The Heat Continues...

The temperatures and the racing here are sizzling. The super-pair squared off against a formidable opponent in Oxford-Brookes Univerisity. They held them for much of the race, but as the 3/4 mark approached Oxford-Brookes had found their stride and began to open the gap. Corey and Max finished strong, looked good going by the Grandstand and held their heads high afterwards.

So ends the chapter on WPI's racing at the 2009 Royal Henley Regatta. We are now all spectators with three more days of fantastic racing to observe. I'll update you from the Stewards Enclosure, post some more photos as the outfits become increasingly garish and in the days ahead will post some of the funny anecdotes from the trip.

To all who supported the team's efforts this year, there are thanks from all involved. These guys have had the time of their lives and will undoubtedly be those alumni 25 years from now that return and talk about the good ole-days. We look forward to many future trips.

Jason

Facing the Heat at Henley

I was surprised to see that its been so long since my last update. This week has been a blur. Following Reading the guys had a day off on Sunday, practiced on Monday and Tuesday, and most importantly began their racing yesterday! I've uploaded A LOT of photos from this first day, hoping you'll get a feel for the pomp and circumstance surrounding the racing here.

As the title of this post suggests, yesterday we really faced the heat! Record setting temperatures lead the stewards to announce an almost unprecedented "sport-coat optional" ruling at about 11:30 AM. On top of 90+ degree temps, WPI drew arguably two of the hottest first round opponents. Men's Four squared first against the Prince Albert Cup favored crew, Reading University. The Reading crew demonstrated why they are favored to win with a very strong performance that put them about 2 lenghts ahead of our four. Nick, Ricky, Donk, and Zack pulled hard; while disappointed to be done, they felt good about their race.

Later in the day, the 8 faced off against the Eastern Sprint Champion Freshmen, Brown University. Battling for a chance to progress into the next round of the Temple Cup, the WPI 8 battled strongly but could not find a way to overcome an extremely fast Brown 8. The Brown 8 posted the fastest time of the day in our event and our men trailed by slightly more than a length. They were proud of their effort and felt they could not have put out a better performance. With that, their racing comes to an end and the younger guys look forward to their next trip to Henley

We now look forward to the pair's race later today. Corey and Adam begin their racing today and are excited to provide us some good racing to watch over the next couple of days. I'll keep you updated on their progress and will continue to post photos of all the excitement here. Record temperatures expected in the next several days...lets hope Corey and Max bring some heat to the race course!

Jason

A Great Day in Reading

Saturday was another fabulous day for the team. After rowing the eight miles from Henely to Reading the boats took part in the 100+ year tradition known as the Reading Town Regatta. A 850 meter race that involved several rounds we faired incredibly well. The Pair progressed through three rounds finishing up 1st in their division; they were followed by the four which would not be outdone, also winning their event! The day ended dramatically with the Men's Eight racing in two events, the Senior Eight and the Intermediate Eight. Ironically, our crew faced off against the Kent Eight in both events. Kent is a top seeded crew in our event at Henley, and this gave the men a taste of the speed they will see this week. In the first go, our men lead for half the race but did not manage to maintain pressure on Kent, who struck a 40 SPM to race past us for the win. Determined to avenge themselves, the eight returned to the line for a second shot at Kent. Racing the entire course at 40 SPM the men took the lead and never looked back. Leading by a length by the finish the 8 successfully won the Senior Eight event. With ALL athletes winning an event, all athletes were awarded beautifully engraved pewter steins. Hopefully some of these will update the 1985 Reading Regatta Steins that grace the back of our boathouse.

I have posted some pictures of the racing, and the very memorable row between Reading and Henley. This row involved several hours of rowing with adventure at every step. Special thanks to Coach Guelakis who biked the entire way manually operating the three locks each crew had to pass through. The photos are a must see, and the adventure home was something these guys will talk about for years to come.

