On Saturday, February 4th, five Washington State University oarsmen are participating in Ergomania!, the Northwest’s premier indoor rowing Championship. The event is hosted by the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and will take place at Lakeside School in north Seattle. More than 500 athletes are expected to participate.
Senior and four-year oarsman, Joe Sudar (Longview, WA), junior Eric DeMaris (Snohomish, WA) and sophomore Jeff Rhubottom, Jr. (Burien, WA) are racing in the Men’s Collegiate 2000 meter event which starts at 2:45pm. Forty-five minutes later, at 3:30pm, junior Orion McCabe (Olympia, WA), and senior Paul Lund (Harstad, Norway) are racing in the Men’s Open 2000meter.
According to the press release, the competition is expected to be particularly tough this year because it is an Olympic year. Furthermore, the event serves as the Northwest satellite qualifier for the World Indoor Rowing Championship (known as the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints) in Boston on February 19th, 2012.
The address of the event is
Lakeside Upper School
14050 1st Ave NE
Seattle, WA, 98125-3009
Questions?
Paul Lund
(575)-590-8073
paulaslund@gmail.com
Cougar Crew Days 2012 is just around the corner! This year's festivities will take place on Fri/Sat, March 16/17. Please take the time to RSVP now!
We look forward to seeing all of the Cougar Crew Alumni, Family, and Friends at Cougar Crew Days 2012. More event details to come!
Learn to Row this Summer!
Here's a chance to try something new and exciting...LEARN TO ROW. WSU Men's Crew is hosting its 7th summer of Palouse Rowing starting with a three week LEARN TO ROW program beginning June 9th. There is no experience required. Our boathouse is on the Snake River at Wawawai Landing. Practices are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5:45-7:45pm, and Saturday mornings 9:15-11:15am. After trying it for three weeks, you can row for the remainder of the summer with our Team Camp. You'll see how much your timing, balance, technique and teamwork improves as you get into more serious workouts.
Visit the Palouse Rowing page for more information!
The Cougar Crew team will take on Gonzaga University on the Snake River this coming Saturday. After falling to the Bulldogs in all events at Head of the Spokane three weeks ago, the Cougars are hoping to close the gap and get a few wins in during the last regatta of the fall. Racing begins Saturday at 9:00 am.
The V8+ had a solid race at Head of the Lake, and is looking at bringing the momentum to Saturday’s event. A year ago the Cougs finished in 16:35, which was twenty seconds behind the Bulldogs. The JV8+—who narrowed the margin to the V8+ last weekend—crossed the line in 17:11 last year, falling to Gonzaga’s 16:39. Although they will not face a GU boat in their event, the 3V8+ is eager to demonstrate their speed and close the margin to the other varsity boats.
The novice won two out of four events against Western Washington University in the Dare Duel, and is determined to have similar success against Gonzaga. In last year’s Head of the Snake, GU’s A-boat made an aggressive move off the line, passed WSU and maintained the lead for the reminder of the race. Then 6-seat Paul Lund remembers with dismay the first 1,000m of the race “Gonzaga caught us off guard with an explosive start. We made up some ground thanks to a well-executed turn by our coxswain Catie Schwartz, but their lead was too big. I hope this year’s novice can learn from us, and be ready to kill it from the start.”
The Cougar Third Varsity 8+ and four Novice boats raced Western Washington University in Bellingham on Saturday, November 5, in the fourth annual dual. The Vikings took home the points trophy after winning three out of five events.
The 3V8, including four lightweights, stayed with the Vikings for the first half of the race. Racing on home ground, WWU was able to execute the turn around an island better than WSU, and used the momentum to increase their lead into the finish. The Vikings crossed the finish line in 23:21, followed by the Cougars in 24:40. 2-seat Joe Lillis saw the race as the start of what is to come. Despite our loss, it was a successful race in showing the depth of our team and getting us geared up for more head to head races in the future.”
Coach Arthur Ericsson says on the boat’s performance, "The 3rd Varsity wasn't able to deliver the upset that many of them were hoping for but they represented WSU's Varsity 8 with great pride, a relentless effort, and a time gap which was certainly not a disappointment to WWU's top 8 oarsman. We'll address some technical issues this week, flip a couple of rowers, and I am sure they will gain more speed."
The novice won two out of four events against Western Washington University in the Dare Duel, and is determined to have similar success against Gonzaga. In last year’s Head of the Snake, GU’s A-boat made an aggressive move off the line, passed WSU and maintained the lead for the reminder of the race. Then 6-seat Paul Lund remembers with dismay the first 1,000m of the race “Gonzaga caught us off guard with an explosive start. We made up some ground thanks to a well-executed turn by our coxswain Catie Schwartz, but their lead was too big. I hope this year’s novice can learn from us, and be ready to kill it from the start.”
Head Coach Arthur Ericsson sees the advantage racing Gonzaga late in the fall "I am quite content that the Head of the Snake has been pushed this late into the fall. This separation will allow us to showcase our progress. Defending our home waters has always been a strong suit of ours, but this will be a monumental test."
The regatta will be held at Wawawi landing as a 5,000m headrace, time trial against the clock. The boats will be sent off with an approximately fifteen second margin between each.
All races begin at 9:00am. The start order is as follows: WSU 1V8, GU 1V8, WSU 2V8, GU 2V8, WSU 3V8, WSU 1N8, GU 1N8, WSU 2N8, GU 2N8, WSU 3N8.
For directions to Wawawi landing visit http://cougarcrew.com/directions_washingtonstate.php
On a picturesque day in Seattle, Cougar Crew stepped up to the challenge of a deep field and the challenging Head of the Lake course, which includes a 180 degree turn towards the end of the race. The V8+ took fifth in the collegiate/open event; the JV8+ third and the Women’s Lightweight 8+ took eighth.
In the Men’s Collegiate/ Open 8+, the Cougars had bow number four and were sent off trailing three Washington boats. Following them where Lewis and Clark University and Oregon State University, respectively. The Cougs built into a 31-32 stroke rate from the start and maintained it until the sprint where they reached 36 strokes per minute before crossing the finish line in 17:09.03. Oregon State was beforehand expected to move up on the Cougar boat, but did not come as close as anticipated. However, due to the staggered start, the Beavers’ stopped the clock 29s before the Cougs. Washington won the event with a time of 15:39.06. Coxswain Caitlin Aldrich was satisfied with her oarsmen’s performance, saying “Today was a great improvement on the way the boat has been feeling lately; it felt as if the boat finally clicked. The whole race felt very powerful and supported. I am very happy with the show of commitment and potential today! We will achieve even greater speed and cohesiveness as we take this into a fast, successful spring season.”
The JV8+ closed the gap to the V8+ from Head of the Spokane, thereby demonstrating the ability to bring the improved boat speed at practice to competition. Washington won the event in 15:57.08, followed by Oregon State in 17:23.14 and WSU in 17:49 Summing up the racing, Head Coach Arthur Ericsson says “the V8 and JV8 showed their true potential: solid, more aggressive racing from start to finish. For the varsity 8, we've been waiting for this lineup to click and today it happened. And it was great to see the JV8 narrow the gap to the V8."
The lightweight women raced in the Women’s Collegiate 3V 8+, an event fielding Washington, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, and Washington State Women’s team. The University of Washington won the event in 18:47.13, while the Cougars stopped the clock in 21:44.47. 4-seat Sam Martin says “Although it was the Lightweight women's first appearance at Head of the Lake, it was a great experience for us. We pulled hard and had a solid row. We had minor technique issues that we can work on but they did not affect the solidarity of our row. Overall, I was really proud of the girls for pulling together and posting a good time. We hope we can experience HOT Lake again next year.”
In addition to the current rowers, Cougar Crew was impressively represented by 23 alumni oarsmen and coxswains including an Open 8+, a lightweight 8+ and an Open 4+. The alumni racing was organized by Jason Lackie, who selected past rowers based on submitted 5K erg scores and previous rowing experience. The Open 8+ finished in 18:46.06, but were given a one minute penalty. The lightweight 8+ stopped the clock in 18:58.52. In the Open 4+, the Cougars finished 4th with 19:15.25, 1:46.44 behind University of Washington. Weston Spivia, who rowed in the Open 8+, was thrilled to be back in a shell with other former rowers. “It was a lot of fun. You know, it was an alumni race; we joked with our opponents before the race, then gave it our best, and joked more afterwards. Without the one minute penalty, we beat the lightweights."
The Cougar Crew team is competing in Bellingham and Seattle this coming weekend. Saturday the novice and 3V+ are racing Western Washington University in the annual Dare Duel. The following day the V8+, JV8+ and Women’s Lightweight will compete in the Head of the Lake regatta.
