HOORAY FOR ANNA!

Oh my goodness!!! Look at our sweet Anna Goodale repping SU so nicely with her SU shirt! Here she is in action with the 8+. Anna, is that you in BOW?

(thank you, thank you, thank you USRowing for not prosecuting me for taking these off your site!)

It's Summer in New Zealand

Here is our favorite 2+ enjoying some summer rowing. Stangel in bow.

Notes from NZ

stolen from the OCU blog: (THANK YOU OCU!)

Well it doesn't feel like it but looking at my watch we have been here five days now. After taking off from LAX just before midnight on the 21st we arrived in Auckland on the morning of the 23rd. From there we took a bus to our hotel in Hamilton which is about 90 minutes south. The town is nice and is know as a urban farmland area because of all the farms and herds that surround the city. We haven't had time to fully explore the city but from what we have seen it have a nice down town area and the hotel that we are in is very good and has been catering to our needs and providing plenty of tasty food.

The rowing has been going well for all crews as well. The course is a 45 minute bus ride each way which makes it a little draining sometimes, but also allows plenty of time to read books and relax the mind and body. Lake Karapiro is located in the rolling hills of the Waikato region and has given us some gorgeous scenery that I can only describe as what it would be like entering in to Jurassic Park (You would think more Lord of the Rings, but that is more the South Island). While the course has been a bit bumpy with all the crews rowing around we have been able to get some good work done and keep up with our preparations for the competition starting next week. At the course most of the teams have finally shown up from camps around New Zealand and it is interesting hearing all the languages at the athlete restaurant where everyone eats lunch. Also the final construction has been going on with the massive grandstands looking to be almost complete and the surrounding tents starting to fill up.

There has been a good camaraderie within Team USA with lively conversations at meals and lots of cards and movies with fellow teammates. As we all strive to win a gold medal here next week we all realize that it is good to take time out to relax and enjoy each others company.

Thank you everyone back home for all your support, and there will be more to come in the next couple days.

Justin

More Video

Check out the video of Coach Reischman's thoughts on fall racing.

Free on Orange All Access (on the right hand side of the SU Athletics Home Page).
Click here for the site.

Warning: you have to sit through a short advertisement first. Hang in there...it's worth it.

Rowing World Champs ready to roll - 3 Sport - Video - 3 News

Justin Stangel and 2+ partner Nareg Guregian apparently are in the crowd scene of this video somewhere. Still looking....

New Zealand looks beautiful.

Rowing World Champs ready to roll - 3 Sport - Video - 3 News

Alums at the Charles

Among the many SU alums at the Charles, few were as dedicated as SARA VP Bill Purdy, here seen squeezing just a little more training in before his stellar performance in winning the Men's 50+ 4+.



Bill was accompanied by Brian Mahon SU 1981 current Men's Coach at the US Coast Guard Academy, and SARA Board Member Erica Mahon Page SU 2008 and current Women's Coach at the USCGA.

Bill, Brian, and Erica were beaming with pleasure after watching (or perhaps in anticipation of) SARA Prez Tracy Rude Smith's record-shattering, Gold-Medal winning, All-World, Completely Dominating, First Place performance in the Director's Challenge Quad. Here's La Presidente with her teammates - Cindy Mathes, Mary Mazzio and Carol Feeney

The SU Staff (and Friends) Working the Charles

SU Assistant Coaches Andrea Buch, Alicea Kochis and Shawn Bagnall were workin' the recruiting angle while Tyler Page (with wife and SU Alum Erica and friend Clai White) checked out the scene from the bridge.

SU Alums that Competed at the Head of the Charles

1. Jennifer Sacheck
2. Paul Dudzick
3. Martin Etem
4. Jason Premo
5. Paris Daskalakis
6. Joey Peter
7. Nick Alexander
8. Tom Darling
9. Joe Paduda
10. Bill Bater
11. Bill Purdy
12. Molly Scannell
13. Tracy Smith

Who else?...... There are more....please submit!

Head of the Charles - In Photos

Coach Dave Reischman used the Head of the Charles as a reward for his Seniors which is good...because this reporter believes that every rower should have the chance to race this race at some point in their rowing career.

