Coach Matt Madigan’s final update from London

Our Sarah Trowbridge makes the most of closing ceremonies. (Thanks to Scott Gault for giving her a lift!)

This is my final entry. Debated about sending it, but figured I better close it out.

Thanks for the support and great work on the ‘Star. Great stuff.
-Matt

We’re glad you sent it, Matt. We couldn’t have ask for anything more than you and the girls gave us during these Olympics Games. We’re so proud of you all.
-TPS

There is a picture that one of the Potomac Boat Club members posted on the bulletin board in 2009. It is a picture of Margot rowing the single in Poland in 2009 with a handwritten caption, “Margot on here way to the Olympics 2012 The Form—Check It Out.” Often I would stop, check the technique (can’t help it), but more importantly the photo has served as a reminder of the Dream.

The Form - Check It Out

This spring we had an opportunity to seize the Dream and live the Dream with everything that goes along with an Olympic effort. It took a lot. The commitment of our families, specifically my wife, our supporters and our Potomac Village helped to make our efforts possible. However, Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge are the ones that demonstrated the hearts and minds of Olympians throughout the challenges and the joys of the journey it took to get to London and while we were there. Their efforts and determination will always have my respect. We knew in Chula Vista on April 12, that improvements needed to be made to what we were doing. Each race, each piece, each of the hard workouts during our three-a-day regimen, they took on the challenge and responsibility and did improve to the point of putting themselves in the hunt for a medal.

We do a race-talk the night before the race to go over details, logistics and race plans for the next day. Racing from Lane 1 and being the 6th qualifier to the field of 6 we knew we had challenges to be in contention for a medal. The lanes were also reseeded the morning of the race giving the more sheltered lanes 6 and 5 to the heat winners Britain and Australia. There also was the fact that Britain’s Kath Grainger, who had three Olympic Silvers and her partner hadn’t lost for three years and that the Australians were right on their heals. However, of the other four boats, US, China, Poland and New Zealand, we were not far off on splits from the heats and rep. and knew there was a shot at a medal. We focused on how to emphasize the first 1000 meters of the race and be in contact with the other boats. I asked Margot and Sarah for 2-3.5 seconds to be made up on the field and then raising the rate and essentially starting our sprint with 900 meters to go. We were going to go out and race for a medal without worrying about trying to beat Kath Grainger or the Aussies.

As expected the British went out fast and the Australians went with them. Margot and Trow had a great start and made up those 2-3 seconds on the Chinese and the New Zealand crew, staying in contact with both. However the veteran Polish crew, which we had raced bow to stern in the heats, had also found an additional gear and pushed to open water on the three trailing crews. Just as planned in the middle of the piece, our athletes began their push and were moving back on the Poles getting in front of the Kiwis and right with the Chinese. Both us and Poland paid that price. The Poles had gained enough of a lead to secure the medal and while we did negative split the 3rd and 4th 500’s we needed even more in the 2nd 500 to get through the other boats as the final four boats came across in contact with one another, 2.62 secs separating the boats racing for bronze.

Racing a final anywhere, you go out to have the your best race and take your shot at a medal. At the Olympics you also are representing your country, your team, your club, university, friends, family, etc., as it is a much higher profile event. For the British team, not only was their printed press, tv and swarms of reporters around the athletes, but the course announcers as well, inadvertently or not, would share information with the crowd and in the case of our race, did nothing but hype the British double. They went as far as saying, how disappointing it would be if Kath Grainger did not win, after her previous three Olympic silver medals. Kath Grainger and Anna Watkins handled the pressure and did win. Our athletes represented everyone and most importantly themselves at the highest level, handled the pressure and put themselves in contention.