A year ago, the Dare Duel trophy stayed in Pullman after the Cougars won five of six events, including a solid margin by the novice A-boat and a 10.8s win by the WSU varsity. Racing early in the morning, the Cougars will probably face temperatures in the high 30s, and it is forecasted a slight chance of rain. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson says on the upcoming race “the DARE DUEL is always lots of fun and it's a chance for our 3V to shine. They always have their hands full against WWU's top 8 so they will have to bring their A+ game." The novice, who had a strong showing in Spokane two weeks ago, are eager to race the Vikings. "The team has continued to build on the foundation of their rowing skills these last two weeks and is looking forward to competing against WWU. It will be a great opportunity for them to showcase their skills on the west side of the mountains and race against a very competent program", says Coach Peter Brevick.
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V8+ racing through the Montlake Cut in 2010 |
For the first time in the program's history, the Women's lightweigt team is participating in the Head of the Lake. They are entering the Champ Womens 3 Varsity 8+ event. Coach Dan Thayer says about the upcoming race “I am eager to see what these ladies can accomplish on the traditionally challenging Head of the Lake course. We are up against accomplished competition and hope to see quite discernable improvement from Spokane. We need to see additional base speed as we build towards spring racing goals.”
The Regatta is scheduled to start Sunday Nov 6 at 8:00am. For directions and the race schedule, visit the Head of the Lake site or contact Paul Lund on (575-590-8073) or paulaslund@gmail.com
Cougar Crew went to Spokane hoping to set the tone for the Fall season and to assess the training that has been done; they come home with a few answers, but also an awareness that hard work is waiting. In the 5,000 meter staggered race, the V8+ stopped the clock at 16:22, twenty-five seconds behind Gonzaga’s 15:57. One second behind the V8+ was GU’s JV8+, followed by WSU’s JV8+ in 17:11. Racing in a later flight, the 3V8+ battled GU’s 3V8+ and two 4s; the Cougs finished with a time of 17:31. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson, summarizing his team’s performance, says "Each boat seemed satisfied with today's effort, but not content. The 1V deficit was almost identical to last year. I was optimistic that we'd swing that in our direction, but we are all looking forward to developing our lineups in the next couple of weeks to show more speed."
The Novice squad competed in their first collegiate event, and did not go unnoticed. Traditionally the Bulldogs’ Novice is quite a bit ahead of the Cougs in the fall as some of their rowers have past experience. The 1N8+ came in 18:07, only twenty-five seconds behind GU’s 1N8+. The 4N8+, which had four rowers double in from the 1N8+, had the second fastest time among the Cougars with 19:39, followed by the 3N8+ in 20:27 and 2N8+ in 20:46. Coach Peter Brevick says on his and his rowers’ debut “Today was mainly about getting our feet wet, competing in a professional and respectful manner, and moving the boats down the course in an effective manner. I believe we were successful in doing so and look forward to taking this experience with us into the next weeks of training.”
The Lightweight Women's V8+, which included three Novice who later raced for the 1N8+, completed the 5,000m course in 21:24, and were satisfied with having their first race of the season under their belt. The N8+’s time was not recorded before the team had to depart the regatta; coxswain Alyssa Moore said on her boat’s first race “The timing and set was good, and beside a crab right before the finish-line, we had a strong showing. I cut the corner close a few times, which saved us a little time.” Coach Dan Thayer was pleased with how the team came together on race-day “The Novice’s timing was better than it has been at practice, and to do that under pressure demonstrates mental toughness.”
By: Paul Lund
The WSU Cougar Crew team is starting its fall racing season with a dual against Gonzaga University in the annual Head of the Spokane; the regatta will be held on Spokane River Saturday 10/22 and begins at 9am. The event is staged as a 5000 meter headrace time trial where boats start with about fifteen seconds interval.
The V8+ is returning four rowers from last season’s American Collegiate Rowing Association grand finalists, and is determined to get off to a fast start. Gonzaga set a course record with 15:25 in last years’ event, beating WSU’s time of 15:51. The Men’s Varsity are bringing three 8s to Spokane, with the JV8+ and 3V+ consisting largely of rowers from last years’ Novice class. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson remarked "we are a young and promising team, and this race marks the beginning of what I hope will be the next cycle of both speed and depth."
The Novice will see their first race as collegiate athletes, and are looking forward to giving Gonzaga a good fight. They are bringing four 8s to Spokane. Coach Peter Brevick says "I'm excited for the novice oarsmen and coxswains to have their first race. They have put together some good rowing on the Snake River, and some good workouts on campus, and it will be great to see what they can do at their first race."
The Lightweight women are taking the V8+ and 1N8+ to race Gonzaga and the WSU Women’s team. They are returning four bronze medalists from the V8+ at WIRAs last May.
For directions and more information visit www.cougarcrew.com, call Paul Lund (575)-590-8073 or email paulaslund@gmail.com
The Washington State University Cougar Crew team will hold its annual Row-A-Thon on the Glenn Terrell Mall October 17 and 18. 100% of this year’s donations will go the Jaimeson Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund which helps siblings of college stricken families attend college.
Jaimeson Jones survived cancer the first time around and became a member of Cougar Crew when he enrolled as a freshman the fall of 2008. His spirit and endurance inspired his teammates to work hard towards being not only fast rowers, but also great people.
After the 08/09 season was over, Jaimeson shared with the team that he again had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He was not able to attend school the following year, but stayed in touch with his teammates and attended as many races as possible. After a long battle, Jamison passed away October 7 2010.
Members of the Men’s Novice and Varsity, and Women’s Lightweight team will row on stationary rowing machines, knows as “ergs” all day Oct 17 and 18 to raise money for the Jaimeson Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund. Cash or check donations in any amount will be accepted from 6:00am-6:00pm.
WHO: Competitive, athletic men or those willing to train hard enough to be. Lightweight division is 160# and under. Openweights are anything above that.
Extra-lightweight men or women to be trained in the important role of coxswains. Coxswains steer the boat, execture practice and race plans with the coach and crew, and help the rowers row their best, technically and mentally. No experience needed.
WHEN: Aug. 29 and 30. All practices start at 3:30pm. Come on the first day that your schedule allows, the sooner you start the faster you will improve. Then just keep coming on the next day. We hope to start heading down to the river on Aug. 31st. The more experience you have before that the better. Wear shorts (not too baggy) and running shoes.
WHERE: Hollingbery Fieldhouse, room 201. Enter in the alley alongside Bohler. Go upstairs. It is the room directly above the ORC.
Contact Coach Arthur Ericsson if you have any questions: 509-863-5913 or wsucrewcoach@gmail.com
WHO: Competitive, athletic women or those willing to train hard enough to be. Lightweight division is 140# and under.
Extra-lightweight women to be trained in the important role of coxswains. Coxswains steer the boat, execture practice and race plans with the coach and crew, and help the rowers row their best, technically and mentally. No experience needed.
WHEN: Aug. 29 and 30. All practices start at 6:00am. Come on the first day that your schedule allows, the sooner you start the faster you will improve. Then just keep coming on the next day. We hope to start heading down to the river on Aug. 31st. The more experience you have before that the better. Wear shorts (not too baggy) and running shoes.
WHERE: Hollingbery Fieldhouse, room 201. Enter in the alley alongside Bohler. Go upstairs. It is the room directly above the ORC.
Contact Coach Arthur Ericsson if you have any questions: 509-863-5913 or wsucrewcoach@gmail.com
By Eric DeMaris and Arthur Ericsson
6/28/11
Summer is the time for rest, relaxation and… 4 x 1k tests??? That is just one of the workouts seniors Paul Ehlers and Alan Scott have survived since arriving at the ACRA (American Collegiate Rowing Association) U-23 All-Star Camp located in Ann Arbor, Michigan just two days after returning from Georgia. “The level of competition and quality of athlete here is incredible,” says Paul. But he is certainly up for the challenge. “I wanted to row here because I wanted to show I was one of the top club guys in the nation, and I really wanted to have my last summer as an athlete be one that is memorable.” The practice schedule is designed to prepare the rowers for an elite training volume. “That means 11 practices a week” says Paul. It’s rigorous, but the possible rewards are well worth it. There is an opportunity for Paul and Alan to compete in Club Nationals, Senior Nationals, and the Canadian Henley. Not to mention U23 Worlds. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson expressed his enthusiasm stating “I think it will be the best opportunity for club teams to show just how fast we can be against the standouts from the fully funded programs.”