The draw for the Regatta also took place yesterday. The Eight drew the Brown Freshmen Eight which won Eastern Sprints, the Four drew Reading University, and the Pair drew Oxford Brookes. Needless to say it will be a tough day of racing. We'll keep you posted here.

Jason

Well Qualified!

It was great day for the team. The weather was perfect as the Four and the Pair set out for their qualifing race. The competition was stiff, with the pair needing to place in the top 3 boats, and the four needing to place in the top seven of twenty-six crews! The pair set off first with an outstanding row, gaining ground on the boats in front of them Corey and Max got the job done! They solidified a berth in the Regatta and if they continue on their track of improvement, their best is yet to come. The four appeared to have a rough go. They didn't demonstrate the sound technique the coaches have begun to expect, but Nick, Ricky, Donk, and Zack PULLED like mad-men, knowing this was a do or die situation! In the end, they bested 19 crews to prove they too deserve a spot in this prestigous Regatta!

Smiles all around! Quite a day.....

I have posted shots of the venue and some of the tonight's racing. The official Regatta begins on Wednesday, with the Four, Pair, and Eight all qualified!

Tomorrow its off to Reading for a full day of racing at the Reading Town Regatta. I'll keep you posted.

Jason

Stood up by the Hoff

Well disappointment reigned as the team was stood up by the Hoff. About 15 minutes before David Hasslehoff's car was supposed to pick them up, his assistant called to cancel. The Hoff has some last minute filming required in Scotland and was flying out, requiring cancelation of their evening at his place. With any luck he'll re-schedule and we'll give you the update. For now, back to the rowing.

Another day of double practices. The boats row at 9AM and 3PM and are getting ready for the time-trials tomorrow. While the 8 is automatically qualified for the main event, the pair and the four need to race tomorrow to prove themselves worthy of consideration for the main days of racing. Corey and Max are tearing it up in the pair, and Nick, Ricky, Donk, and Zack are starting to get a real feel for their line-up. That said, the place is filling up and the number of crews and the quality of rowing here is truly impressive. I'll post some photos of activity at the venue either later today or with tomorrow's post. The guys feel confident about their chances and we'll obviously let you know as soon as we get the results.

After the qualifiers, its off to the Reading Regatta on Saturday. Should be an exciting several days!

Jason

The walk from home and rowing with the Hoff

Today had the makings of a slow day. Two practices, staying local. As such I intended to provide a description of the town and have downloaded some photos that show the comfy rooming, and the walk from home to the water. I figured this will give all of you at home a taste of the day-to-day experiences. I figured I would show you that life here isn't all excitement, but then my intention for the blog took a detour as the team happened to run into David Hasslehoff from Baywatch and he was so impressed with their physiques that he invited them to his house to attend a surprise party for his daughter? Just another typical day in England I suppose. That said, with any luck these guys will take some photos of the Hoff and have some great stories to share with us tomorrow. I'll keep you posted since this is clearly as exciting as the Royal Henley Regatta!!

Take care, and check out the recent additions to the photo album which include a typical room for four, and the walk from home, through town, to the water.

Jason the Driver

The coaches are working hard and beginning to feel the stress of the upcoming qualifying time trial; the athletes are setting their focus on preparing themselves mentally and physically for some intense competition, and I, needing something to do have volunteered to update the blog, and most importantly provide some photos of our journey here.

As most have already now heard, the town is lovely, the weather cold and cloudy, and the accomodations: SNUG.

The Men have finished their racing at Marlow and posted respectable times. The real dance begins this Friday with the Qualifier for Henley. I will give you some updates as the racing begins and provide some photos of each boat. I have posted photos of the venue and the Marlow Regatta at the following website if interested. They can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/jasteele1972/WPIHenley2009

Since I am new to the blogging thing and only heard of picassa about two hours ago, bear with me as I figure out the logistics behing this technology. If there is anything specific you would like to see or hear about feel free to email me at jsteele@wpi.edu.

Talk to you soon.

Jason the Driver