2006 USRowing

Masters National Regatta

East Arm made a great showing at Masters Nationals!!  Lots of people
were asking, "Where is East Arm??" :-)

As you saw in earlier emails, the Men's 4 won its heat in both the "Open
C" and "Club C" 4+ races, beating 4 other boats in each race.
 

In the finals of the "Open C 4+" race, it was a dead heat until we
started our sprint.   We heard the cox of the Florida Athletic Club boat
tell her crew that we were moving.  At this point, they took it up to
over 40!! strokes/minute for the last 300meters, and went by us, beating
us by 2.5 seconds..   One of their rowers claimed afterwards that that
was the hardest that they had to work in a race in a long time!  East
Arm cleanly beat the other 4 boats to win the silver medal.

In the "Club C 4+" race, we met Florida again.  We hoped that they would
be a little more tired (since this was actually their 3rd final) but
they weren't!   They again beat us by 2.5 seconds.   We had a real
battle between 2nd and 3rd with the Marin Rowing Club.  In the end, they
surged and took 2nd by just 1/10th of a second!   We ended up with the
Bronze.

In the B (35-42 year olds) 2-, Robert and I rowed against 5 other boats
in an older Vespoli 2- that we borrowed.  Suffice it to say, we got some
experience and got to row on Sunday, but we were never really in the
race.   The boat kept turning off line and did not have a rudder.
Between this boat and the boats that Sue and Kate rowed in for Avalon,
the idea of borrowing boats for a big event is not going to happen to me
again!
 

The highlight of the weekend was the Mixed C 4+ race, with Sue, Katie,
Cliff, Jim and Richard.   Facing our rivals from Capital Rowing and a
west coast team from Corvalis.  A 4th team scratched before the race...
Our boat buried the other 2.  As Mayrene called it, a victory by
"curvature of the earth".   It was so great to see them up on the podium
and have East Arm Rowing Club announed as the "National Champions".
 

There is also an overall points trophy.   Saugatuck was announced the
winner of that (they had sooo many people competing in sooo many
events!!)   However, with our small band of rowers, we ended up 39th out
of 109 teams!!   I think that is amazing!  
 

Debi, Meaghan and Jackie were great supporters!!   Cheering, taking
pictures, getting shoes and doing anything else we asked of them!
Thanks again ladies!!

Debi and Robert also were great tour guides (once they got there!!  :-)
They knew some "must go" places to eat which everyone enjoyed,
especially "The Brooklyn". 

Early morning waffles, KFC, hanging out in the room, Pikes Market and
lots of other great memories..

And a special thanks to all of them for making our anniversary special!
A bottle of champagne chilling in the sink and taking Richard for
dinner.   And somehow, they managed to get our wedding song to play at
the grocery store that day! :-)

A lot of people go to the Masters Nationals as much for the social
aspect as the racing... We certainly tried to cover both!!

Thank you to everyone who supported us last weekend and throughout the
season!   These successful regattas really are a whole team effort with
everyone pushing each other throughout the winter and helping each other
through the clinics.    Everyone should be celebrating!