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Alan Scott and Paul Ehlers rowing in 3 seat of their respective boats |
Over the past three weeks Paul and Alan have been applying themselves. They have both been selected for the priority boat, the 4+ (four with coxswain). The goal of the camp is to win the U-23 Trials and represent the U.S. at the U-23 Worlds in Amsterdam in late July. On Tuesday, June 28th they will compete at the U-23 Trials (under 23 years of age) at Mercer Lake, New Jersey. The top four teams advance to the finals on Wednesday. Alan and Paul will be stroke pair of the lineup, sitting 4 seat and 3 seat respectively. Their boatmates for this event include Frank Sedlar from the University of Michigan (2-seat), David Eick from the University of North Carolina and Mark Strader from Pioneer Highschool. After Trails they will race at the USRowing Senior Nationals. Further races will be announced based on results. "I am proud and not too surprised that amongst an already select group of the nation's best club rowers that both of our WSU oarsmen have proven themselves to be top boat movers," exclaims Head Coach Arthur Ericsson. “Having Paul pulling behind Alan is what they did all year long in our varsity 8; this could pay dividends off the starting line and when the race inevitably demands more than everything they’ve got.”
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Brandon Close |
The cost of the trip and time off work was about to derail his hopes, but once word spread Brandon received the support of numerous alumni from recent years. Most notably Weston Spivia who is spearheading the effort, and Dan Thayer, who has given Brandon encouragement for him to dedicate his time to USRowing. Even Doug Engle, who rowed from 1975-1979 has shown support for Brandon. He also thanks Head Coach Arthur Ericsson for insisting that he pursue this goal. “If I go I would hope to post the best scores that I could, learn more about the sport, rep (represent) cougar lightweight crew on the national level, and see wherever that takes me!” says Brandon of his opportunity. The Camp looks to develop rowers into competitive applicants for the U23 and senior national teams. Coach Ericsson claims “Brandon is the most gifted lightweight I’ve ever worked with here at WSU. For him to finally be able to fully dedicate himself to training will allow him to reach levels he’s never seen before.”
Brandon Close graduated from Central Valley High School
Hometown: Veradak, WA
Washington State University Major: Movement Studies
PAC-10 All-Academic Team 2011
ACRA Academic All-American 2011
Paul Ehlers graduated from Mercer Island High School
Hometown: Mercer Island, WA
Washington State University Major: Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
ACRA All-American 2011
ACRA All-Region Team 2011.
Alan Scott graduated from Ballard High School
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Washington State University Major: Business Economics & Marketing
ACRA All-Region Team 2011
Washington State University Men's Crew competed at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships in Gainesville, Georgia on May 28th and 29th. The event is the national championship for club teams, and took place on the 2000 meter race course of Lake Lanier, former rowing venue for the 1996 Olympics. WSU placed 2nd in the Novice 8 event in 2009, and 3rd in the Varsity 8 event in 2010 and has gained recognition as one of the top club teams on the west coast, and in the country.
This year Cougar Crew entered the Varsity 8, Novice 8, Varsity Lightweight 4 and Varsity 4 events. The Varsity 8 (seeded 8th out of 20 entries) qualified for the Grand Finals on Sunday, composed of the top six teams. They were in bronze medal position through the 1000 meter halfway point, but their aggressive tactics did not hold up as they were passed by the field for a sixth place finish. "Saturday's semi-finals showed our true potential, and we are proud to have defeated strong programs such as Purdue and Michigan State to get to the Grand Finals," commented Head Coach Arthur Ericsson. "In the Grands, the guys stuck to what has been their strength, an aggressive first thousand to establish position, and to give them a shot at the medal stand, but they needed the race of their life to medal and it wasn't there for them."
Men's Varsity 8 Grand Finals
1 Virginia 5:48.7
2 Michigan 5:49.5
3 Notre Dame 5:59.7
4 UC Irvine 6:01.6
5 Bucknell 6:02.3
6 Washington State 6:04.2
WSU V8 Lineup: bow-Kevin Chittenden, 2-Andrew King, 3-Zach Olson, 4-Orion McCabe-Gould, 5-Paul Ehlers, 6-Alan Scott, 7-Josh Wadagnolo, 8-Eric DeMaris, cox-Nichole Martin.
The Novice 8 also placed higher than they were seeded (10th out of 17 entries). In the Petite Finals on Sunday, racing for places 7-12) they finished in second with a time of 6:16.4, 2.1 seconds behind Grand Valley to place 8th overall. “At the start line, I told the guys to dedicate the race to coach Julia”, says coxswain Catie Schwartz, referring Novice Coach Julia Gamache. Coach Gamache proclaimed that "the team pulled everything together for this race and they clicked just at the right moment." Purdue was the winner of the Novice 8 event with a time of 6:00.1.
The Varsity Lightweight 4 was in an extremely challenging heat on Saturday and needed to place 3rd. They did not race well and came up 0.67 shy of qualifying for the Grand Finals. Going into the Petite Finals they set a goal of posting the fastest time of all of their competitors to prove that they were the fastest crew. They were leading their event through the 1000 meter when one of the oarlocks came open and the oar came loose. They fell back near the back of the pack and fell out of contention. The WSU VLwt4 Lineup, composed of all senior oarsmen: bow-Garrett Heiman, 2-Brandon Close, 3-Mark Hoffman, stroke-Kramer Wahlberg, cox-Caitlin Aldrich.
The Varsity 4 won the D final, placing of 19th of 21 teams. "Our young lineup proved that they aren't afraid to go on the attack in a big race," noted Coach Ericsson. "I expect to get faster and deeper next year as this year's talented and hard working novice join our varsity squad."
Photos
Sat results
Sun results
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V8 winning semis |
The N8+ took 6th in their semifinal and are headed to the petite finals, where they look to beat their 12th-place seeding. “We had a close battle with Notre Dame in our semi and are hoping to turn that result around in our finals,” says 6-seat Paul Lund. The Cougars will be racing Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Kansas State, Notre Dame, and Grand Valley in the second-level finals.
The LWT 4+ took a heartbreaking 4th in their heats, after being walked through in the last 250m, and were nudged into petite finals. Seniors Mark Hoffman, Brandon Close, Garret Heiman, and Kramer Wahlberg look to make the last race of their careers a successful one, capping an illustrious lightweight career at WSU.
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Paul Ehlers and Alan Scott |
Additionally, seniors Paul Ehlers and Alan Scott were named to the ACRA West Coast All-Region team, and senior Kramer Wahlberg was named to the All Pac-10 first team. For their off the water merits, Josh Wadagnolo, Kramer Wahlberg, and Brandon Close were named to the 2011 ACRA All Academic team.
Sat results
Sun schedule
For the fourth year in a row, WSU is competing in the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championship Regatta. A total of 48 clubs will be represented on the 1996 Olympic venue, Lake Lanier, in Gainesville, GA May 28-29. The Cougars are sending four boats; the Varsity 8+, Varsity 4+, Lightweight 4+ and Novice 8+. Heats and semifinals will be on Saturday with finals finishing off the regatta on Sunday.
The Varsity 8+ that took third in 2010 has three rowers returning to the National Championship. The young crew, including four sophomores, has seen tremendous improvement over the past two months. Going into the regatta, the Cougars are ranked 8th in the ACRA coach’s poll, and for the second year in a row, they are the top-ranked club team from the west coast. In their heat, the Varsity 8+ is rowing against Texas, UC Davis, Purdue, Virginia, Ohio State and Wichita State.
The Varsity 4+ is a new line-up that has had three solid weeks of preparation on the water. The boat is racing against USC, New Hampshire, Michigan, Texas, Tulane and William&Mary. The Lightweight 4+, coming off a third place finish at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship, is looking to continue the strong performance shown by WSU lightweight boats in the past years. In their heat Saturday, they will face Wichita State, Penn State, University of Chicago, Charleston and Michigan State.
The Novice 8+ has continued to show improvement on the water since PAC-10s, most notably in close pieces with the Varsity 8+ during practice. Based on the increased boat speed, coach Julia Gamache is optimistic on behalf of her crew “Our goal is to make it to the Grand Final, but we are focused on taking one race at a time. We first have to make it though the heat and then we will see what happens in the semifinal.”
After a solid week of preparation, it is a competitive crew that is heading to the final regatta of the season. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson says of the upcoming event "This is the largest squad that WSU Men's Crew has ever sent to a national championship. With such a competitive field, it will be critical that each crew delivers their best during Saturday's qualifying heats."
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click to enlarge |
Showing again that they are the top club team in the conference, the Cougars finished 5th overall at the Pac-10 championships, with the V8+ and N8+ finishing in 5th place. The V8+ managed to exact some revenge in its race, beating UCLA by nearly 5 seconds after being nudged out by barely a bowball to take 4th place at the WIRA championships two weeks ago. UW won the V8+ race. The N8+ finished 5th in its race, well ahead of the next club team, USC. Cal won the N8+ race. The V4+ - which is actually the LWT4+ headed to the ACRA championships – finished in 4th. UW won the V4+ race. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson was pleased with the results, saying, "With UCLA being so competitive this year, it was very satisfying to turn that result around and reaffirm that we are the fastest club team in the Pac-10."
