Lakers Train in California
Friday, December 19th, 2008The Laker Navy was fortunate to have five of its athletes invited out to Oakland, CA from December 14th-21st to take place in a training camp hosted by the California Rowing Center. Student-athletes Breck Davis, Jr., Eddie Eisenhauer, Jr., Ryan League, Jr., Geoff Sadek, Sr. and Sarah Zelenka, Sr. accompanied Coach John Bancheri on this week long camp to train under newly named U.S. Men’s National Team Coach Tim McClaren. The Lakers will train alongside athletes from programs including Brown University, Yale University, and University of Washington while having the opportunity to be coached by McClaren, his assistant Joel Scrogin, and recently retired Steve Gladstone.
While training on the Oakland Estuary, the athletes will be training primarily in doubles and quads. The Grand Valley Rowing Club would like to thank CRC for the generous help in sending the student-athletes out to the training camp.
Link to full press release of Coach McClaren’s hiring
Link to CRC
Photos from California (Thumbnails are not working for an undetermined reason, but full-sized pictures are unaffected)
Dear T. Gary Rogers, Coach Tim McLaren, Coach Steve Gladstone, Coach Joel Scrogin and of course the speedy crew at the California Rowing Club,
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all
for the experience of rowing and coaching at the highest
level, and also for what this experience has and will contribute to
ourselves, our team and our university. For many of us, this was our first visit to
the west coast, and California proved a welcomed retreat from the
cold and snow at home in Michigan. During our stay we were able to
explore some of California’s most magnificent landmarks, namely Muir
Woods National Park (the drive there was just as much fun), some pristine wine country,
and the sights and sounds of San Francisco, all of which were truly unique experiences.
Throughout this week we learned how
much discipline and talent it really takes to become a world class rower. The
opportunity to get on the water at the CRC and mix with rowers from universities we have
heard of but never thought we could ever hang with, was quite an experience and this helped
us understand the demands it will take to begin to raise our own level. A
lot of what we needed to work on was more mental than physical
(although we know that the ergo score must get faster). The
ability to practice twice a day for two and a half hours, also helped
us raise our level by giving us plenty of time to work on our
technique and power. Each practice was an opportunity to reach another level.
It was a magnificent experience to row on the famed Estuary and be
coached by Tim McLaren, Steve Gladstone and Joel Scrogin. To have that caliber of coaches critique
our rowing technique was a thrill. We know that when we return to Grand Valley, we
will be able to take what we learned in their training (on and off water training programs) and
in some way apply it to our own program in order to help our own
team to get better. This in turn will also help our competitors in the midwest get faster,
as we provide them with stiffer competition.
Each day from here to the Dad Vail Regatta will be an opportunity to improve, “kaizzen”.
We realize that one way we can help the rest of our team at GVSU to get
faster is if we are able take what we learned here and have the
ability to apply it every day when we get back to Grand Valley.
Watch our results as you are now investors in our program.
Mr. Rogers, if it wasn’t for your contribution and development of the CRC, like many other athletes
(and many more to come), we wouldn’t have had this opportunity to experience the best that our sport has to offer.
We hope that all of you guys at the CRC have a fantastic holiday;
Grand Valley State University Rowing Club
Rowing Members attending the CRC
Breck Davis (JR),
Geoff Sadek (SR),
Eddie Eisenhauer (JR),
Ryan League (JR),
Sarah Zelenka (SR),
Coach John Bancheri
Lakers Soar at Head of the Eagle
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008The Grand Valley Rowing Team soared to the top at their first all-team regatta of the season today at the Head of the Eagle. Both Varsity and Novice traveled to Indianapolis, IN to race rowing powerhouses such as the University of Michigan, Purdue, and Notre Dame. Though faced with some tough competition, the Lakers came out on top in eight of fourteen events entered. Several other crews put up some impressive finish as well to help Grand Valley overall dominate the regatta.
Amongst the winners was the men’s varsity eight. This is the first time that a Grand Valley crew has beat Michigan and Purdue on the same day. Boat members included Freshman coxswain Justin Elwood, Senior Geoff Sadek, Junior Breck Davis, Junior Eddie Eisenhauer, Junior Ryan League, Junior Mark McClusky, Senior Blake Donovan, Senior Justin Ott, and Senior Adam Cecil. Then men’s second varsity 8+ took the fourth place spot. The third and fourth eights took fourth and sixth, respectively.
The women also soared into first place, claiming gold by nearly 20 seconds. In doing so, they beat Purdue University for the first time in the club’s history. From stern to bow, the lineup included Junior coxswain Katie Higgins, Senior Sarah Zelenka, Junior Sam Morgan, Senior Katelin Steigenga, Junior Kelsey Arnold, Junior Kendra Socks, Junior Katie Phelan, Senior Kelli O’Brien, and Sophomore Leslie Mayville. The women’s second varsity 8+ came in fourth in the event. The third boat came in third in the C event.
The novices also showed tremendous potential with both the men’s and women’s crews taking first place in their respective events. The men beat Michigan for the second time this season, and the women beat Dad Vail rivals Purdue. The women’s second eight took third and the men’s second eight took seventh. The men’s third eight took third in the C event.
