The Independent Rowing News

Photo by Malcolm Donald

The Craftsbury Small Boat Training Center (SBTC) passed their first test of 2010 with flying colors:  three SBTC boats won their finals and will be representing the US in Brest, Belarus for the U23 World Championships. Craftsbury athletes named to the 2010 U23 National Team include:

Rebecca and Elizabeth Donald, open women's double from Penn

Hank Moore and Ben Johnson, straight open pair from Worcester Polytechnic Institute

John Graves, lightweight men's single, recently graduated from Trinity College (CT)

"We took ten kids down and five were named to the U23 Team - which is a great validation of the program, especially considering that's over 3 different classes:  Open, LW and Women's," said SBTC coach Larry Gluckman. "In terms of racing strategy, I was really happy that our emphasis on being in the field early - or leading even - paid off, almost to a crew. We've developed a rule in practice that says every time you stop, you complete a start sequence. So, we're always practicing the first part of a boat race regardless."

The Donald sisters were the first SBTC crew to ride this philosophy to a win, punching their ticket for Brest with a time of 7:16.7 in a wire to wire win. "This crew had a motto for their race plan:  'Racing fast isn't pretty'," explains Gluckman. "As Elizabeth wasn't feeling 100%, the crew got out quick, but then kind of sat on it. But that's another benefit of the quick start:  build a cushion and then be able to look back at the field and know that you can do what you need to do to preserve your lead, and they executed their plan well." Given a gap of nearly 8 seconds when the crew was racing conservatively, it will be interesting to see what is possible when they're at full stride.

The next event in the regatta program was the Men's 2-. Again, the winning SBTC crew got off to a quick start, building their lead throughout the first half of the race. Around 1000m, the pair clipped a buoy. "That was their wake up call," Gluckman remarked. Sure enough, the crew re-established their focus and rhythm, and aggressively built their lead so that by the end of the third 500, they had open water and crossed the line in 6:56.1.

Gluckman reflected, "This pair showed some very solid rowing. Ben really improved as a result of being forced into the single for three weeks as Hank rehabbed an injury. Hank himself is probably the most proficient athlete we have sweep-wise and he took over the steering, doing an excellent job and freeing Ben to pull."

The last SBTC boat to qualify for U23 Worlds was John Graves in the lightweight 1x with a win in 7:06.6, beating last year's U23 light 1x representative in the process. "John Graves was the fastest sculler at the regatta on Wednesday, and he rowed pretty much the same again in the final," explained coach Gluckman. "John got pushed the whole way down the course, he just had a little more in the last 500 than the rest of the field. The speed work we did in the last couple of weeks really benefitted all the crews and they seemed able to find another gear when necessary."

Gluckman felt Graves' performance - his first race as a lightweight - had to be ranked among one of the better of the weekend's. "Between losing his doubles partner, being a 'tweener weight wise, facing 2009's U23 representative, being new to lightweight sculling, making weight and so forth, and being competitive with the open weight guys throughout, I thought that was pretty good."

Given strong efforts from these crews and their teammates in the Women's 2-, Men's 1x, and Men's 2-, the Small Boats Training Center continues to turn heads in only its second year of existence.

"I've gotten some emails from people asking what's going on up there - three wins in three different categories? But the kids just fell right into the training program and it seemed to give them the right stimulus to develop that much further," explained Coach Gluckman. "Also, with the exception of the Wesleyan crew, our people had some miles together prior to their arrival, and it really worked out well instead of trying to pair athletes in the short time prior to trials. The boat arrives and can focus on getting faster."

The athletes have returned to Craftsbury for several additional weeks of training prior to their departure for Belarus July 15. A short period of returning to the basics, weight lifting and some on water resistance work before the switch to faster, livelier, finishing work will bring the athletes to their peak performance in Brest when the regatta opens July 22nd.

You can follow the U23 regatta at FISA's website, www.worldrowing.com. Congratulations to the rowers and good luck abroad!

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The Craftsbury Small Boat Training Center is a program at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, designed to be a bridge from collegiate rowing to the US National Team, with a focus on smaller boats. The program offers coaching, boats and some support for races such as:  U23 World Trials, Senior Nationals, Senior Team World Trials, World Championships (U23 and Senior) and Canadian Henley. Beyond their athletic goals, participants will be expected to join in one or more projects that contribute to Craftsbury's mission of promoting lifelong sports, sustainability and conservation.