On Saturday, the Cougs split their squad up and competed at both the PCRC regatta and had a friendly scrimmage with UC-Davis. A V4+, composed of 4 rowers from the V8+, and the LWT4+, both raced in the Open 4+ event at PCRCs, with the V4+ taking home silver medals, finishing less than a second behind Cal’s 4+. The Cougs, who lost a bit of water to Cal in the 3rd 500m after being bowball to bowball in the first 1km, almost managed to sprint through the Bears, but fell just short of their bid to unseat the perennial powerhouse. The V4+ finished more than 10 seconds ahead of the WIRA winning Seattle U 4+, who came 3rd. The LWT4+ finished 4th, beating heavyweight crews from the University of Oregon, USC, and Portland State. The N8+ and the remaining 4 rowers from the V8+ scrimmaged with UC-Davis, doing 3 minute pieces over the course of a morning. Both crews performed very well, with the N8+ - racing UC-Davis’ V8+ and JV8+ - coming out ahead in some of the piecework. Novice Coach Julia Gamache said of the outing, “I am very happy with our work with UC-Davis on Saturday and with the effort made on Sunday. The Novice showed up to race the fastest teams in the country and they did not go unnoticed.”
The Cougs are spending the next week and a half training in preparation for the ACRA National Championships, where the V8+ are defending bronze medalists. In 2009, the N8+ took home silver medals, the highest placing for a WSU crew at ACRAs. The Cougs are also entering a V4+ and LWT4+.
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V4+ at PCRC |
WSU is heading in to the first two of its three post-season championship regattas, starting off with the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships on Saturday and the Pac-10 rowing championships on Sunday. WSU is entering 2 crews into the PCRCs, both in to the Open 4+ event. One is the V4+, composed of rowers that will be racing in the V8+ the next day, and the other is the LW4+, which is the same crew that will also be racing at ACRAs. The two Cougar crews will be racing SPU, USC, Oregon, Cal, and PSU.
On Sunday, the Cougs will be racing at the Pac-10 championships, which feature a few of the fastest crews in the nation. The N8+, V8+, and LW4+ (racing as a V4+) are all entered. The V8+ is looking to avenge its heartbreaking loss to UCLA at WIRAs, where a race that came down to the final sprint ended up with the Cougs in 4th place, just a bowball outside of the podium. The N8+ are looking to be just the second crew since 1992 to beat OSU, a feat that was last accomplished in 2009.
Coach Arthur Ericsson is excited for the racing, saying, “The Novice 8 has shown drastic improvement in boat moving since WIRA's. The Varsity 8 has all of the ingredients to better their time as well. We have more than one team in our sights."
For the first time since 2002, the Cougar V8+ was invited to race in the Open 8+ event at the Windermere Cup Regatta. Fighting through cold temperatures and high winds, the Cougs took 2nd behind the UW boat entered in the event, finishing about 5 seconds behind that lead crew. WSU finished clear ahead of an alumni crew from PRC, WWU, and Seattle U.
Coach Arthur Ericsson said of the racing, "With a new high profile race on our calendar, and a significantly revised lineup, I was hoping that this event would act as a launch pad towards becoming a new and faster crew. I hope all nine members of the crew feel the same way I do. Now we have to extract confidence and boatspeed entirely from our daily workouts."
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Coug alum, Kent McCleary ('90) came out to support the Cougs at Opening Day. He rowed with the team from 1986-90 and was part of the team that visited Istanbul for a competition in 1988. Go Cougs! |
For the first time since 2002 due to scheduling conflicts, the WSU V8+ has been able to accept the invite to compete at the annual Windermere Cup Opening Day Regatta, held on Lake Washington and raced through the Montlake Cut. The UW Huskies, who host the regatta, will be squaring off against Cambridge and Stanford in the premier V8+ and JV8+ events. The Coug V8+ will be competing in the Open 8+ event, racing UW, Seattle U, Pocock Rowing Club, and WWU. The Open 8+ event starts at 10:46 am.
The Cougar V8+ is coming off of its WIRA championships, where it was narrowly outsprinted for a spot on the podium and finished 4th. The rest of the post-season Cougar squad – the N8+, LW4+, and V4+ - are preparing for PCRCs/Pac-10s the weekend after next and the ACRA National Championships two weeks after that.
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V8+ powering through the WIRA Grand Final |
Probable V8+ lineup is as follows:
Bow: Josh Wadagnolo
2: Andy King
3: Orion McCabe
4: Alan Scott
5: Zach Olson
6: Kevin Chittenden
7: Paul Ehlers
Stroke: Eric Demaris
Cox: Nichole Martin
Schedule
Directions
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Varsity 8+ narrowly edged off the podium |
The 1N8+, looking to bounce back from their disappointing Fawley Cup races, qualified for Grands for the third consecutive season, punching out open water over chasing ASU to ensure their place in the top finals was safe. The Novice finished 6th in the Grand Finals, coming across the line in 6:28.2 to OCC’s 6:06.8.
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Lightweight 8+ takes second to Cal by 2 seconds |
The V4+, composed of the top 4 heavyweights not racing in the V8+, also placed into the Grand Finals after taking 2nd in their Heat on Saturday. Coming in to the finals on Sunday, the Cougs were the presumptive underdogs, having turned in the slowest time in Saturday’s heat, but senior strokeman Jimmy Johnson used his experience and power to move through a crew that had beaten them the day before, SPU, to take 5th place.
Doubling out of the LW8+ was the LW4+, racing in another finals-only draw. In a repeat of the LW8+, Cal took top honors while the Cougs took home a bronze medal, finishing in 7:02.2.
The 2N8+ and 3N8+, both racing in the 2N8+ event, showcased the depth of WSU’s program – only 3 other schools had 2N8+s entered, and WSU was the one of two with a 3N8+. Unfortunately, the skeg on the 2N8+ boat broke during the warm-up and the crew was unable to complete the 2k race. The 3N8+, composed primarily of lightweights, had an impressive showing and came fourth, also throwing down their best 2k time of the year.
The 2V8+ finished second in petite finals to take 8th overall, 6:35.4 to UC-Irvine’s 6:30.1. The Cougs finished 3rd in the overall Team Points competition, emphatically pointing again to how much the program has improved and how much the entire team – not just the top racing boats – contribute to team speed.
Head Coach Arthur Ericsson is very pleased with his team’s performance, saying "In February no one would have expected us to be seeded 3rd in the Varsity-8 event, not even us. We fell one bowball short of achieving that. The V8+ and LW8+ events were especially close. The guys gave it everything they had. Now that we know what we're capable of it should give us a whole new outlook for our training for nationals."
The Women’s Lightweight team had another successful WIRAs, despite the fact that they are only a second year program. The Novice 8+, racing in an openweight event, won the Third Finals, despite a broken coxbox. They crossed the line in 8:14.3, ahead of crews from the University of the Pacific, UC-Irvine, Seattle University, San Diego State, and Chapman. 6 of these girls then raced an hour later in the Varsity Lightweight 8+ event, where they took 3rd place. The Women’s Lightweight team has medaled both years it has attended WIRAs, which bodes well for this burgeoning program.
The V8+, N8+, LW4+, and V4+ are all preparing for Pac-10s/PCRCs and the ACRA National Championships, and the V8+ is headed off to the Windermere Cup Opening Day Regatta in Seattle this coming weekend.
Results
Friday/Saturday Photos
Sunday Photos
Special thanks to the Wahlbergs for these photos, and for the thousands of photos they have contributed over the years!
Coming off of the a historic Fawley Cup victory, WSU Cougar Crew are set to compete at their final regular season regatta, the WIRA Conference Championships. WIRA, a collection of 22 varsity and club teams from the western region of the US, serves as the qualifying regatta for both the IRA and ACRA national championship races.
The Cougs are looking to repeat their astounding successes from last season, with marquee victories in the V8+ and LTWT8+, and in a dramatic show of depth, taking home the Team Points trophy as the most successful program in attendance.
The V8+ is seeded 3rd overall coming in to this year’s event, taking lane 1 in a relatively easy heat draw. The top 2 from their race go on to Grand Finals. They race at 10:30. The JV8+, seeded 6th, race at 9:20, and the top 3 from their heat head on to the top-level finals. The JV8+ looks to repeat their podium performance from 2010.
The lightweight 8+, racing in a finals-only format at 4:20, are looking forward to their rematch with Cal Lightweights, who they were narrowly beaten by at the San Diego Crew Classic. 4 lightweights from this boat will double in to the lightweight 4+, which races Sunday at 9:50. The Cougs have had success in the past in this event, winning it in 2007. The V4+ is also set to do battle this weekend, looking to make WSU the first team to win the event 3 times in 4 years.
The N8+, seeded 6th, are looking to make their 3rd consecutive Grand Finals appearance. Strong performances by this crew over the course of the spring make them dark horse candidates to push on to the podium. In the 2N8+ - an event where the Cougs took home silver medals last year – WSU has two boats entered. They race at 9:20 on Sunday.
