds. The crew was at about a 28 past the grandstands, said Plettner, and ahead by three lengths.
In the Thames Cup for club eights, University Barge Club of Philadelphia won their match by two and three quarter's lengths over Kingston Rowing Club. The crew, whose average age is "about 29," says spare pair Brian
McClelland and Bart Isdaner. "Stroke seat was John Lipiros, who rowed at Atlantic City HS and Cornell; Greg Cobb (7) rowed at St. Joe's Prep and University of Pennsylvania, Pete Seymour (6) was at Chestnut Hill Academy and University of Delaware, Anselm Sauter (5) was at St. Joe's Prep then Brown, Jeremy Abele (4) rowed at Community Rowing then Marist, Ryan Bonner (3) rowed at Holy Spirit HS then St. Joe's University, Matt Morano (2) rowed at Prep (St. Joe's) and then at University of Pennsylvania and bow Brian O'Malley rowed at Lasalle High School and George Washington, and cox Andy Kelly was, like a few other of the men in this crew, in the St. Joseph's Prep crew who won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup when Bill Lamb was coaching in 2000. Kel;ly went on to cox at and University of Pennsylvania" (this is paraphrased from McClelland and Isdaner--many thanks to James Hill for writing in to fill in the blanks on the resumes here). They are a self-coached outfit, but certainly an experienced crew, good luck to them as they progress in the Thames.
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