In being 2.6+ seconds away from a medal, it feels like we were very close. However, there was some tremendous racing where medals were determined by tenths of seconds. The US Men’s 8 had a tough fourth place finish in a tight six boat field that had all boats close, but taking fourth by .3. Our Women’s Pair made the final directly and then raced to within .2 of a medal again in fourth. Tremendous efforts by both teams, but bittersweet in the end leaving the athletes dazed long after leaving the course. In a race that comes down to tenths of seconds over a 2k course, there is no greater gap in placement for all involved than the gap from 3rd to 4th as a medal can be a life changing event. Time heals all wounds, but the finality of the Olympics and retirement for many, another four years for others, is a reminder of how much efforts is put forth by the athletes, teams and sports that are taking place here.

After our race, Margot’s family invited me to lunch and it was great to spend time with her family, and especially her Mom, Julia. I mentioned it in an earlier post, but she came over to London in the middle of chemo during her ongoing battle with cancer. Seeing her strength and having her at the races clearly shows were Margot gets here edge. Also, great to see coach Reilly Dampeer and Stefanie Kozuszek the day before the finals, as they helped to keep things balanced before races and over lunch.

As coaches our credentials get transferred to coaches/officials who come in for the second week of competition with other sports, so we are not able to stay and see other events. The athletes move into the main village while the majority of coaches head back home. I was able to visit the main village, eat at the dining hall and see some of the Olympic Village and Olympic Park. The USA House is the USOC sponsored center that hosts, Olympians, friends, and importantly USOC sponsors. Great to see so many familiar faces from the rowing community, National Rowing Foundation and the USRowing Board, but also from the Olympic community. Mary Lou Retton, Leroy Burrell, and Greg Louganis were all there the first night we were there and many of the rowers hung with the all of the swimmers on my last night in town.

Literally ran from USA house to catch the last train at midnight back to the Rowing Village for a 4:30 a.m. airport pick-up. I’ve been home all week catching up with wife kids, working with the transition from GeoIQ to ESRI, nursing a bad back and watching/sharing as much Olympic coverage as I could fit in with the kids.

It is always sad to see the torch extinguished. However, Jacque Rogge, IOC Chair invited the youth of the world to gather again in four years time in Rio. You never know what can happen, but that would certainly be a dream for any of the three of us. Margot and Trow are looking at starting coaching careers, and you can bet they will pour everything they have into their efforts.

Thank you for all of the support.

Coach Matt Madigan from London: On the ground

All smiles for Sarah Trowbridge while the team explores their new temporary home.

We have now been on the ground for five days and have settled into our dorms, the course and our routine.  The last two boats from the US arrived this afternoon, which completes our team.  We will have 12 of the 14 boat classes racing here.  Germany qualified a full contingent.  Great Britain and Australia both have 13 qualified boats.

Once we landed, a short drive took us to our Rowing Village, which is located at Royal Holloway, a University of London campus.  We were here for about 1 hour then off to London.  The bus ride around the outskirts of London led us to USOC processing center.  We received our credentials at the airport, but this processing was to get official team gear.  Thanks to sponsors Nike, Ralph Lauren, P&G, Oakley, and others we received a bunch of Olympic Team gear that we are now proudly wearing around the Rowing Village and Venue.  On the bus ride back, we went right through the heart of London, along the Thames, saw the Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, and the rest of downtown.  We got stuck in traffic, a constant here, and it turned into the nap bus, since we had been traveling nearly non-stop for more than 24 hours and it was a warm 2 hour drive.  The 30ish-mile drive has been two hours twice, and I thought the traffic in DC and the Bay Area is bad.

Royal Holloway, University of London

The Royal Holloway, University of London is a great place.  All rowing countries are staying here except Great Britain, located about a half of a mile from the course.  Nine thousand students during the day give way to the teams, security, volunteers, staff and military personnel.  We are in single rooms with the Slovenians, Dutch, Aussies, Germans, Swiss and others in our compound.  Two-level cafeteria is a three-minute walk away serves good cafeteria food, reflecting the variety of cultures staying here.   There is a gym with 30 rowing ergs and another 15 kayak and canoe ergs as well as a bunch of free weights.   The feature of campus is the Founder’s Building, which was built in the late 1800’s and is beautiful.  It is a traditional brick building with porticos, peaks, bay windows, lots of nooks and crannies and two huge courtyards.  Yesterday there was a wedding reception in one of the courtyards, and knowing the gates were open, I took the photo-op.  Also a couple of pubs that are a short walk away with some good cask beers.

