Andy Hobbs the Common Denominator? Appears so!

(many thanks to Ken Hutton for passing along this information)

SU Alums continue to tear up the Masters circuit and Andy Hobbs (pictured on the left in this photo), rowing for Wilmington Rowing Club, looks to be having a very good summer. Andy, always the gentleman, gave major props to other competing SU alums in his report:

"I nipped fellow SU Alum, Rich Lewis (pictured on the right in this photo), in the D1x final by about a second; he’s fast, I just had the better lane!! Joe Peter coxed about 50 races and must have had a bunch of medals. Also fellow SU alum Bob Price and I went head-to-head in the stroke seats in the C 8+ final. His Potomac boat was big and fast and took the gold beating us by about 2 seconds; my WRC boat took the silver."

Check out Andy's impressive record at Masters Nationals:

Gold

Men’s D 1x (Andy Hobbs)

In an event with 20 boats, Andy had to survive heats, semi-finals and a final in those difficult conditions. In the final, he sprinted through three of his fellow competitors after the halfway mark to register the win.

Silver

Men’s Club C 8+ (Amy Evans, Andy Hobbs, Steve Rosenberg, Matt Iacone, Brian Venti, John Williams, Mark Peters, Fred Mraz, Rush Fisher)

WRC and Potomac easily separated themselves from the rest of the group. Potomac loaded their boat with members of the open-age boat which had made it to the semi-finals of the British Henley this year, along with their usual collection of former pre-elite level masters rowers. WRC gave them all they could handle, but in the end, Potomac had a little too much.

Mixed C 8+ (Amy Evans, Cassandra Plas, Marie Peters, Andy Hobbs, Brian Venti, Matt Iacone, Mark Peters, Maggie Brokaw, Kris Benarcik)

Another exciting race. WRC won their heat over the defending champions from Greater Columbus. In the finals, GCRA got out to an early lead and WRC spent the rest of the race gaining on them, before simply running out of water.

Men’s Club D 4x (Andy Hobbs, Doug Green, Brooks Reinhard, Mark Peters)

One of the surprises of the regatta, as the WRC group was thrown together and had minimal expectations. However, WRC led off the start and was still tied for the lead going into the sprint before a better polished University Barge boat was able to sneak past them.

Bronze

Men’s Club C 4+ (Amy Evans, Andy Hobbs, Brian Venti, Matt Iacone, Mark Peters)

Another thrown-together boat which had a surprisingly strong result in one of the best finishes of the regatta. Only the first three boats were all within 1.7s of each other and WRC was only 0.06s out of second. WRC was closing down hard on the two leaders at the end, but just ran out of time.


The USRowing Masters National Championship Regatta took place from August 12 through 15 on the Cooper River race course in Camden, NJ. This is the second consecutive year that it has taken place there.

For those who haven’t experienced it, Masters Nationals takes place over four days and brings in the top masters racers from all around the country, crowning national champions in all age classes of all boat types. It is an excellent way to measure individuals, boats and programs against the fastest in the country in sprint racing.

This year, in addition to the competition, things were made even more challenging by a nasty head/cross-wind which exceeded 20 MPH on all four days and made alignment, rowing and steering very difficult.

Nice job all around for the SU Alums.

Gennaro and Stangel Continue On....

Thanks to SU Athletics for this story....

Current Syracuse University men’s rower Mike Gennaro continues to build an impressive rowing resume. The senior is currently rowing with the U.S. National Team at Hans Cup, an exhibition event in Germany. Gennaro won a silver medal with the Under 23 U.S. Men’s Eight National Team earlier this summer at the 2010 Under 23 World Championships. He also took home a silver in the straight four at the 2009 Under 23 World Championships.

Former Syracuse University men’s rower Justin Stangel ’07 was invited to the prestigious U.S. Rowing National Selection camp for the open eight and the straight. Stangel earned the invite after his performance in last weekend’s U.S. National Selection Regatta.

The Madison, Wis. native placed third in the final of the men’s pair as part of one of the Oklahoma City Training Center crews. Stangel and his partner, Tom Peszek, finished with a time of 06:39.244.

Women's 2010 Fall Schedule Announced

The SU Women will be on the road a bit this fall. If you live near one of the race sites, go check them out!

October 16 - Head of the Genesee (Rochester, NY)
October 31 - Princeton Chase (Princeton, NJ)
November 6 - Syracuse Invitational (Syracuse, NY)
November 13 - Foot of the Charles (Boston, MA)

Ted Kakas - 2010 Letter Winner of Distinction

Congratulations to Edward (Ted) Kakas - Class of 1964 (pictured on the left at the 2010 IRA regatta with Jim Edmonds - class of 1959 (right).

Ted will be honored as a SU Letter Winner of Distinction 2010. Ceremony and Festivities will be Friday, September 24 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Verona New York.

For more information on this event, contact Kathy Rainone at 315-884-4444 or email sfc@centralny.twcbc.com,

Backsplash Items Needed

John Nicholson, Editor of the Orange Oar, is putting together the Fall 2010 edition of our favorite rowing newsletter and is looking for Backsplash items.

