Hello everyone,
Day 2 of Summer Nationals wrapped up today with a couple of notable performances and a piece of hardware. It was also a day of learning for several crews, who discovered there is no substitute for lining up on a buoyed course and putting everything on the line.
The first race of the morning was semi-final 1 for the men's lightweight single. This is also a senior national team trials event which has drawn a deep field. Potomac Boat Club HPP members (and Club senior members) Jim Gallagher and Andrew Weinstein lined up in lanes one and two to race for a spot in tomorrow morning's final. In one of the more thrilling races of the day, Andrew sat in 2nd place with 500 meters to go and a slight advantage over boats from the Oklahoma City High Performance Center and the Miami Rowing Club. Battling over the final 500 with his rating touching 42 strokes per minute, Andrew held on to secure his spot in the final by less than a second. He will race at 8:40 on Friday morning in the final.
The U23 men's double entry of Barringer and Grigsby Lovaas advanced out of their semifinal, finishing comfortably in 3rd. They will race for a medal in the final event of the regatta, at 10:36am on Friday.
After recovering (somewhat) from their semi-final, Jim and Andrew took to the water again to race a three-boat final in the men's lightweight double. They valiantly lined up against two boats from Philadelphia's Undine Barge Club, in a rematch of the scrimmage Undine hosted for us in May. Despite a gutsy effort from both men, they couldn't quite hold on to the fresh legs of the Undine athletes, and had to settle for the bronze medal.
All of the athlete's here at Summer Nationals have raced hard, held themselves to the highest standard, and have represented Potomac Boat Club in the best way possible. A huge thanks to Kevin Bedell for his coaching here as well. An accomplished sculler and former National Team member, during the spring Kevin coaches the Langley High School crew. This summer he as been coaching with us several days a week. His support, experience, and insights have been incredibly valuable for me and all of our athletes. Particularly on those mornings when we have 7 singles, 4 doubles, a quad, and a pair out on the Potomac. So again, a big "Thank you!" to Kevin for making this trip with us.
If you are interested in following along with the two races tomorrow morning, they are being live-streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDUZxWENql4&list=PLF94VLsZTlXYw7cfjW3BPeD2tfEtkHPST&index=3
Regards,
Rick