Recycling is clearly a focal point.  The cafeteria is serving on compostable plates with practically everything we touch being recycled.  At the course the silverware is made from potatoes, not sturdy, but enviro-friendly.  Coca-Cola has vending machines everywhere.  I heard 70 machines were at the course.  Also encouraging recycling by advertising that a bottle used here will be turned into a new one within 6 weeks.  Public transportation for everyone associated with the games.  You need your room key to turn on the power in your room, which is common across Europe.

Lots of security here.  Cameras, Bobbies, security forces in green, military troops and automatic weapon toting policemen are located at multiple points throughout campus and especially around the gates.  Double fences all around campus and the venue, vehicle barriers, vehicle inspections, metal detectors and X-ray machines greet us.  We travel from “clean zone” to “clean zone.”  I took a ride with our Program Manager, Fred Honbein, to the Venue, in the USRowing van; it took us about 30 minutes longer than the busses due to additional security and shuttles.  We were discussing getting some spray paint in to paint the oars with Concept2 and Darren Croker and they said the only possible way to do it now would be to ship it UPS where it would be scanned at the airport and then brought in by UPS.  Impressive.

Margot Shumway posts up next to the Palace Guard. (That chin strap is about to become a mouth piece, huh?)

Bus ride to the course is around 30 minutes on the weekends and up to 80 on the weekdays.  They have Olympic lanes on some of the roads, but the Motorways, get packed with traffic and we sit like every other car out there.  What is interesting is that the course is 8 miles by bike, 12 miles via Windsor on backroads and 18 the way we go around Heathrow Airport.  The reason we go the long way that was  mentioned to us is that the backroads are too small with small roundabouts with no contingencies should there be congestion or should something happen.  Thus far we have been taking an early bus to the course and staying through lunch to get the two practices in.

We have been on the course now for five days and there is a flurry of activity around the venue.  The record rainfall in June slowed progress considerably and wood chips, temporary sidewalks and even temporary parking lots have been installed over very soft pastures and soil where spectators, workers, volunteers and athletes will be traversing and watching the rowing competition.  It is an amazing and complex multi-layer infrastructure that goes into putting this on.  The military personnel, security forces, workers and volunteers have their own separate infrastructure including their own dining, transportation, medical and resting areas that for the most part go unseen, unless you look for them.

The venue

The venue itself is very much a “bathtub” course.  It parallels the Thames and was a gravel quarry at another time that has been expanded to an 8-lane regulation course.  Prevailing and significant crosswind from the left hand (starboard) side as we come down the course wears on the athletes.  With a good patch of weather this week, we are hoping that it is a minimal impact.

On both sides of the course are bike paths, that will become coaching pelotons and camera car lanes during the Games.  On both sides of the course in the last 250 meters are grandstands; general public on the north side and family, friends, special guests on the south.  2 big screen TVs, 50 feet by 50 feet are on either side enabling spectators to watch.  A 3-lane warm-up course lies behind the south grandstand.   They also have built 300(+-) foot towers at either end of the course for cameras and have strung 4 cables between them forming a 1.5 mile “cablecam” that will follow the races.  Similar to the cameras above the field at a football game, that someone said is the longest one ever built.  Should make for some great viewing.

Very few countries have been here this week and it has been good to get out on the course and test things out.  The Olympics is a smaller regatta than the World Championships, so fewer boats, coaches, etc., but with the infrastructure around us it is still pretty intense.

Outside the castle gates with Margot Shumway, Sarah Trowbridge and Coach Matt Madigan.

