PBC Community,
The 2022 Summer Nationals wrapped up today at Mercer Lake in New Jersey. Potomac Boat Club was represented in two finals. Coming down the race course at 8:40 this morning was HPP member Andrew Weinstein, in the final of the lightweight men's single. This race was also a senior National Team trials event, and it showed by being heavily subscribed with 16 entries. Racing against a deep field that included three previous senior US National Team members and one U23 National Team member, Andrew attacked the race early. He is the HPP member who most comfortably rows down the course at stroke ratings above 36, and that aggressive tactic paid off for the first 1000 meters. The deep experience of this field revealed itself shortly thereafter and Andrew ended up in 6th. He raced in this event last year, but came up short in his semi-final. This year marked a significant leap for him, and he will look to build on this finish in the fall at the Head of the Charles and then at the USRowing Fall Speed Order.
PBC was also represented in the finals of the U23 men's double. Twin brothers Barringer and Grigsby Lovaas (Boston University) have been rowing the double since they joined our summer program in early June. Relatively new to sculling, they have been responsive to coaching from myself and Kevin Bedell, and it paid off. They advanced to the final out of an initial field of 17 boats. While their learning curve is flattening out, they raced aggressively against a field that included boats from Penn AC, Craftsbury (rowing as Green Racing Project), and Conshohocken. They put together a solid sprint in the closing 300 meters of the race to overtake the boat from Miami Rowing Club to finish in 5th, and about 7 seconds out of medal. The brothers will now focus on preparing for Canadian Henley before returning to Boston in the fall.
As we wrap up the 2022 Summer Nationals, I'd like to thank everyone at the Club who helped the HPP and the U23s get to Mercer Lake with everything we needed (from boats to oars to ergs) and compete against some of the best rowers in the US. The list is long, and I welcome corrections and additions to my list, as I'm sure I've overlooked someone. Lena Wang, Lauren Schumer, Nick Barpoulis, Carol Dinion, Matt Madigan, Kevin Bedell, and Nick Woodfield all deserve a sincere round of thanks for their efforts on behalf of our Club.
Bleed Red everyone!
-Rick