The Head of the Charles is unlike any other race and the excitement is absolutely palpable. It's easy to see why crews come from all over the world to participate.

Our boys started bow #28 and ended up finishing 16th in a field of 35. Finishing time was 14:32.242.

Nicely done!

Here are a few images of the day....

Long Lost Alums!

One of the best parts of the Head of the Charles is walking around and bumping into people that you have not seen in years.

Here are three long-lost alums that surfaced during this year's Head of the Charles

1. Melissa Westerfield

2. Jennifer Sacheck and her husband Chris Ward (I hope that I got that right).

Lineup for the Head of the Charles

Men's Champ 8+ (event #50)

bow: Dan Berry (senior)
2 - Mason Lesure (soph.)
3 - Tyler Toporowski (soph.)
4 - Chris Bickford (jr.)
5 - Chris Lutz (jr.)
6 - Dan Turner (senior)
7 - Vince Berry (senior)
stroke: Mike Gennaro (senior)
coxswain: Kenny Marfilius (senior)

Could Be an Interesting Head of the Charles

From today's Boston Globe:



Wildlife officials are hoping a harbor seal that unexpectedly made its way into the Charles River late last week leaves the waterway over the weekend as more than 1,900 boats arrive for the Head of the Charles Regatta.

The sprightly 4-foot-long animal, which appears healthy, probably slipped through the locks of the Charles River dam just east of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and has been surprising boaters on and off the water, officials at the New England Aquarium said.

“Everybody was startled and amazed,’’ said Paul Gammons, a maintenance worker for the sailing organization Community Boating who encountered the seal while hauling moorings out of the water Wednesday.

“He’s a spectacle. It’s not something you see every day.’’

The seal, which probably weighs about 100 pounds, was first spotted Oct. 15 by a duck boat operator near the Museum of Science and again by duck boat operators a few times in the days afterward, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the aquarium.

Aquarium personnel have yet to spot the marine mammal and are relying on sightings from boaters.

The seal interrupted the MIT sailing team’s practice Tuesday afternoon near the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, popping its head up among the sailboats.

“We stopped practicing for a little bit and checked it out,’’ said Matt Lindblad, the team’s head coach.

“He looked fairly curious. You could see him checking out the boats for awhile, and then he just swam off.’’

It is unusual to find any kind of seal in the Charles, LaCasse said. The most recent case was in the early 1990s, when a ringed seal found its way onto the other side of the dam in winter, spending only a few days before making its escape.

Prolonged time in a fresh-water environment could become a concern if this harbor seal does not exit the river in the coming weeks, LaCasse said.

Though it probably has no trouble catching fish, which are not accustomed to such a large predator, the seal needs a certain intake of salt to maintain its health, which could be difficult in the Charles, he said.

It is possible the seal could leave the river over the weekend during the rowing race, LaCasse said.

Heavy boat traffic through the dam locks during the race will create a current that the seal may follow out, he said.

But as a last resort, biologists could attempt to capture the seal and relocate it.

“He’s probably active and alert enough that he could evade any of our efforts,’’ LaCasse said. “We’re pretty confident he’ll exit before then.’’

In the meantime, federal law prohibits the harassment of marine mammals, and the aquarium asks that people not disturb, harass, or feed the seal.

If the seal hauls out of the water, people are asked to call the marine animal hot line at 617-973-5247.

Traveling Alums

While Anna Goodale and Justin Stangel make their way to New Zealand, other alums make the pilgrimage to Boston for the Head of the Charles. Here's SARA Secretary Joe Paduda setting up shop at the Cambridge Boat Club. Joe's racing this weekend...how about you? Rowing alums, please send notes and photos so that we can share the SARA love! Email to t.r.smith1(at)comcast.net and we'll put them up online!

Head of the Charles Weekend - October 23 and 24, 2010

SU Men's Coach Dave Reischman will be bringing one 8+ to this year's Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston this coming weekend. They'll race in the Championship 8 which races at 2:55 p.m. on Sunday, October 24.