After the travel and four days of double-days, we took an afternoon off for mental refreshment and headed to Windsor.   The athletes need the distraction and since we are 15 minutes away, we took advantage of taking the tour of the castle and having some fish and chips.  The castle was extremely impressive.  Gardens, huge rooms, courtyards, art, tapestries, weapons and the guards made for a great afternoon.  From one of the terraces you could see the camera towers at the course.  Sean Gorman, my brother and I made the ride here from the World Championships in 2006 and it was only 10 minutes by bike.  The Queen was in, but we didn’t get to have tea with her, possibly next time.

The docent explained that with the Jubilee Year, 60^th anniversary of her coronation, and the Olympics she is quite busy.  The rooms we had been touring were used for events nearly nightly and she walked us through the process.  It looked like a museum, and hard to believe it was a fully functioning banquet, reception, social area nightly when the tourists were away.  She mentioned she had wanted to get tickets to the rowing but couldn’t and that her friend had made it as a volunteer.  When we gave her one of our Olympic pins she literally jumped up and down and ran to show another one of the docents.  Awesome to see the excitement we have shared with others for the Games.

Athletes are doing well.  We have settled into a routine.  Normal ups and downs of a trip.  Boat is rigged, athletes are doing the work.  It will be an exciting coming week as the rest of the nations arrive and we complete our training for racing.  We continue to be thankful for our supporters and backers at Potomac as well as our friends and family.

Matt, Margot and Sarah take us to London!

Millions of strokes are taken every year by those who dream of being able to represent their country and prove they truly are the best in the world.  A few of us, like our Margot Shumway, Sarah Trowbridge and coach Matt Madigan, have lived that moment.

Today, “Sarah Trowbridge and Margot Shumway dominated the finals of the double sculls to finish more than a second ahead of the Netherlands in 7 minutes, 3.96 seconds.” [Read the entire USAToday story here.]

With that performance, the heart and pride of this entire club will go with Margot, Sarah and Matt as they get the chance to live that moment again, representing the United States on the world’s biggest athletic stage at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

AWESOME RACING in Lucerne … with the best yet to come!

To donate to help our PBC National Team members, as well as our National Team hopefuls, get even closer to realizing their dreams, please click HERE.

OS Stefanie Kozuszek reminds us what it’s really all about

Open Scullers launch for another morning of hard work on the water. (Photo by Igor Belakovskiy)

Tonight is the Rising Stars Dinner and Auction, an event to support the National Team and Olympic dreams of members of PBC’s Open Sculling Program.  Following the dinner, our Open Scullers will leave for California and the final leg of training for the regattas that will determine this year’s Olympic team.  Our shared hopes, dreams, and best wishes for success, go with them!

In this month’s look into the world of an Open Sculler, Stefanie Kozuszek reminds us that making the National Team is just the icing on the cake of being part of a hard working, close-knit team.

If you’d like to read more about Open Sculler Stefanie Kozuszek, please visit her bio page here (click).

* * *

Happy 2012! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season!

It’s a big year, an Olympic year, and the end of a four year cycle of hard work and effort by athletes from all over the world hoping to represent their nation in London. For the PBC Open Sculling Program, it means it’s time for us to kick it into overdrive. Following this weekend’s Rising Stars Dinner and Auction, a few of us will stay in DC and focus on building our fitness, targeting through to the next cycle. Others will head out to Long Beach, California, to prepare for the National Selection Regattas in Chula Vista in April. We all hope they will be greeted with flat water, warm weather, and a training environment that will lead them to a spot on the National Team.

It’s always interesting to see the reactions of people when you tell them that you are training to one day make the National Team or better yet, to make it to the Olympics. They usually hone in on the Olympic part and ask when the next Olympics are. The next time they see you they’ll ask something like, “So, make it to the Olympics, yet?”

Deep down, you know how much more work and how many more years you will have to put in to make that dream a reality. You’ll have to get up early, train twice a day, and throw in a little work on top of it all to help pay the bills. This and more run through your head when all the person waiting on the other side probably wants is the short answer. Still, you’re thinking that there is always more you can do, always something to improve on to give you that little extra edge … “No, not yet, but I’m working on it,” you say.