The Lightweight Women, in their second season in existence, are also looking to close out with a strong finish at the conference championships. Last year, they took third in the Novice Lightweight 4+ event, an extremely positive result considering they had only just started up as a team that fall. They are racing in the women’s Novice Openweight 8+ and the Varsity Lightweight 8+ events.
Schedule
"In the most successful Fawley Cup regatta the Cougs have had since 1992, the WSU V8+ and 3V8+ both beat perennial rival Gonzaga. This is the first time since the regatta’s inception that WSU has beaten GU in multiple events!
The V8+ victory allowed the Fawley Cup to return to Pullman for the first time since 2006, and for only the second time in 20 years. This victory is particularly sweet for seniors Paul Ehlers, Alan Scott, Mark Hoffman, and Nichole Martin, who were part of the V8+ last year that was beaten by less than a second at this same dual. Paul Ehlers, 4th year varsity oarsman, says of the victory, “Ever since my freshman year, the mystique of the 2006 crew that managed to beat Gonzaga has permeated the boathouse. Even our WIRA-champion, 3rd-in-the-nation V8+ last year came up short in our bid to unseat the Bulldogs. To go out on top like this, as a senior, is tremendously rewarding.” The V8+ led wire-to-wire on the course, punching out 5 seats through the first 250m and stretching the lead to a full length by the 1500m mark. A strong sprint allowed the Cougs to clear open water and come across the line in 6:01.8, with the ‘Zags nearly 6 seconds down at 6:07.8.
In a show of depth for the Cougars, the 3V8+ came across the line more than 5 seconds ahead of GU’s counterpart, 6:25.1-6:30.6. Similarly to the V8+ race, the Cougars used a clean start to race to a lead of nearly a boat length after the first 500m. GU came crawling back, coming as close as 4 seats down before a boat-stopping crab put them out of the race for good. Senior strokeman, Jimmy Johnson, said of the race, “The guys in my boat really came through and pulled a great piece in a race that was one of my last shots at beating GU. All 9 athletes in the boat gave their best and we couldn’t have asked for a better result.”
The N8+ had a disappointing race, falling to the GU novice 6:13.0-6:29.0. After their promising dual with UW and an encouraging San Diego Crew Classic, the N8+ will unfortunately have to wait until WIRAs for their next shot at Gonzaga. The 2N8+, after an extremely tight first 1700m, ran into crab trouble of their own with 300m to go and narrowly fell to the Bulldogs, 6:41.2-6:45.8. The 3N8+, also racing in the 2N8+ event, came in third with a time of 6:59.3.
The JV8+ was unable to repeat their historic victory from last year, and were beaten by the Gonzaga JV8+ by 15 seconds. The WSU JV8+ came across the line in 6:22.1.
Coach Arthur Ericsson was very pleased to be making history for the second time in his 7-year head-coaching career at WSU, beating the Bulldogs to take the Fawley Cup for the first time since 2006. “The Varsity 8 took the race right off of the line and held them at boats-length for the entire body of the race. I'd like to think they could go faster if they had to. I'm proud of the entire varsity roster. The 2V also had a very solid race but I'd like to see their margin closer to the V8. The 3V can take a lot from this race, and their win showed that we have depth.”
The Cougs now have two weeks of intense training to prepare for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships, which take place on Lake Natoma, California. The Cougs are the defending V8+ and Team Points champions, and look to make history by being the first ever team to repeat as WIRA champions.
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Varsity 8+ |
Photos
Another year, another Fawley Cup: the heated rivalry between the only two teams in eastern Washington, Gonzaga University and Washington State University. The WSU V8+ looks to improve on its 8th place performance at the San Diego Crew Classic and capture just its second Fawley Cup in 21 years. Last year, the JV8+ made history by beating GU for the first time in at least 15 years, and they hope to win the first back-to-back races against GU ever. The N8+, fresh off of a strong showing against UW and at the SDCC, seek to gain their first victory since the novice class of 2007 did it 4 years ago.
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JV8+ Defeating Gonzaga in 2010 |
Varsity lineups are as follows:
V8+ (9:00 am) Bow Mark Hoffman, Andrew King, Zach Olson, Orion McCabe, Paul Ehlers, Alan Scott, Josh Wadagnolo, Stroke Eric DeMaris, Coxswain Nichole Martin
JV8+ (10:00 am) Bow Garret Heiman, Evan Egerstrom, Joe Sudar, Kevin Chittenden, Jake Smith, Brandon Close, Jake Logar, Stroke Kramer Wahlberg, Coxswain Caitlin Aldrich
3V8+ (9:30 am) Bow Andy Walston, Mack Kunold, Nik Rich, Lee Peha, Tyler D’Souza, James Crawford, Chris Kimball, Stroke Jimmy Johnson, Coxswain Kim Westcott
Directions to Silver Lake
Schedule
Follow us on Twitter for live race results!
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1N8+ |
The V8+, feeling the loss of their senior stroke seat Alan Scott for this race, finished just over 20 seconds behind UW, and the two WSU entries in the JV8+ event finished 28 and 34 seconds behind the UW crew. The V4+ races were similarly lopsided.
In the 2N8+ event, no times were recorded but the UW 3N8+ won handily over the Cougar 2N8+ and 3N8+.
The Cougars looks to rebound and take it to rivals Gonzaga in the Fawley Cup regatta next weekend, the annual dual that produces some of the most heated racing of the spring. Reflecting on the regatta, Head Coach Ericsson said, " The highlight for the day was what a race our NoviceA boat made of it. They were bow to stern with 500m to go, and the time gaps show that they are getting faster. The Varsity8, though well off of UW, had a respectable race, with a clear idea of what will raise their game even higher for next week."
Results
Photos
The WSU V8+, competing in the American Specialty Health Cup, took 2nd in the Petite Finals at the San Diego Crew Classic this past weekend. Although WSU was leading through the 1000m mark, Purdue put on a strong charge to take the top spot in the second-level finals. UBC won the event overall.
The N8+, in the first of several California trips as Cougar oarsmen, also took 2nd place in the Petite Finals, behind the OCC-B N8+. The Cougs made a powerful move in the second 500m to move past WIRA-rivals UC-Davis and then had a solid sprint that moved them almost all the way through the OCC boat. The novice event was not segregated into varsity and club teams, and Cal took home the overall novice victory in the grand finals.
The Cougar LTT8+, competing at the SDCC for the first time since 2008, took 2nd in the LWT8+ event. Originally a 3 boat race, the OCC entry scratched and the race turned into a duel between perennial rivals Cal lightweights and WSU. The Cougs stayed in connection for the entirety of the race, but were unable to move through the Bears during the sprint and fell by a few feet of open water.
After long hours of winter training and a brutal spring break, WSU Men’s crew seeks to open their season strongly at the 38th annual San Diego Crew Classic. Typically regarded as the premier spring regatta on the west coast, earning a trip to San Diego always tops the priorities of our varsity oarsmen.
WSU is entering two boats: the V8+ in the American Specialty Health Cup and the LWT8+ in the Secretary of the Navy Cup. Lineups are listed below. Last year, WSU had its best finish in recent history in the V8+ event, placing 3rd behind Trinity and Grand Valley State.
Please click here for the regatta schedule.
Live streaming of the regatta can be found here.
Saturday:
7:40am - Varsity 8+ Heat
10:00 - Novice 8+ Heat
3:40pm - Lightweight 8+ Final
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1N8+ cruising to a strong finish |
The WSU heavyweight JV8+, composed of the rowers not heading to the San Diego Crew Classic in the V8+ or LW8+ next weekend, showed their grit and the depth of Cougar Crew with a gutsy 3rd place finish. Despite trailing off of the start, the Cougs caught leading WWU and Lewis & Clark with 300m to go and were just edged out in the final sprint.
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Close finish! |
The Cougar lightweight women also brought some competition to Daffodil Cup on Saturday. The women were the only lightweight team in the field and truly showed that they can out pull some taller and stronger rowers. The V4+ hung right with the entire field for the first half of the race but let the other boats break away in the final sprint, finishing 6th with a better than expected time. The Novice 8+ showed their skill for performing under pressure, as they had a stop-and-start first 200m due to lane issues. While the rest of the field broke away during this period, the Cougars picked it up, walked through them and took 3rd, posting a very impressive time against the novice heavyweights. Coach Dan Thayer was proud of his team, saying, "I am extremely pleased with on water progress and the mental approach of these athletes. I look forward to unlocking more hull speed with these exemplary ladies."
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Lightweight Women Novice 8+ |
Cougar Crew will be competing at the annual Daffodil Cup at American Lake in Tacoma on Saturday. The Cougs will be fielding a full Novice Men’s and Lightweight Women’s team, along side the Men’s Varsity JV8+ representing the V8+ event. After the Men’s V8+ race, the Varsity Men will be splitting into 2 V4+s to race against tough competition from Western Washington University, University of Puget Sound, and Pacific Lutheran University.