If you're in town or planning on stopping by, please note that the SU trailer will be housed at the large regatta parking lot at the finish line on Soldiers Field Road (approximately 1/2 way between the Harvard Newell Boathouse and Northeastern's Boathouse). Please click on the course map for detail.

Parking and driving around the course is notoriously tricky. Click here for directions and instructions.

Keep your fingers crossed for good conditions and fast racing.

Head of the Genesee Results

via email from Coach Justin Moore:

Duke A - 17:16
Buffalo A - 17:49
Duke B - 17:57
Buffalo B - 18:03
Syracuse A - 18:11
Syracuse B - 18:12
Cornell - 18:21

SU Women Race Head of the Genesee Today

story courtesy of SU Athletics:

The Syracuse University women’s rowing team opens its fall season on Saturday, October 16 at the Head of the Genesee Regatta held at Genesee Waterways Center in Rochester, N.Y. The team’s two varsity eight boats will both participate in the head/sprint combination race featuring top college crews from the northeast, including Cornell, Buffalo, Marietta and Ithaca.

The boats will race a three-mile course in the morning and then a 1,500-meter sprint in the afternoon. The winner will be determined by taking the 1,500-meter time, multiplying it by three and adding it to the three mile time.

Saturday’s race will also mark the first for first-year Orange had coach Justin Moore. Moore, a six-time NCAA Champion and U.S. Junior National Team coach came to Syracuse after a very successfully 11-year tenure at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.

When Syracuse last competed in the Head of the Genesee on October 13, 2008, the Orange varsity eight boat won the race, finishing with a total time of 3238.23, six seconds faster than second-place finisher Western Ontario. It was the first time in 17 years the Orange had won the Head of the Genesee.

After a long pre-season of conditioning and practice the Orange hopes to come out on top again.

Here are today's lineups:

Varsity Eight
Cox – Allison Todd
Stroke – Keriann Miller
7-Seat – Carmen Failla
6-Seat – Rachael Ogundiran
5-Seat – Maggie McCrudden
4-Seat – Laura Adams
3-Seat – Meryl Engler
2-Seat – Jacque Lee
Bow – Rebecca Soja

Second Varsity Eight
Cox – Mikela Almeida
Stroke – Elizabeth McGehee
7-Seat – Miranda Williams
6-Seat – Emma Karpowicz
5-Seat – Brandis Arcadia
4-Seat – Emily Moomey
3-Seat – Ashley Marsh
2-Seat – Talla Horner
Bow – Ann Couwenhoven

Freshmen Women + A Beautiful Day = Fabulous Pictures

Many thanks to SU Coach Alicea Kochis for sharing these photos on the SU Women's Rowing Facebook page.

2+ Video - Forcing the 3rd Final....

Here is a video of the finish of the US Trials 2+ 2nd Final, the result of which forced the 3rd deciding final. Check out this sprint....

Support Stangel!

They've made the team, now comes the tough part...

Since their event is not raced at the Olympics, SU alum Justin Stangel ('07), his 2+ partner Nareg Guregian and coxswain Steve Young will not be funded by USRowing to travel and compete at the World Championships in New Zealand.

Please consider supporting their journey. Every bit helps! Here is the link to their fundraising page.

Fall and Spring Racing Schedules Finalized

The full fall 2010 and spring 2011 racing schedules for the men's and women's teams are up.

These schedules can be accessed from the permanent link on the right lower portion of this blog.

Here they are now...for your convenience...

Men's Team

Women's Team

Anna Goodale in the 8+ for World Championships in New Zealand

The following article appeared in the Portland Press Herald Newspaper. Mike Lowe was the writer.

Goodale, bottom center, travels to New Zealand this month to compete with the U.S. women’s eight in the World Rowing Championships. Goodale, of Camden, ME, and Boothbay Harbor’s Eleanor Logan, who is also competing, helped the U.S. win gold in the Beijing Olympics.

Courtesy USA Rowing

Anna Goodale of Camden has been selected to the U.S. women's eight, joining Boothbay Harbor's Eleanor Logan in the World Rowing Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, Oct. 31-Nov. 7.

