The 2008 Olympic campaign for US squads got underway for keeps this morning with the first National Selection Regatta time trial in the men's and women's single, the men's pair, and the light men's and women's single. In the men's and women's single, a solid showing at this NSR will be essential to any hopes of making the 2008 Olympic team, as I will explain below. In the men's pair, as well as in the light men's and women's singles, this weekend's racing serves primarily as an opportunity to check speed against the field, to get a solid, tough regatta under their belts, and to show possible team boat partners and coaches where everyone stands.
As such, the field was exceedingly diverse; first-timers took to the water at the same time as ancient mariners; some are more likely candidates for the 2012 team that will race in London, while others may need to peer off the stern for their glory days - Barcelona perhaps? Well, maybe not quite that far back; either way, the quality of rowing was pretty good for a first NSR; you'd have to be fairly committed to come out for a morning featuring a pouring rain at launch time, as well as a tasty crosswind.
The Olympic implications are most immediate in the women's single (note that no one is on the US Beijing team just yet, as evidenced by the slightly graffitoed red white and blue on the blades of 2007 team scullers for the racing). Michelle Guerette qualified the US for the Olympics in the event with a silver medal performance in Munich last year. As a result, the winner of this weekend's event will race at one of the May FISA World Cup races, where a top six finish will ice her selection as the USA W1x in Beijing. If that person fails to place in the top six at a World Cup, the event will be then be contested at the June Olympic trials. In that case, only the top 12 finishers from this NSR will be allowed to race in the trial, and the winner is named to the Olympic team in the single.
Because the US did not qualify the M1x for the Olympics last year, the men's single is somewhat less a direct line to the Olympic squad. The top 12 finishers this weekend become eligible to race in the first set of Olympic trials on May 12-17, and the winner of that race must then go to the final World Cup in Poland, which serves as the Olympic qualifier for the last Olympic spots in the men's 1x.
Back out on the water, a wet cross headwind prevailed for the open singles, but as if on cue a crosstail materialized for the lightweight races. By the time the men's pair came down, it was a direct cross; the water wasn't churned up much at all.
In the women's single, clear favorite and defending World silver medalist Michelle Guerette bested the field by 20 seconds, with erstwhile lightweight sculler Julia Nichols racing up a class in second and newcomer Kate Bertko in third. Barring cataclysmic error, it's hard to see anyone catching Guerette this weekend.
In the men's single, results were hours in coming, no doubt causing considerable anxiety among the competitors, who were waiting for the nod to return for the evening heats comprised of the top 18 finishers in the time trial. When everything was sorted, Ken Jurkowski emerged atop the heap, followed by 2007 US LW2x member Andy Liverman, Jim Dietz II, Josh Brown, and another sculler just about every two seconds or less all the way back to 29th place. That would have been a pretty wild finish to watch if you could line them up 30 across, whew.
Also in the men's single, sculler David Coughlin had to have his boat ferried back to the boathouse after capsizing in the first 1000 meters of the time trial. The episode qualified for mitigation under the dreaded "misadventure" rule, and Coughlin was allowed to row the course after the end of the men's pair. The snag was that conditions had changed considerably from the 7am 1x race to Coughlin's 8:45-ish run down the course; as noted above, winds had shifted from cross-headwind to cross-tailwind. As a result, his time (which will not be published) qualified him for the top 18; however, it was decided early in the sequence of events that if Coughlin's time put him in the top 18, fairness dictated that no sculler who rowed in the time trial proper would be bumped out of tonight's heats. In the end, Coughlin's time did merit that he be included in the heats, so 19 scullers will advance to the heats that begin at 6:30 tonight.
In the men's pair, David Banks found himself atop the heap again, this time paired with Chris Liwski, stroke of last year's gold medal coxed four. (Banks is row2k's favorite tortoise among the hares, as he continues on a steady road to success; as if to emphasize the point, he and Liwski even started last in the time trial, and finished first.) At least in the time trial, big margins separated the top finishers; you can probably expect these to tighten up when side-by-side racing starts tomorrow morning.
In the light men's single, Andrew Grzybowski edged 2007 US sculler Ivan Baldytchev, who has grown some long locks since last summer - tho we doubt it will stop folks from using the term of endearment "Baldy" by which he has come to be known. The two scullers put good boat length or so on the field, against the clock at least.
In the light women's single, the top three scullers (Rebecca Smith, Erin Burton, Nicole Nelson) finished within one second of each other; of course six-across racing is a very different endeavor, but the evidence thus far bodes for a fierce race for the placing spots over the course of the weekend. Beyond five scullers deep, we saw a big dropoff in speed, so the final is going to be the race to watch in this event.
Racing continues this evening with the top three heats of the men's single; heats for the remaining events take place tomorrow morning (as well as the M1x semis). View results, lane draws and complete schedule here.
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