The Cougar V8+ and Men’s Ltwt8+ will not be competing at the regatta, since they will be traveling to the San Diego Crew Classic next weekend.
The Cougs have done very well at this regatta in recent years, and the team is excited to field such competitive lineups. Every Cougar rower has been working extremely hard through the winter, and all are anticipating this weekend’s kickoff of Spring racing. The Novice groups are especially excited, as this will be their first taste of a competitive 2K race.
Race Schedule & Directions
Thank you to all that attended Cougar Crew Days 2011! What an awesome time spent reconnecting with alumni, family, and friends of Cougar Crew.
A comprehensive recap is forthcoming, but in the mean time take a look at the hundreds of photos and videos of the weekend's activites, including: Class Day Races, 3 boat christenings, Ken Abbey Shell House plaque dedication, alumni races, and more!
Photos:
Class Day Races (Fri)
Saturday events at the river (boat christenings, plaque dedication, alumni races)
Video:
Youtube channel
See the Cougar Crew Days 2011 playlist on the right-hand side. There are videos of the plaque dedication, boat christenings, alumni races, and the banquet video.
Big thanks to the Martins and Wahlberg for providing the photos and video from the events.
Attention all Cougar Crew alumni, family, and friends! Mark your calendars for Cougar Crew Days 2011, March 18 and 19.
Click here for more information about the weekend. Don't forget to RSVP so the planning committee can expect your attendance.
The 2011 Winter edition of the Pull Hard Newsletter has been released!
Below you will find an article written by Jaimeson's teammates Joe Sudar, Evan Egerstrom, and Brittany Darnell.
When Jaimeson first joined the team some of us may have discounted him. We old novice who had seen people twice his size give up after a few weeks couldn’t believe that someone of his stature could make it through our workouts. From the very first practice, however, he began to exhibit endurance and spirit that all of us should be jealous of.
Our Coach’s philosophy is that everyone who puts in the effort, regardless of speed, should get a chance to race. As the new novice crumbled away under Julia’s onslaught of duck walks, bear crawls, and things too terrible to be given animal names, the people who were willing to make that effort emerged into the 2009 spring season. Jaimeson was among them. Though he found it difficult to put down the same erg scores as some of the heavier men, no one was surprised when he led the pack in pure endurance workouts or questioned whether or not he was pulling with all his heart.
While it’s fun to talk about spirit, demonstrating it is another thing entirely. During their first race at the 2009 Daffodil Cup, Jaimeson’s four endured the worst weather of the regatta, with wind, torrential rain, snow, and interfering ducks. When a parent asked Coach Jules what would constitute a good race for the four, she responded “if they don’t roll it.” Despite opposition that would sour the attitudes of most crews, Jaimeson kept a positive outlook and constantly reminded his boatmates that it could be worse.
On May 31st, 2009, Coach Jules sent out an email that shook us all. Jaimeson, who had already beaten cancer once, was again diagnosed and in need of treatment. The truly incredible part of this is how Jaimeson communicated this fact to Julia: he didn’t ask for visitors, he didn’t want donations, he just wanted her to know why he might “not be in great shape come fall.” Julia couldn’t have followed this comment better than when she said “he is such a badass.”
Though he wasn’t able to attend the Fall 2009 academic year at WSU, Jaimeson never left the Men’s Crew team for a minute. If he wasn’t present in our thoughts and well wishes, he was asking how the races and practices were going, chatting with us on Facebook, and visiting when he was able. One of the dearest moments for many of us was his surprise appearance during an ultimate Frisbee game, which promptly stopped so that everyone could run over and join his group hug.
At the 2010 Daffodil cup Jaimeson appeared to cheer on his teammates. Looking out over the calm, peaceful day with the sun shining above, he simply shook his head and wondered aloud where this weather had been a year ago. Between rigging boats and getting psychologically prepared for the race, everyone took a moment to share a laugh at his humorous take on the memories of last year’s competition.
Jaimeson will never leave the WSU Men’s Crew team. He remains as a source of inspiration and proof that you can always give more if you care enough. One of his quotes that many of grudgingly admit to as we break personal records on the ergs is “you’ll pass out before you die.” The message is clear: never be afraid of giving your all.
This year, the winter clothing catalog is completely electronic! Click here to view the catalog!
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Varsity 8+ racing through the Montlake Cut |
The JV8+ took 3rd in the Collegiate JV8+ event, which was won by Gonzaga’s JV8+. The WSU JV8+ passed several of the V8+ crews on the course on front of it, and finished in a time of 17:48.95. Last year, the WSU JV8+ came in 5th in the same event. "The members of both Cougar Crew lineups represented WSU to the best of their abilities," remarked Head Coach Arthur Ericsson. "Different people were given the opportunity to step up, and this will give us more depth to pull from into the spring."
Photos
Complete Results
The weather could not have been more perfect as the WSU Cougars took on the WWU Vikings in their third annual Fall Dual. Washington State won the points trophy with their 4/5 victories over the Vikings in the 4,000 meter course, with the one loss being in the Varsity 4+ event.
The Varsity 8 event showed to be the beginning of a good day for the Cougs, gaining a boat length at the start of the race and holding off the competition. The Cougs pumped up the intensity towards the end and finished with a time of 13:54.7, over the Vikings 14:05.5.
The Novice events were a great way to end their first Fall season, with victories of ample margins in both the Novice A and B events. “Everyone had fun and fair races. The relationship between the two teams is a friendly rivalry” said WSU Novice Coach Julia Gamache.
The Cougs are excited to defend their title next year when the Dual will be held in Bellingham, WA.
Results
As half of the varsity and the entire novice squad are holding down the fort against WWU in the Western Dual, the Cougar V8+ and JV8+ will be competing at the annual Head of the Lake regatta, a prestigious event held by the University of Washington, where it has grown to become one of the largest fall regattas on the west coast.
The V8+, after falling twice to Gonzaga this fall, are looking for a new spark after some lineup changes this week, and they seek to put back time into the quick GU V8+ boat, and also put on a strong showing against the other crews racing in their event. 5 UW 8+s highlight the entries, but Lewis and Clark, Pacific Lutheran University, Evergreen, and U of O, along with GU, are all entered in the Men’s Collegiate/Open 8+.
The JV8+ is competing against a much smaller field, and will take on Gonzaga and Oregon State University for top honors in the Men’s Collegiate JV8+ event. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson is optimistic about the JV8+ speed, saying “The lineups have shuffled. The JV8 has been particularly fast this week. I hope both crews can put their fastest 5k together on Sunday.”
Directions and the Race Schedule can be found here. Racing begins at 8am.
While the 1V and 2V 8+s will be in Seattle for the Head of the Lake regatta, the remaining varsity and novice squads will compete in the third annual Western Washington fall regatta, which will take place this year on the Snake River.
After being beaten by Gonzaga on the previous two weekends, the 3V8+ and 3 4+s from the varsity squad are out for blood against WWU’s V8+ and 2 V4+s. In a unique opportunity for the fall, racing will occur in lanes, with crews racing both each other and the clock as they line up and start even for these pieces. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson is excited for the regatta, saying "With our top two boats in Seattle, it will be up to our 3rd varsity 8 to try to hold off Western's top 8. At times they have been absolutely flying so they have the potential. This will be a very challenging and empowering opportunity."
The Cougar Novice are also looking for their first victories of the season, as they take on two WWU N8+s. The Cougars have been making big strides on the water, and are eager for the second chance to defend their home turf. The WSU novice will race 3 8+s and a NLtwt4+.
Schedule:
9:00(am): WSU 1V8, WWU 1V8, WSU 3N8
10:30: WSU 1N8, WWU 1N8, WSU 2N8, WWU 2N8
10:31: WSU A4, WWU A4, WSU VL4, WWU B4, WSU B4, WSU Nl4
At the Cougar’s annual fall regatta on the Snake River, Gonzaga University repeated their sweep from last weekend’s Head of the Spokane, beating WSU in every boat category. The Cougs, however, managed to close the margins slightly, hopefully pointing into an upward trend that will continue through next weekend’s Head of the Lake and Western Dual regattas.
The WSU V8+ finished 20 seconds behind the GU V8+, coming in at 16:35 to the ‘Zags’ 16:15, a 6 second improvement over last week’s race. The JV8+ cut 3 seconds out of their margin, falling to Gonzaga 16:39-17:11. GU’s 3V8+ came through the line in 17:24, ahead of WSU’s 17:52, a 7 second improvement from last weekend. The closest race over the weekend came in the V4+ race, where the Cougs lost a barnburner 18:54.6-18:54.9. The crew of senior Jimmy Johnson, sophomore Chris Kimball, sophomore Orion McCabe, sophomore Rob Link, and junior Kaaren Harvey were only .3 seconds away from being the only men’s crew to beat the ‘Zags so far this fall. Head Coach Arthur Ericsson believes that, “Though each of our boats was unable to hold off their competition, in just six days’ time every varsity boat closed the gap. We had the right mindset this week and we will build on this day by day.”