Sometimes it’s scary to share your ultimate goal with others. What if you never reach that goal? Will they think of you as a failure? Or will they respect that you had enough courage to chase those dreams? In the end I’ve realized that if you are doing what you what makes you happy, then who cares what someone else might thing.

The reality is that we won’t all make it to the Olympics or even to the National Team. But as long as we’ve tried our best and enjoyed the time that we’ve put in, each of us will be able to walk away with our heads held high knowing we were true to our dreams. The friendships built on this team alone are enough to make it all worth it, but we will have also bettered ourselves along the way.

But enough of that. It’s time to get fast!

Rise to the occasion, PBC!

Social Committee Chair Virginia Bryant and Coach Reilly Dampeer and her Open Scullers want to remind everyone that the Rising Stars Dinner is less than two weeks away!

The Second Annual Rising Stars Silent Auction and Dinner is coming up on January 21. This is your opportunity to play a vital role in America’s success in international athletic competition and the strong tradition of competitive excellence at PBC. Show your support: donate services or items for the silent auction, buy tickets to the event, bid up auction items!

For more information, check your mail for your invitation or click on a link below.

• Rising Star Dinner Information
• Auction Donation Form

See you there, PBC!

-The Potomac Star on behalf of the Social Committee and Open Sculling Team

* * *

Please save the date:  January 21, 2012

Potomac Boat Club
Rising Stars Dinner and Silent Auction
An event to benefit the club’s Olympic Hopefuls

An invitation to Save the Date from Open Sculling Coach Reilly Dampeer:

The Potomac Boat Club Open Sculling Program is hosting the second annual Rising Stars dinner and silent auction on January 21, 2011, to benefit our Olympic hopefuls.

PBC is a partner of the USRowing Training Center

I am pleased to announce that this year’s event will take place at the prestigious University Club in downtown Washington, DC.  Potomac Boat Club members will receive an invitation in the mail soon, so please keep an eye out for it and RSVP as quickly as possible, since space will be limited for this special event.

The Open Sculling Program attracts talented athletes from across the United States to Potomac Boat Club to train for elite national and international competition.  The Program has produced athletes who have earned Olympic, World, Pan American and National Championship medals.  As we approach the upcoming Olympic year, our focus is sharp and our goals are to earn the honor of representing our country internationally and bring prestige to the club and program. Like all aspiring athletes who came before us, we strive with dedication, perseverance, and the hope to embody the competitive spirit and tradition that is Potomac Boat Club.

Proceeds raised from this event will fund travel expenses and entry fees for the 2012 Olympic selection regattas to be held in Chula Vista, California.  It will also fund the purchase of the latest training technology, state-of the-art equipment and resources for our athletes.

The 2011 event was a huge success, and I look forward to achieving even higher goals at this year’s Rising Stars event. PBC community support is key to our success. There are literally hundreds of sponsors, officials, coaches, and other individuals who make the achievement of an Olympic dream possible. We invite you to share this exciting evening with us and to be part of the enduring dreams of our athletes.

For more information regarding the Open Sculling Program and the donation of items for the Silent Auction, please contact me at redampeer@yahoo.com or (206) 819-6004.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Reilly Dampeer
Head Coach, Open Sculling Program

Hypothermia alert

It seems that every year there is another sad reminder of the dangers of cold water activity.  The latest tragic incident happened right in our area.

Don’t let a warm day here or there fool you, PBC.  Water temperatures are dropping, along with your chances of surviving a flip.

Please read the following cold water story posted on the Star last year; it contains links to important information about hypothermia that we all need to know:  Safety lesson learned the hard way.

The 2011 PBC Triathlon

See those happy smiling faces? They're either sadistic or don't know what's coming.

In case you didn’t check the listserv this week, or conveniently chose to ignore the message, you were invited to participate in the 2011 PBC Triathlon this morning.  Missed that one, huh?