“Backsplash” notices are short updates (sometimes including a photograph) of what you’ve been up to: job changes, moves, family vacations, weddings, new babies, pictures of your kids, news about you or other alums that you’ve seen or stay in touch with… that sort of thing.

Please take a minute to let us know your latest! PLEASE make sure to include your graduation year as well as identification of who is in your digital photograph (if you are sending one along with your news).

Send to Orange Oar Editor John Nicholson at jsnich@gmail.com. It would be great if we could have these all in by September 10.

National Team Selection Results for SU Alums

Anna Goodale and Ali Cox = A Final of Women's 2- (4th place finish)

Justin Stangel and Tom Peszek = A Final of Men's 2- (3rd place finish)

Martin Etem and Pat Close = B final of Men's 2x (1st place finish)

Nicely done.

SU Alums Competing at National Team Selection this Weekend

Three SU Alums will be racing tomorrow morning at Mercer Lake (West Winsor, NJ) for a shot on the USA National Team.

This National Selection Regatta (#3) serves as a step toward qualifying for the U.S. National Team Selection Camp, from which the "big boats" (men's 8+, women's 8+, women's 4x, men's 4x, men's 4-) will be selected for the 2010 World Rowing Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand.

Tomorrow's schedule is as follows:

Women's 2- (A Final) - 7:16 a.m.

Anna Goodale will race with Ali Cox.

Men's 2- (A Final) - 7:24 a.m.

Justin Stangel (pictured above) will race with Tom Peszek.

Men's 2x (B Final) - 7:40 a.m.

Martin Etem will race with Pat Close (pictured below).

Go Anna, Go Justin, Go Martin!

Results to follow tomorrow.

Fall Rowing Alumni Weekend Lodging Info.

Alums and friends planning on coming to Syracuse for Rowing Alumni Weekend (November 5 - 7) should book their rooms now. With a home football game on the schedule, plus numerous other events in town this weekend, available rooms are going quickly.

SARA has blocked off 20 rooms at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in East Syracuse for this weekend. The rate is $129/night. When you call, please mention that this room block is reserved under "Syracuse Alumni Rowing".

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
5908 Widewaters Parkway
East Syracuse, NY 13057
315-373-0123

See you in November!

New Assistant Coach for SU Men

Head Coach Dave Reischman has a new assistant. Shawn Bagnall takes over as freshman coach and recruiting coordinator, succeeding Dave Weiss in the position. Bagnall (right) has spent the past seven years with the crew program at Gonzaga, Reischman's alma mater.

Story from suathletics.com here

Reischman Recuperating

Meanwhile Coach Reischman is back at his boathouse quarters recuperating after surgery for injuries hs suffered in a bicycle accident while coaching in Belarus several week ago.

Andrea Buch Joins SU Women's Coaching Staff

photo and story courtesy of SU Athletics

Syracuse University head women's rowing coach Justin Moore announced that Andrea Buch, U.S. Rowing Junior Nationals head coach, will join the Orange's all-star staff for the 2010-11 season. Current assistant Alicea Kochis will also remain on the staff.

“I feel Syracuse women's rowing has a tremendous one-two punch in our assistant coaching staff. I am extremely excited to work with this staff during the 2010-11 season.” Moore said. “Andrea is a highly organized and energetic coach who is already a proven recruiter, both nationally and internationally. Working with her within the junior national system - Andrea oversaw the under-15 component of the U.S. Junior system this past summer - convinced me that Andrea has all the necessary talents to help create a program that competes at the highest levels nationally.”

Buch comes to Syracuse after serving as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisville for the past three seasons. She was also the head coach of the Cardinals' novice program. While at Louisville, Buch was named the 2009 South Region Assistant Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA).

During the 2007-08 season, Buch served as the assistant novice coach at Louisville. She led the novice squad to its highest finish in program history as runners up in the BIG EAST 8+ and 4+ events.

“I am excited to work with Coach Moore, who is one of the best coaches the county,” Buch said. “I look forward to helping bring Syracuse back to a position of prominence in the BIG EAST as well as nationally. Syracuse rowing has a lot of history and tradition and I cannot wait to be part of the Orange family.”

For the past two summers (2009 & 2010), Buch has been the head coach for the U.S. Rowing Junior National Team Development Camp in New London, Conn. Following camp in 2009, she coached the CanAmMex junior women's 4x to a bronze medal finish at the U.S. Club Nationals in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In 2010, she acted as the CanAmMex Regatta coordinator, where she worked closely with the United States, Canadian and Mexican teams.

Prior to Louisville, Buch coached at East Lyme High School and the Thames River Sculls in Conn., in 2007. In 2004, she was the head coach at Lyme-Old Lyme High School where she coached the gold medalist crews in the Boys and Girls 2x events at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta.

Buch began her coaching career in 1996 working with the Old Lyme Rowing Association. From 1998-2003, she coached both sweep and sculling to the high performance juniors program at Blood Street Sculls in Old Lyme, Conn.