On the Novice team, the 1N8+ fell to GU’s 1N8+ 17:24-18:14, with the 2N8+, 3N8+, and NLtwt4+ also falling in their races. Like the varsity crews, though, each boat showed improvement relative to last week, and in next week’s race against WWU the Cougs look to emerge with their first collegiate victories.
The Women’s lightweight team’s V8+ finished the course in 21:49, with their strong novice boat coming in only a second later in 21:50.
Next weekend, the V8+ and JV8+ are heading off to the Head of the Lake in Seattle, where they will race along through the Cut against the likes of Gonzaga, UW, Oregon State, and several other crews. The 3V8+, V4+, and all novice crews will be racing in the annual WWU Dual regatta that will, this year, be taking place on the Snake River.
Here are the results for the 2010 Head of the Snake regatta.
After falling to Gonzaga University in all boat classes last weekend, WSU Crew looks to reload and make up ground in on the home course, the Snake River. The Head of the Snake regatta is an annual head race that runs along the picturesque cliffs of the Snake River canyon, and takes place between WSU and GU. Racing starts at 3 pm on Friday, October 29th.
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The WSU V8+, with seniors Mark Hoffman, Alan Scott, James Dorsey, Paul Ehlers, and Nichole Martin, look to regain some ground on a fast GU Crew |
After equipment breakage spoiled their collegiate racing debut, the 1N8+ and the rest of the Cougar Novice team are ready to put up a fight against GU’s novice team. The WSU Novice are also racing a 2N8+, 3N8+, and NLtwt4+.
The lightweight women, in their second year as a program, also are racing in Head of the Snake. Last week’s boats dealt with timing errors, so the lightweight women are eager to come out and show their home town what they’ve got. The Lightweight Women are racing a Varsity 8+ and a Novice 8+.
Schedule:
3:00: WSU MV8, GU MV8, WSU M2V8, GU M2V8, WSU M3V8, GU M3V8, WSU M1N8, GU M1N8, WSU M2N8, GU M2N8, WSU M3N8
4:30: WSU MV4, GU MV4, WSU MNLt4
4:45: WSU WLt8, GU W4N8, WSU WNlt8
In WSU’s first regatta of the year, Gonzaga University put on a show of depth and beat the Cougs in all boat classifications. Dreary weather and cold temperatures put an unpleasant spin on the regatta for the Cougs, which was unfortunately not alleviated by the day’s racing. The GU V8+ time of 15:25 set a course record for the Head of the Spokane, with the WSU V8+ coming in 26 seconds later with a time of 15:51. The GU JV8+ came in 35 seconds ahead of the WSU JV8+, who finished in 16:26, one second ahead of the GU 3V8+. WSU’s 3V8+ and 4V8+ finished in 17:02 and 17:21, respectively. While the Cougs didn’t come out victorious on the day, the V8+ and the JV8+ both improved on their times from last year. The V8+’s sub-16 minute time is the fastest for WSU in at least 4 years.
"The 2V, 3V and 4V eights were all pretty satisfied with their races," noted Head Coach Arthur Ericsson, "but unfortunately for the 1V they played it conservative with lack luster results to show for it. The gap in their performance is mostly of the mind, not body; we need to be of one mind."
In the first collegiate race for the WSU novice class, an unfortunate equipment breakage put a damper on the otherwise solid 1N8+ race, slowing them to a 19:10. The 2N8+ came in at 18:36, while the 3N8+ and N4+ finished in 22:38 and 23:12.
The lightweight women’s team had their second regatta of the fall, highlighted by a strong race by the 1WLN8+. A timing error resulted in an improper time being given to their boat, but they definitely showed a lot of speed. The 1WLV8+ finished in 21:15.
The Cougs are looking forward to the Head of the Snake regatta, where they are going to defend their home turf in a rematch against the GU bulldogs.
Results:
Varsity 8+: GU1V 15:25, WSU1V 15:51, GU2V 15:51, WSU2V 16:26, GU3V 16:27, GU4V 16:59, WSU3V 17:02, WSU4V 17:21
Novice 8+: GU1N 16:56, GU2N 17:41, GU3N 17:41, WSU2N 18:36, GU4N 18:55, WSU1N 19:10, WSU3N 22:38
Novice LWT 4+: WSU 23:12
Women's LWT V8+: WSU 21:15
Women's Nov. LWT 8+: WSU 16:26
Click here for complete results!
Photos
After one of the most successful spring seasons in WSU Crew history, Fall racing season will officially begin for the Cougs this Saturday. The annual Head of the Spokane, a dual regatta held against perennial rivals Gonzaga University, begins at 9 a.m. and will be on the Spokane River.
The WSU V8+, a boat returning 4 members from the WIRA-champion crew last spring, are looking to take down GU for the first time in many years on their home course. Last fall, the WSU V8+ beat the GU V8+ in 2 of 3 meetings in the head race season, but fell by only 4 seconds in their first meeting. WSU will field four Varsity 8+s against the ‘zags, including a JV 8+ that is returning several members of the Fawley Cup-winning crew of last spring. "This is the largest varsity roster we've had in decades," commented Head Coach Arthur Ericsson. "Each boat will be trying to exceed internal expectations. And we'll have to because we can all expect Gonzaga to be deep and fast."
The Cougar Novice are eager to test their mettle in their first regatta as collegiate rowers, and seek to put up a strong showing in what will by the first rowing race for nearly all of these athletes! The Novice have been having some excellent practices and are showing a lot of potential. The WSU Novice are racing three 8+s and a 4+.
The lightweight women, in their second year as a program, also are racing in the regatta. They are eager to repeat the successes they had in their first regatta, a dual regatta with Willamette, highlighted by convincing, multi-minute victories by the WSU novice 8+. The Lightweight Women are racing a Varsity 8+ and a Novice 8+.
Directions to the race course can be found here.
Schedule of Events
9:00: GU MV8, WSU MV8, GU M2V8, WSU M2V8, GU M3V8, WSUM3V8, GU MN8A, WSU MN8A, GU MN8B, WSU MN8B
9:30: GU WV8, WSU WV8, GU W2V8, WSU W2V8, WSU W3V8, GU WN8, WSU WN8, GU W2N8, WSU WVlwt8
10:30: GU M4V8, WSU M4V8, GU MN8C, WSU MN8C
11:00: GU W3V8, WSU W4V8, GU W3N8, WSU W2N8, GU W4N8, WSU Nlwt8
The Lightweight Women's team traveled to Salem, OR on Saturday, October 16th, to race Willamette on the Willamette River.
The Cougs competed in the the Varsity 4+ and Novice 8+ events. Click here for results!
Thank you to all of the Dads that joined us down on the water for the 2010 Dad's Row! Tons of photos have been posted.
The Lightweight Women's team will be traveling to Salem this weekend to race Willamette in the Governor's Cup Regatta. Racing begins at 8 a.m. on the Willamette River.
Article
The Head of the Snake regatta against Gonzaga University has been changed to Friday, October 29th. The first race will begin at 3 PM at Wawawai Landing.
2010-2011 Racing Schedule
The first installment of the 2010-11 Pull Hard Newsletter has been released! To view or download the newsletter, please visit the Pull Hard Archives. For the second year now, the newsletter will be published in electronic form. The document is saved in .pdf format and can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
After a season of historic highs, the WSU Men’s Crew team caps it all off with a bronze medal at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championships in the V8+.
The WSU V8+ had quite the journey this year, starting with beating rivals Gonzaga University 2 of 3 times in the fall head race season, capturing the Gonzaga Erg Dual title, a highest-ever 3rd place finish in the Cal Cup of the San Diego Crew Classic, and WSU’s first ever V8+ Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) title. Not to say that the season was without its lows: in the annual Fawley Cup regatta, a dual with Gonzaga University, the WSU V8+ lost a heartbreaker by 1.1 seconds. One could really see the anguish in the 9 athletes of that boat as they paddled back in to the breakwater. However, with a renewed sense of purpose, the V8+ resumed their training and came back with a vengeance at WIRAs, taking home the title and beating 4th place GU by 4 seconds.
This year was the first In Cougar Crew history that the team sent a varsity 8+ to the National Championships – in every other year in the history of the crew, WSU had sent small boats to IRAs or ACRAs, excepting last year’s 2nd place N8+.