Other winners included the Men’s Lightweight 4+. They dominated their race, coming in 30 seconds ahead of second. In the Men’s Varsity Pair, Sadek and Donovan took first with Ott and Cecil not far behind, finishing fourth.
The Women’s Varsity 4+’s claimed nearly all the medals in both the A/B and C/D events. The A boat took first overall, with the B boat coming in third in their race. In the C/D race, Grand Valley went 1-2-3, with the C boat earning the second-fastest time of all women’s fours.
In the Men’s Varsity 4+, the Lakers took a second place finish, coming in just four seconds behind U of M. The B four took fourth place, with the third four taking second in the C event.
After an impressive performance at their last major regatta of the season, the Laker Navy will now begin preparation for their championship spring season. They will get a taste of spring racing at the sprint-style Frostbite Regatta held on November 15 at the new Grand Rapids Rowing Association Boathouse on the Grand River.
Lakers Compete at Head of the Charles
Monday, October 20th, 2008Though a winding course, stiff winds, and rough waters made it a challenging day for the Lakers, both the men’s and women’s crews battled back to claim top ten finishes at the Head of the Charles Regatta.
The Men’s Varsity 8+ started their race in the fourth position, but quickly closed the gap on the crews ahead of them. By the time they reached Riverside Bridge, the first checkpoint of the race, the Lakers had the fastest split in the field by over two seconds (3:23.785). They maintained their lead with a time of 8:26.139 at the second checkpoint, the Weld Exhibition, about halfway through the race. The Lakers had a little trouble, though, coming around the nearly 180-degree turn in the last mile of the race, losing a few seconds and falling behind Williams College as they passed the Cambridge Boat Club 12:40.338 into their race. Unfortunately for the Lakers, this was ground they could not make up as they crossed the finish line fourth with a time of 15:15.112, four seconds behind winners Williams College (15:11.487). Trinity College and Brock University came in second and third, respectively.
The Women’s Varsity 8+ was the third boat to start in their race. Still within reach of the leaders, the Lakers were in fourth place at the Riverside Bridge (4:01.856), leaders and held a four second gap over the boats behind them. They held onto their fourth place spot through the midway point at Weld with a time of 9:51.424, still opening water on the other crews. But the women too had a problem with the 180-degree bend in the river, stopping completely to avoid a collision with the bridge and to complete the turn. Despite this, the Lakers fought back and managed to hold on to a tenth place finish with an overall time of 18:02.775. Williams College finished in first with a time of 17:11.649, followed by Bates College and then Trinity.
Outside of racing, the Lakers made a long weekend of the trip, leaving for Boston late Thursday night. After arriving Friday afternoon, the team had the opportunity to practice on the Charles River and row the course before race day. Afterwards, they spent the evening in Harvard Square for dinner and to see the sights of the city.
Saturday was a day for rest and relaxation as the Lakers prepared for their day of racing. And what better way to prepare for a race than with a great dinner: the team was invited to Outback Steakhouse where owner and Grand Valley Alumnus James Dunleavy provided a delicious meal to the rowers. Overall, the team had a great experience both on and off the racecourse.
The Lakers are now off until Saturday, November 1 when they will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Head of the Eagle regatta.
Grand Valley Dominates Head of the Grand
Sunday, October 19th, 2008While Grand Valley’s first Men’s and Women’s 8+ fought against national rowing powers over in Boston, the remainder of the Grand Valley Rowing team awoke early Sunday morning for an hour’s drive to Lansing, bringing the Laker Navy into battle with three major Michigan schools at the Head of the Grand Regatta: the University of Michigan, Michigan Tech, and the hosting school, Michigan State University. In addition to elevating Grand Valley’s second Men’s and Women’s 8+ to first varsity if only for the weekend, the Head of the Grand provided the first bona fide away race experience for GVSU’s multitude of novice rowers.
Both Novice 8+ events were won with ample time by Grand Valley: the two Women’s Novice 8+ placed first and second, the lead boat finishing with a time of 13:07, while the first Men’s Novice 8+ finished at 11:31, ahead of University of Michigan at 11:55, with the second Grand Valley boat coming in close behind.
Grand Valley finished first again in the Women’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 12:27; Michigan State placed second at 13:17. GVSU’s second entry in the Women’s V8+ came in at third at 13:47.
The Men’s Varsity 8+ brought the afternoon to a climax with a victory over the University of Michigan, Grand Valley finishing at 10:57 to Michigan’s 11:09. A second Michigan boat and a Michigan State boat finished third and fourth, with the Grand Valley B boat coming in at fifth, after mid-race equipment breakage, with a time of 11:36.
In addition to the 8+ events Grand Valley also obtained both first and second in both the Men’s and Women’s Varsity 4+ events, as well as a victory in the Lightweight Men’s Varsity 4+. GVSU competed in several other events, such as the Novice 4+, as well.
Over in Boston Grand Valley’s two first varsity 8+ concluded their expedition to the 44th Head of the Charles Regatta, the Men’s Varsity 8+ placing fourth overall and the Women’s Varsity 8+ placing tenth overall.
