National Champions! Part Two

This is the second part of what will be the opening chapter in Mark 2.


It started with that loss to powerful Harvard on a Syracuse course shortened by the weather, then a Goes Cup win over Cornell, as Navy stayed home. The Eastern Sprints saw Yale upset the Harvard Varsity, with Syracuse finishing third.

The Orange looked to have another shot at Yale with the Eli joining Dartmouth and MIT on Packard Cup race day in Syracuse. But Orange stroke Sibley was nursing a pulled scapular muscle after the Sprints, forcing a change in the varsity lineup. Henwood moved from bow to the other end of the boat to stroke, with fellow soph Steve Anthony coming up from the JV to row in bow.
Alas, Dartmouth deprived SU of its shot at Yale by upsetting the Eli in the morning, as the Orange dispatched MIT. SU had to be content with taking care of the Big Green and winning the Packard Cup in the afternoon.

By all accounts, the boat had been flying at the Packard Cup, with Anthony’s mental toughness and power contributing to the dominant performance. Still, Sibley’s recovery was a big concern. While no one discounted Steve Anthony’s ability and will to move a boat, Sibley was the varsity’s guy and he had worried he wouldn’t be ready for the IRAs.

He wasn’t the only one wondering; a local reporter had asked Coach Sanford about Sibley’s status. The Coach’s response had been unequivocal – “we need Art in the boat at the IRA”. That opinion was shared by the crew. Seven man Bill Reid had insisted they go out in a pair while Art was working his way back, and the row had done wonders for Art’s confidence. Art recalled that Bill had told him he wanted nothing more than to get Art back in the boat, and he had come back to the dock at the end of the row with renewed confidence. (Soon) Sibley returned to his spot, facing Ozzie Street.

In spite of Sibley’s return the Varsity hadn’t moved well in Thursday’s opening heat. The boat had felt out of sync and heavy. Trying to get some swing in the boat, Street had called the rating down from 34 to 32 “to settle the crew down. I hoped dropping the cadence would get them in a rhythm, But it backfired and Cal began to move out on us,” and when the rhythm stumbled, the crew couldn’t get it back together. Despite holding on to the lead for the first part of the race, SU couldn’t maintain it. Cal pulled away in the last forty strokes, earning a spot in the finals and consigning the Orange to a trip to the reps. After the race, the crewmen were a bit dispirited; they’d worked very hard in the race but the boat hadn’t moved like it had in practice, and now had to race again on Friday.

Attitudes brightened when the crew learned that six-man Tom Evancie had been suffering from dehydration most of the race and thus had little left in the last 500. Evancie was hustled into the care of the trainers, who administered IV fluids. He started feeling much better before the day was over. As for Evancie’s teammates, they knew they had a much better race in them, and began to focus on their next race; the reps. The crew would have to race well on short rest to make the Grand Finals.

Mark of the Orange II - Chapter One, National Champions! Part One

Bill Sanford stood near the victory dock at the IRA finish line on Onondaga, waiting for the start of the last race of the day – the men’s Varsity Eight. As the tall, gangly coach listened for the announcer’s call that the race had started, the north wind ruffled his thinning hair, foreshadowing a rough start and long race for the big boats. After a season that had started out with a poor showing in a home loss to Harvard, the crew had come together, improving seemingly every week. With a solid string of wins in dual meets, a decent showing at the Sprints, and strong talent up and down the boat, Sanford felt confident his crew would be among the medalists.

Less than an hour before, coxswain Ozzie Street had launched the Varsity from the dock at Longbranch. Walking down the boat, shaking each man’s hand before they pushed off, Sanford had seen little of the banter that normally marked the pre-race launch. Instead, he felt a quiet confidence coming from the crew. Normally sophomore stroke Art Sibley and his classmate and bowman Gerry Henwood would be bouncing around, annoying the upperclassmen on the crew, but this was different – the guys were “wired, they were ready to go but they seemed relaxed and happy they were in the finals…they were quiet and I think that was because they were focused.”

Finals day had dawned hazy and a good bit cooler than Friday; a steady headwind was predicted and conditions on Onondaga looked to be a bit choppy, especially near the start of the two thousand meter course on the lake’s eastern shore. As the boathouse bunkroom came to life, most of the guys came out on the balcony to check conditions before heading into the dining room/Sanford living room for Sandy Pisani’s pre-race breakfast. With all three Orange eights in the Grand Finals along with an SU entry in almost all the small boat events, there was much to be excited about at Longbranch. Buzz Congram’s Northeastern crew also had crews in each of the eight finals, and the Huskies, along with Brown and California, the guest from the West, were looking like serious competitors for the top of the podium.

There was a good deal of confidence in all the SU boats. The JV was coming off a very solid season, the frosh were looking for a third straight title and the Varsity had seen very solid results late in the season that had been a bit unsatisfying for the Orange.

Mark of the Orange II - a note from the authors

John Nicholson and I have completed the first chapter of the history of Syracuse rowing from 1960 to today (or perhaps 2010). You'll be able to read this chapter here - exclusively - in several posts.

We've decided to begin the new book with what is arguably the seminal event in SU rowing history over the last fifty years - the 1978 IRA Varsity Championship. Seems like a natural after concluding the initial Mark of the Oarsman with the story of SU's Pan Am crew of 1959.