As a former four-year rower at the University of Kansas, Buch excelled both as an athlete and in the classroom.
She competed for the top 25-ranked Jayhawks from 1998-2002, where she captained the team during her senior season.

Buch graduated with honors from KU in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in geography. She was named a Jayhawk Scholar Athlete and was named to the Big XII Commissioners Honor Roll each year at Kansas. Buch went on to receive her master's degree in geography from the University of Otago in New Zealand in 2006.

A part of one of the most successful eras in Orange rowing history, Kochis returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach in 2007. Kochis rowed for the Orange from 1998-2002 and helped SU earn three NCAA Championship berths. She was named the CRCA Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009.

“Alicea has proven herself to be an indefatigable worker with a tremendous grasp of the university and the women's rowing program through her association as an oarswoman and assistant coach,” Moore said. “Her love and knowledge of the university, combined with her desire to create a successful team, puts her in a unique place from which to teach current students and educate prospective students about all that Syracuse has to offer. I look forward to working with and learning from her.”

Coach Moore's Crews Bring Home The Hardware

photo and story courtesy of SU Athletics.

Syracuse University Athletics - Moore Makes History

Coach Moore Recaps Day One in Racice

photo and story courtesy of SU Athletics:

With day one in the complete, United State Junior Women’s National coach and new Syracuse University head women’s rowing coach Justin Moore gives fans, alumni and friends an inside look at how the American women performed during the first day of the 2010 Junior World Championships in the Czech Republic.

Day one is in the books, and while it did not involve an American sweep on the women's side, the coaching staff is very encouraged by today's results. We feel that today went "as our training and observation of other crews would have predicted.” Here is a brief rundown of the women's sweep results:

Women's Pair – This crew is becoming the "feel good" story of the regatta. The pair was training well in Princeton and progressed tremendously through the final and hardest week of training. In a freak accident that involved skipping, our 15 year old bow-woman chipped a bone in her knee and was unable to row. She had to surrender her seat so that her partner could row the event. Two days prior to departure we rowed the pair with the sculling spare in the bow seat and the boat went reasonably well. Never having gone 2K together, the women worked diligently here in Racice and today saw the fruits of their efforts. They raced very well and showed themselves to be competitive within the event, besting Hungary the entire distance and rowing through Bulgaria in the final strokes of the heat. Tomorrow they race in the rep., looking to make the A final. Given that they have now raced over 2,000m together, we are optimistic that they can improve upon today's performance and become even more competitive.

Women's 4 – We knew that today's heat would be challenging. In training the Kiwis looked to be a very strong crew and did not disappoint today. The U.S. was able to establish a lead in the first 750 meters, but the New Zealanders rowed a very strong base rhythm in the middle two 500s of the race course, (1:49.9 and 1:49.4) and arrived at the 1,500 meter mark 1.5 seconds ahead. We made the decision to maintain the second position and race the reps tomorrow. New Zealand finished the day at 7:12.48 and the U.S. finished in 7:15.98. In the second heat, Australia led for 1,750 meters, before the Germans unleashed a tremendously fast final 500 meters (1:46.5). The Germans caught and passed the Aussies in the final 200 meters, both sprinting full on. Their finishing times were Germany 7:11.40 and Australia 7:14.97. So we finish the day with the 4th fasted time - a bit of an uneasy position, given that there are only three medals to be had - but we take heart in the fact that we would have been ahead of both Australia and Germany entering the final 500m of the races (if the splits are to be believed). Our time to the 1,500 was 5:22.21; Australia was 5:23.3 and Germany was 5:24.89. This is EXACTLY the kind of racing we went looking for when we decided to have a go at the 4- this year. We knew that it would not be easy, but we are all very excited to be competing for medals with the top crews from fine rowing nations such as New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

Women's 8+ - Today's cross headwind conditions suited our team just fine. In training we had identified four crews as potential medal winners - USA, Great Britain, Germany and Romania. The two heats pitted the U.S. against Romania in Heat 1 and G.B. versus the Germans in heat 2. Great Britain showed the best early speed, posting a 1:35.4 to the first 500 in a firm swirling cross-head wind. Germany posted the second fastest 500 at 1:36.5, the U.S. ran a 1:36.96 and Romania was 1:39.1. After the first 500 it was all USA, with the 8+ posting the fastest 2nd, 3rd and 4th 500s of the day. By the 1,000 meter mark, both the U.S. and Great Britain had gained control of their respective heats, so no sprints were required. There is no doubt that both crews will likely have another gear to give on Saturday. The U.S. final time was 6:42.4, with Romania following in 7:00.1. Great Britain posted a 6:44.3 to Germany's 6:51. The contrasting styles, both rowing and racing, of the U.S. and Brit crews will make for an interesting final at 3:55 pm local time on Saturday.

That's all for now. Official race results can be found at http://www.worldrowing.com/index.php?pageid=91; and Blogs, photos and updates from Racice can be found at http://usrowingjrs.org/.

Syracuse University Athletics - Justin Moore Arrives in Czech Republic for the Junior World Championships

Syracuse University Athletics - Justin Moore Arrives in Czech Republic for the Junior World Championships