On November 19, 2011, PBC’s Open Scullers, led by Coach Reilly Dampeer, combined their usual training efforts into a little triathlon. They erged, ran, rowed, and invited everyone to participate in the “fun.”

Here was the format:

• Erg – 10km
• Run the “Bridge loop” out to Virginia across Memorial Bridge and back to the Club from Virginia across Key Bridge (approximately 3 miles)
• Row a single out to Roosevelt Bridge and back to PBC (approximately 4km)
• No ‘Transition Time” allocations or assistance allowed (e.g., oars or boat to the dock)

Reilly briefed participants at 6:30 AM, and the clock started at 7:00 AM.  Finish time was recorded for each participant when the participant’s feet were firmly planted on the PBC dock.  No handicaps were used to calculate the results.

Well, who was the big winner?  We’ll have to get the update from Reilly!

Kevin Baum … from Red to Blue

We wish Kevin the best of luck on his quest to earn a seat in the Blue Boat. Don’t forget to write.

To read Kevin’s bio, click here.  -PS

A safe bet

Time is impervious to the effect specific moments have on people. We ascribe extraordinary value to events, which can re-define us as people, yet are offered no chance to sit by and observe that moment. The clock keeps ticking and lives need living, regardless of the internal psychological transformation that has taken place.

Such is rowing. Win or lose, succeed or fail, we still wake up the next day and have to get back at it again. Ultimately, rowing careers are judged by wins and losses and medals won, but the value of rowing goes much deeper. The life of an oarsman revolves around training. It consumes 99.9% of our time, and it is from this experience that we derive worth from the sport. Winning races would mean nothing without the thousands of hours of training that brings us there. There is a direct correlation between effort exerted in achieving a goal and how consequential achieving that goal is.

Coming off a four month ankle injury last fall, the prospect of re-gaining my previous fitness was daunting. Recognizing success lay in improving on that previous level was overwhelming. The only way to survive experiences like this (especially the first few months of only erging), was to set a tangible, achievable goal: Pan American Game Trials in August. I had seven months to get myself back into shape and in a position to race for a spot on team USA. I knew barring any major changes, I would be racing in the double with Taylor Frank. Having raced with him many times before, I felt very comfortable with this lineup and was excited to see how fast we could make it go in seven months.

By the end of the summer, we were starting to feel very confident in our speed. Rowing at the US Elite Nationals, we placed third, sprinting through a double from the US Training Center with far superior erg scores, to claim the bronze. One more month of training and we would be ready.

Unlike many of the races I have participated in at PBC, I felt a strange sense of calm for this one. Psychologically and physically, I was in a better position for success than any previous PBC race. I had remained largely sickness and injury free during the seven months. Taylor and I had logged many hours in the double and had total confidence in our rhythm. We were ready.

Our heat went as well as could be expected, with our double placing first and earning an automatic spot in the final. It was a learning experience however, as our long, effective 36, became a short, less effective 36 in the second thousand after the wind shifted from a direct tail to a direct head. However, we pulled out the win in an excruciating last 500. We earned ourselves a day of rest which we sorely (no pun intended) needed. The rep the next day showed us that our speed was right in the mix, with the top two crews finishing 1 second and 0.5 seconds ahead of the crew we had beaten the day before.

Success requires skill, hard work and luck. You must put yourself in a position to succeed, but sometimes the best preparation doesn’t always lead to the desired or expected result. Ask Mahe Drysdale in 2008. Ultimately, we did not take advantage of the good position in which we had placed ourselves. After a solid start and a decent first 500, the wheels came off. The rhythm we had found in practice and in the heat was not there, and we struggled to get it back. Maybe it was the hour and a half rain delay. Maybe it was the nerves generated by our best chance to win a regatta. Whatever it was, we did not execute. Hats off to the winning crews. By the last 500, we were totally out of the race, and were forced to row through the referee wake for 500 meters tripling the margin.