We're currently working on the rest of Mark 2, and as always welcome contributions, photos, race programs, and corrections of factual errors. Undoubtedly some will offer suggestions and we'll take them under advisement.

Now, read on!

Men's Foot of the Charles 2011

Results:

Varsity Fours:
1. Harvard A 12:53
11. Syracuse A 13:22
15. Syracuse B 13:43
20. Syracuse C 13:51
30. Syracuse D 14:23


Frosh Eight:
1. Harvard A 12:21
5. Syracuse A 13:23

A full array of photos can be found here.

November 19, 2011 FOOT OF THE CHARLES (MEN) - Schedule

This coming Saturday, the SU men will be racing in Boston at the Foot of the Charles (men's version). The crews will be launching out of Newell Boathouse (Harvard). Racing schedule is as follows:

Varsity 4+ races: 7:30 a.m.

Frosh 8+ races: 8:00 a.m.

Come on down and cheer on our guys!

2011 Foot of the Charles

The SU Women made a strong statement this morning in Boston that they came to race.

Conditions were generally good over the 2.3 mile course -- 13-15 mph SW winds with some gusts. Crews dealt with a strong tailwind for the first 1000m through the powerhouse. As the course turned, the crews powered through a stiff headwind for the last mile. Water conditions remained relatively flat.

In a field of 39 V4+s, the SU Women came out with a 3rd (SU B), 4th (SU A), 16th (SU D), 23rd (SU C), and 39th (SU E).

The novice 8+ also fared well with a 4th place finish in a field of 23!

Full results can be found here.

A full array of images of the day can be found here.

Next weekend, the SU Men come to town for their turn at the Charles.

SU Women Racing in Boston this Weekend - FOOT OF THE CHARLES 2011

Coming off a great performance at the Syracuse Invitational last weekend, the SU women will take it on the road to the Foot of the Charles in Boston tomorrow (Saturday, November 12). Come on down and watch the races! The team will be launching from the Radcliffe Boathouse.

Here's the morning racing schedule:


9:45 AM V4+ Race
10:45 AM N8+ Race
11:15 AM 3V8+ Race

Super Mike Selected as Male Athlete of the Month

story courtesy of www.row2k.com

PRINCETON, N.J. - Mike Gennaro (Havertown, Pa.) was selected as the U.S. Olympic Committee's Male Athlete of the Month for October, the organization announced on Thursday.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee," said Gennaro. "It's a privilege to be among athletes from all these other sports. It's nice to represent rowing in any way I can."

Gennaro won two gold medals at the XVI Pan American Games held Oct. 15-19 in Guzman City, Mexico. He won his first gold with U.S. teammate Ty Otto (Seattle, Wash.) in the men's pair. The crew crossed the line 1.67 seconds ahead of Brazil for the gold medal in 6:47.07.

The following day, Gennaro stroked the U.S. men's eight crew to victory. After taking command off the start, the crew built more than a one-second advantage during the first 500 meters of the race and increasing that lead to more than three seconds over Mexico at the midway point. Despite a late charge by Canada, the U.S. crew cruised to a 1.69-second victory.

The Syracuse University graduate and former captain won gold in the men's eight earlier this summer at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

Gymnast Jordyn Wieber (DeWitt, Mich.) was selected as the U.S. Olympic Committee's Female Athlete of the Month for October, while the U.S. women's field hockey team was awarded Team of the Month. Beijing Olympic rower Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio), a women's single sculls gold medalist at the XVI Pan American Games, came in third.

Each National Governing Body nominated one female, one male and one team per discipline. A voting panel selects the winners from the pool of nominees, with online fan voting via Twitter accounting for 10 percent of the total vote.

FEMALE 1. Jordyn Wieber, Gymnastics 2. Lauren Gibson, Softball 3. Margot Shumway, Rowing

MALE 1. Mike Gennaro, Rowing 2. Danell Leyva, Gymnastics 3. Kibwé Johnson, Track & Field

TEAM 1. U.S. Women's Field Hockey Team 2. U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team 3. U.S. Softball Team

Syr Invite Time Lapse

Courtesy of Stephanie Keefe and Chris Azar here is a time-lapse of Saturday's events, Enjoy!

Dr. Bruce Chamberlain - 1920 - 2011

It is with a very heavy heart that we report the loss of the Godfather and undisputed Patriarch of Syracuse University Rowing, Dr. Bruce Chamberlain. Dr. Chamberlain passed away Wednesday evening in Syracuse at the age of 91.

As reported by John Nicholson:

Dr. Chamberlain rowed in varsity and JV boats for the Orange, graduating in 1943. Along with Dr. Tom Kerr he co-founded the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association and was a steadfast support of the rowing programs for the rest of his life. He was instrumental in the publication of the Mark of the Oarsmen and was team physician for the men's team for many years. Dr. Chamberlain was inducted into the SARA Hall of Fame in 2010.

A memorial service is scheduled at DeWitt Community Church on Saturday, November 26 at 11:30 a.m. Additional details will be provided as they become available.

Our sympathies and prayers go out to Dr. Chamberlain's family. We have lost a great man and a true gentleman.