"I will be there after a very trying year," said the 27-year-old Goodale in a phone interview. "I'm glad to say I made the team again."

Goodale, who along with Logan helped the U.S. eight to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had to battle injuries and some stiff – and younger – competition to make the team.

"It was all about her getting back into shape," said Tom Terhaar, coach of the women's eight. "That was part of the problem, plus she has some very good talent around her."

Goodale wasn't on the original women's eight roster announced by U.S. Rowing on Sept. 21. But, said Terhaar, that was just a technicality. She and her rowing partner, Taylor Ritzel, were always going to be on the eight.

"It's a complicated thing," he said. "Basically, they were the last two in."

The selection seemed to move Goodale more than any of the others in the past. She took eight months off after the Beijing Olympics, backpacking across Asia, and lost much of the muscular bulk needed for competitive rowing. "My muscles went from bulk to long and lean by not lifting three times a day," she said.

When she returned to Princeton, N.J., to resume training with the national team, she suffered a nagging rib injury which has forced her to occasionally shut down. And when she was rowing, she wasn't able to provide the powerful strokes she had in the past.

"It's hard to row cautiously because you have to give everything you've got," she said. "My knees are sore ... I got older.

"It's amazing how different my body feels then when I came out of college."

Logan, who will miss the fall semester at Stanford University to compete in the world championships, said the competition is what makes the selection so gratifying.

"It always surprises me how much of a challenge it is," said Logan. "That's why it's fun, to see how hard I can push myself. It's really a unique thing to be part of. And I'm really glad to be part of it."

Goodale said she has only recently begun to feel like she's in rowing shape. "The last few weeks of seat racing, I remembered I knew how to row and earned my spot on the team," she said, of the team's selection process.

Being one of the older members of the team, Goodale said her role has changed slightly. "The last four years, I was the young gun coming in with nothing to lose," she said. "Now I'm on the other side of it. I'm more of a veteran and I have to treat my body differently. I don't have that sheer power. I have to row quite differently than in the past."

Logan said everyone is learning her role on the boat. "The thing about the eight is that everyone is kind of a leader," she said. "We all bring a unique part to the boat."

Right now, Logan is stroking the boat (the first seat after the coxswain, setting the rowing rhythm) while Goodale is at the bow (the last seat).

"But we've still got five weeks to go," said Terhaar. "They could be at opposite ends of the boat by then. We don't put too much stock into where everyone is sitting right now."

Both aspire to be part of the eight for the 2012 London Olympics. For Goodale, it would likely be her last major competition.

"There are no guarantees," she said, of making the London team. "I just take it year by year. But I wouldn't have come back unless I had the desire to go to London."

She has thought about her life after rowing. She illustrated a published children's book, "Wren's Summer Day" by Matthew Stevens, and has begun work on an autobiographical children's picture book. She hopes it will be the start of a "Dreams Come True" series in which she illustrates and tells the inspirational stories of Olympic athletes.

"It combines my three loves: children, sports and art," said Goodale. "I can't think of anything better."

For now, though, she and Logan – who is working with Stanford officials to be able to graduate on time next spring – have plenty of work ahead.

"It's always exciting to make the team," said Logan. "But the real goal is to be going to the world championships, or the Olympics, and winning. The hard part is still ahead."

Official Stangel/Guregian/Young Photo

Nice.

Coach White

Here's Clai White, class of 2010, repping SU nicely in his new gig as Assistant Boys Novice Coach at Community Rowing in Boston, MA.

Clai and his team had a 1st, 5th, and 14th finish at the Head of the Textile Regatta in Lowell, MA today.

Nice work, and nice hat Clai!

Stangel on the way to New Zealand

This morning at 8:10, Justin Stangel ('07), his pair partner Nareg Guregian, and coxswain Steve Young rowed the race of a lifetime (ala Searle vs. Abbagnale 1992 Olympic-style) to secure their spot on the US National Team that will compete at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. Racing starts Oct. 30.

Want some goosebumps? Check out the photo of them at the finish.

Incredible.