Devastation. Frustration. Embarrassment. Myriad emotions swirled through my frazzled brain after the race. It wasn’t just that we lost. The other crews had trained just as hard and long as we had. It was underperforming so epically. It would have been tough to be mad if had we raced as to our potential. Chances are, if we had rowed our greatest race, we would have still lost. But we did not give ourselves the opportunity to find out. We let ourselves, our coaches, and our training down. In rowing, you only get one shot. As much as I desired to just sit on the water and never come back to shore, the world had not stopped. The clock continued to tick, and we continued to breathe.

One of these name tapes soon might read, "Baum"

The toughest part was feeling like we had let Ri down. What she had done with two undersized, under-gifted athletes in such a short time was remarkable, and I cannot say enough how incredible a coach she has been. Even though we did not achieve our goal, I am proud of the effort we made. Those seven months of training were the real experience, and one that I will carry with me the rest of my life, even though I will not be racing in Mexico. The hours on the water in the dark and cold. The training in Augusta. Proving to myself that I could overcome my injury and get back to my previous level. Proving to ourselves that we could race and compete with the big boys, regardless of our ergs or our experience. These are the lessons that have changed me and I will carry with me.

The clock kept ticking. After taking some time to put it all in perspective, I had life choices to make. Ultimately, for a variety of reasons, I accepted a place I had been offered to study for a Master’s degree at Oxford University. I will continue to row there, and attempt to make the Blue Boat for the 158th Boat Race.

I will be sure to keep Potomac Star updated as to my progress while I am on the other side of the pond, and am thankful for all the support I have received from everyone at Potomac over the past few years.

PBC men fall in line for head race season

Yep. Fall is here. After an insanely successful summer, PBC’s Men’s Sweep Team is gearing up for this weekend’s Scullers Head of the Potomac (SHOP), as well as another successful head race season. This may be the best fall for the men in a long time … but they usually do pretty well, right, PBC?!

Below are a few photos taken during yesterday’s deary, drizzly morning practice.  Apologies for the fuzzy ones (photos, that is). We weren’t expecting it to be so dark for so long already!

See you at the SHOP on Sunday!

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Gold never gets old for PBC at MatNats

Not a crab during warm ups, not a broken clam before the start of a race, not a whipping wind or searing heat … nothing. Nothing Oklahoma threw at our guys would keep them from bringing back a boatload of medals and trophies from Master National Rowing Championships held last weekend in Oklahoma City.

Out of 18 events contested by PBC’s Men’s Sweep Team, it medaled in all but one, earning 14 Gold, one Silver, two Bronze, a hard fought fourth, and earning the overall Men’s Points Trophy. PBC president Bob Price pulled a “Camilla Durfee,” bringing home gold in all six events he raced.

As if that weren’t enough, the men set a couple of records to boot. They clocked the fastest time of the regatta with a 00:02:38 in the Men’s C8+. It was also the fastest time ever at a Masters Nationals, a record set previously set by our Men’s B8+ in 2005.

Speaking about the team’s incredible performance, Coach Marco Bovo said, “This success shows the depth we have on this team. Now, if we only had time to practice a little in the sculling boats, we’d be unstoppable!”

[Wait.  Read that, again, for us.  No "slow" or "fat" in that entire quote, right? Holy smokes, guys! You just got a compliment from Marco.  Another one for the trophy list!]

Other notable PBC performances include a gold in the W F1x (J. Gardner), silver in the M D1x (P. Pietra), gold in the M LWT D1x (J. Paduda), bronze in the M LWT G1x (B. Cox), and gold in the HWT G4x (Composite) … in all, our independent PBC racers added seven golds, one silver and a bronze to the medal count.

Congratulations on a great Masters Nationals, PBC!

And a special thanks to Nick Holland and Steve Vermillion for sending daily updates to the Star.  Much, much appreciated.

To see more photos from the medals stand, visit the USRowing Flickr set. For all the results, click here.

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