Princeton Training Center Boat Rows at Opening Day!
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(Photo courtesy Independent Rowing News)
Athletes from the Princeton Training center got their first taste of competition this year in Seattle at the University of Washington's Opening Day Regatta, where we raced in the Windermere Challenge Cup event against a national team boat from Canada. Princeton athletes were selected for the boat to go to Seattle based on winter erg scores and other factors. In the boat from the Princeton Training Center were Washington alums Phil Henry ('94), who stroked the Windermere Cup boat this year and was 1997 World Champion in the eight; Mike Callahan ('96), who rowed in the coxless four this summer and was UW captain his senior year; and Erik Miller ('96), who rowed the lightweight pair this summer.
The athletes had an enjoyable time and had the benefit of great weather this year during the week preceeding the race. Although it was overcast on race day, over 100,000 screaming fans still attended the races.
As most rowers who have participated in the regatta will tell you, there is no race like Opening Day. No other regatta has so many fans so close to the race course. Most World Rowing Championship regattas have only a fraction of the spectators who come out to watch the Windermere Cup races. Boston's Head of the Charles may have as many spectators, but they are spread out over the three miles of the race course, whereas at the race in Seattle, fans have only 2000 meters over which to spread themselves.
Yachts line the first 1200 meters of the race course, where they are anchored to watch the day's activities; first the races, and then the parade of boats, marking the Opening Day of Yachting Season. The final 700 meters of the race course is throught the Montlake Cut, where fans are nearly right on top of the boats as they go through their final sprints. Often, noise from the crowd makes it impossible to hear the Coxswain.
The entire five days that we were in Seattle were great. We arrived Wednesday night and were met at the airport by representatives from Windermere Real Estate, who pay to put on the entire event. TThis is no small task when you consider the cost of flying in crews from around the world and the cost of lodging and feeding them.) The people from Windermeregave us all flowers upon arrival and gave us a rental van to use for the weekend.
We practiced twice the next day, and then that night, Windermere hosetd a wonderful dinner cruise on the Puget Sound, which made its way from Elliot Bay, through the Locks and into Lake Union. The food and weather were both wonderful.
Friday we practiced twice more, and some rowers visited a local school and others visited Seattle's Children's Orthopedic Hospital.
Other rowers in the boat were Jockey Underwear Models Jim Neal, Kurt Borcherding and Ben Holbrook, as well as Jordan Irving (1997 World Champ in the coxed pair), Chris Kerber, and cox Pete Cipollone. The race was great (we beat the Canadians by 7 seconds) and we had a wonderful time and would all love to return next year!
Other crews attending the regatta were Nottingham County Rowing Assn. Lightweigh eights and a development eight, the Great Britain Women's eight, U.S. women's eight (featuring ex-Huskies Katie Maloney ('96) and Tristine Glick ('97)), and the University of Virginia.
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