Looking to do well against an extremely deep and fast field, WSU came in as the number 2 seed overall, after steadily moving up in the rankings from their pre-season position of 7. A relatively poor performance in the heat led to a second place finish, 2.5 seconds behind Bucknell. In the afternoon semifinals, the Cougar V8+ was matched up with no. 1 seeded Michigan, Grand Valley State, who had beaten the Cougars earlier in the season at the San Diego Crew Classic, and WIRA rivals UC-Davis. A fairly strong race lead to the Cougars finishing second, 3 seconds behind Michigan- good enough to qualify for Sunday’s Grand Finals. Unfortunately, extremely high winds picked up on Sunday and it looked, for several tense hours, like the entire regatta was going to have to be called off. However, after the water calmed down enough to be rowable, the Cougars headed out for their season finale. Lined up against Bucknell, Michigan, Virginia, Michigan State, and Grand Valley State, the Cougars looked to place well in the extremely fast field. Crossing the 1000 meter mark, Michigan and Bucknell were dueling for first place, while the Cougars, a length down, were trying to hold off a charging Virginia crew. Coming in to the sprint, the Cougs poured everything that had and fought through the stiff wind to finish in 3rd place with a time of 6:34.5, 6 seconds behind first place Michigan and 4 seconds behind second place Bucknell.
This result again firmly cements the Cougars as the fastest club team west of the Mississippi, and with only 3 seniors graduating from this 8+, next year looks promising as well.
The JV8+ finished 6th at ACRAs, after a disappointing last race. The crew, comprised of 5 lightweights, was heavily blown around by the wind in unprotected lane 7 and never got in to a rhythm, being beaten by such crews as UC-Davis, whom they had beaten at WIRAs. Despite this, the JV8+ also had a historic season: they took home the Fawley Cup in the JV8+ event for the first time in Cougar Crew history, and were also the first JV8+ from WSU to make it on to the podium at WIRAs, where they struck bronze. They were also, at one point, ranked No. 1 in WIRA and No. 2 in ACRA.
The N8+ capped their season with a 9th place finish -, with a 3rd place finish in the B final of the N8+ event at ACRAs. They came in just over 2 seconds behind Grand Valley State and 6 seconds behind the winner of the B final, Bucknell. Michigan won the Grand Finals of the N8+ event.
Looking to put a capstone on a historically successful season, the WSU Cougar Crew team is looking to put on a strong showing at the ACRA National Championships. The American Collegiate Rowing Association is composed of only club teams, and WSU is set to prove themselves as one of the top club teams in the nation.
Having already established themselves as the fastest club boat on the west coast, the V8+ are seeded second and out to take on the likes of Michigan, Virginia, Bucknell, Grand Valley State, Notre Dame, and WIRA-conference rivals UC-Davis. The V8+ will race in heats and semifinals on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday.
The JV8+, also seeded second, are out to defend their place as top club JV boat in WIRA as they are looking to further cement their historic, Fawley Cup winning season even further. The JV races in their heats on Saturday and their finals on Sunday.
The N8+, an event where the Cougars took 2nd last year behind Michigan, have upped their speed to another level in the weeks since WIRAs and look to improve on the 9th place seeding. They race in heats and semis on Saturday and finals on Sunday.
Click here for the schedule
Click here for live video of the races!
Note: all race times are given in Central time! This is 2 hours ahead of the Pacific time we are used to!
After the most successful WIRAs in WSU history, Cougar Crew look to keep their momentum through to ACRA National Championships with a strong showing in Sacramento at the Pac-10s and the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships (PCRCs).
The 2-, comprised of Jimmy Johnson and Jake Logar, are competing on Saturday at the PCRCs. The Cougar pair won the event last year, and Jimmy was one half of the pair that qualified for the grand finals at WIRAs two weeks ago.
The V8+, JV8+, and 1N8+ are entered in to the Pac-10 championships that are occurring on Sunday. Looking to improve on their 7th place finish of last year, the Cougar V8+ are seeded 5th, the highest ranking for a club team in the conference. Having finished only 3.5 seconds behind Oregon State's time at the annual UW dual, the WIRA Champion WSU V8+ will seek to beat OSU for the first time in many years.
The JV8+ is the only club team entered in the event at this year's Pac-10s, and they also look to put out a strong showing in preparation for ACRAs.
The 1N8+ is coming off of a stunning upset last year at Pac-10s, where the 1N8+ at the time beat OSU to take 4th place, coming in less than 2 seconds behind Stanford's 1N8+, and are trying to repeat their success this year.
Schedule
Live video feed
In recognition for their huge win in the WIRA Grand Finals last weekend, the Men's Varsity 8+ was voted Crew of the Week on row2k.com! A big thank you goes out to all of the Coug fans out there that voted!
For the first time in Cougar History, the WSU V8+ won the WIRA Championships, taking first with a time of 6:13.0. The V8+ beat out the University of California – Davis’ 6:14.2, and University of California – Santa Clara’s 6:16.9, Orange Coast College, rival Gonzaga University, and the University of California – San Diego in the Grand Finals.
Battling through a tough, crossing wind, the Cougs were bowball to bowball with Davis coming through the 1000m mark, with several seats punched out the trailing crews of GU and UCSD. Coming in to the 500m mark, the Cougs were a few seats down on Davis, and used a strong sprint to pull out to a several seat lead and a 1.2 second victory. The Cougs also won their heat, again beating UC-Davis and turning in the second fastest time of the day, behind UC-San Diego. This victory was truly a historic moment of WSU Cougar Crew, which has never won an 8+ event at WIRAs. Coming from their 11th place finish last year, this turn-around bodes very well for the upcoming Pac-10 and ACRA Championships.
The Cougar JV8+ also collected a bronze medal, another record moment for the Cougs. The Cougars have never even made the grand final in the JV8+ event before at WIRAs, let alone sit upon the podium! The winning crew, UC-San Diego, turned in a time of 6:36.6, beating out GU by .2 seconds, and WSU’s 6:41.1 by nearly 5 seconds. The strong winds definitely hurt the Cougar JV8+, as they are composed of 5 lightweights and are therefore much more susceptible to getting blown around. The WSU JV8+ also turned in the second fastest time of the day in the heats, cruising to an easy 6:17.3.
In an interesting turn of events, the WSU Lightweight 8+ also collected gold medals and won their first ever WIRA trophy. Initially, the Cal Lightweights managed to beat out the Cougs by several seconds, but the Cal Lightweight team was disqualified for violating regatta rules.
The WSU 2- also made the grand finals, marking the third straight year the Cougs have gotten to the grand finals in that event. They finished 6th overall, behind eventual winner Loyola Marymount University.
The Novices also had a successful outing, with the 1N8+ qualifying for the grand finals with a furious sprint to beat out UC-Irvine. This also was the second straight year the 1N8+ has made it to the grand finals. They eventually finished 6th behind Orange Coast, the eventual winners.
The 2N8+ and 3N8+ also raced in the 2N8+ event, with the 2N8+ collecting silver medals and improving on the 3rd place finish that the Cougars achieved last year in that event. They finished with a 6:53.0 to Orange Coast’s 6:45.0. The 3N8+ finished 4th.
And in a historic moment for WSU Cougar Crew, the inaugural Lightweight Women’s team took home 3rd place medals in the Novice Lightweight 4+ event, the first ever medal for the Lightweight Women’s team! They also finished 5th in the open weight novice 4+ heat, and the women’s novice lightweight 8+, racing in the varsity lightweight 8+ event, finished 7th, with Stanford’s women taking home the gold.
In a dramatic show of depth and force, the Cougars dominated the WIRA championships, and this was truly reflected in their taking of the Overall Team Points trophy, another first for the WSU Crew team. Although WSU Men’s Crew is a club program – and although they must fundraise more than 90% of their budget of $200,000 – they beat out Varsity programs, with full support of their athletic departments, such as Gonzaga University, UC-San Diego, University of San Diego, and Orange Coast College.
With the Pac-10 championships in two weeks, the Cougs look to take out USC and UCLA, and upset varsity programs such as OSU and Stanford. Following Pac-10s, the Cougs travel to the ACRA National Championships, where they are sending the V8+, JV8+, and 1N8+. The Cougs, who were ranked 7th in the V8+ prior to this week, look to move up in the polls after beating third ranked UC-Davis and 9th ranked Orange Coast College.
Coach Arthur Ericsson is extremely excited for his teams, saying, “We are so proud on two fronts. First, we won the premier Varsity 8+ event, and we are equally excited to have captured the Team Points trophy, showing the depth of our varsity, novice, and lightweight teams. The V8+ victory reflects the hard work over the past year, with 5 guys sticking it out from last year’s lineup [that took 11th], boosted by 3 second year rowers, to complete the formidable lineup.”
Friday/Saturday Photos
Sunday Photos
Video
rowingrelated.com
Daily Evergreen - Jaimeson Jones Link
Daily Evergreen - Head of the Spokane Link
WSU Today piece on Palouse Rowing Link
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