WWU Men's Crew

The Cougar Crew Team is headed down to Bellingham to challenge the WWU Men’s Crew Team the morning of Nov. 5. The course will be a lengthy down-and-back on Lake Whatcom. The schedule will be as follows:

• 8:30 AM WWU’s 2nd and 3rd Novice boats.
• 9:15 AM 1st Novice and Varsity 8.

Last year, WWU Men’s Crew traveled up to meet WSU on the Snake River. The Varsity 4 raced to the finish to edge out one of WSU’s fastest 4′s, and the WWU Novice put on an impressive showing against the WSU 8′s. Many of this years Novice are looking forward to their first chance to race another club, and start off another strong season for the WWU Crew Team.

The event will take place at the Lakewood Watersports Facility on Lake Whatcom Blvd. From I-5, take exit 253 onto Lakeway Drive and head east. This eventually turns into Lake Whatcom Blvd. Lakewood will be on the left. It is roughly 6.3 miles from I-5.

The school year is fast approaching. The men’s crew team continues to be a thriving club sport at Western, and with a successful year behind them, the men’s crew team is looking forward to another competitive racing season. Whether you’re an experienced rower or someone looking for something new to try, please check out our Recruitment Page for more information.

Come find us at the fall information fair! More info here.

E-mails are more than welcome! Contact the team at wwurowing@gmail.com.

Another season has come and gone for the WWU Men’s Rowing Team, with the NCRC and WIRA championships behind them.

The Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) Championships on Lake Stevens began with a dissapointing finish for the Vikings in the Varsity 8 race. Faced with a season-ending injury from 7 seat Brandon Heller, a last minute lineup change left the Vikings a few seats down from Conference Champions Lewis And Clark. The Vikings were similarly defeated by Lewis and Clark in other Varsity Events, including the Varsity 4+, LW4+ and JV4+.

The Novice 8 cruises to open water victory at NCRC 2011

The clear standouts of the regatta for the Vikings were the 2010-2011 novice team. The freshmen dominated the N8+ category, storming the field at the 1000m mark and earningan open water victory over previously undefeated Humboldt State. Their dominant performance earned them a nomination for Row2k’s “Crew Of The Week” competition, in which the Vikings placed 4th.

Viking Novice 4+ at WIRA's (C) Row2k Media

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The next week, the men fielded two boats, a Varsity 4 and Novice 4, at the WIRA Championships in Rancho Cordova, California. After both crews took first place in their respective heats and earned the fastest time of the day, the Vikings were confident heading into the finals. The novice 4 earned a silver medal, narrowly losing to a strong UC Davis Crew that the Vikings had defeated the day before. The Varsity 4+, after winning by several lengths of open water the previous day, were surprised to find themselves in the bronze medal position on the podium.

Despite not coming home with gold, both crews achieved their goals of coming home with a medal in a large and very competitive regatta including many top west coast schools.

The Viking V8+ at Opening Day

This year, the vikings were also lucky enough to secure a spot int he Open 8+ category of the 25th Windemere Cup through Montlake Cut in Seattle. Celebrating the opening day of Boating Season in Seattle, The Windemere Cup has been a celebrated Regatta featuring some of the best crews in the world. This year featured crews from Stanford and Cambridge University.

The Vikings stayed strong to finish 4th in the Open 8+ category, narrowly defeated by Pocock Rowing Center and boats from WSU and UW.

As the season ends, the WWU Men’s Crew reflect on the past year, one with many positive changes. With a completely new coaching staff, the Vikings have built the team to be a strong competitor in the conference and among West Coast Small Colleges as a whole. WIRAs featured strong, medal finishes against big name college crews.

Perhaps the biggest and most promising part of the season, however, is the success of the Freshmen. Dominating their conference by open water, the novice class consistently demonstrated their superiority and potential. By the year’s end, The Varsity 8+ included four powerful novice rowers. Among these is freshman Joe Gregerson, who said in an interview with The Western Front, “(This year) I had the most fun I’ve ever had on a sports team. It’ll be my sport for the next four years.”

The future looks bright for the Vikings. The amount of work, pain and passion the Men’s Rowers have gone through this year has brought them closer together than ever. Even as the boathouse closes up for the summer, the rowers don’t despair, because the brotherhood that is strengthened each morning on Lake Whatcom does not only exist on the water. Of course, the rowers must say goodbye and go their seperate ways as the season ends, and one lone senior, Jeff Nesbitt , will say goodbye forever. But however long the farewell, all are left with the implicit understanding that the friendships, strength and lessons from rowing will last a lifetime. The relationship to this team, one that exists and flourishes without outside help, that lives and dies with its members, is one that can’t be broken. A rower once, a rower forever, long after you’re done pulling an oar.

For the rest of us, its farewell until next Fall, when we tie in, count down and push off once more…

After another full year of 4:30 AM wakeup calls, grueling workouts, fundraising, team activities and memories to last, the Viking Men’s Crew head now to the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships as the finale of the 2010-2011 season.

The team is poised to earn the overall team points title for the first time since 2006, with strong boats in every category. The varsity eight are hungry to make a statement of superiority against rivals Lewis and Clark, Wilamette and University of Puget Sound by winning the featured V8+ race with strong finishes in both the V4+ and JV4+.

The strength of the novice squad this year has been obvious in their previous races, and the N8+ are looking to solidify their place as champions among northwest small colleges. WWU Men’s Crew will also be entering a N4+ to round out the lineups.

Also entering this year will be a LW4+ race, facing Lewis and Clark, UPS and PLU.

All crews have been pouring effort into rowing the whole year, and this is where it all pays off. Good luck to all WWU rowers this Saturday at Lake Stevens!

Directions:

1803 123rd Drive Northeast

Lake Stevens, WA 98258

Schedule:

8:15 Women’s 2V8+

8:30 Men’s Varsity 8+

8:45 Women’s Varsity 8+

9:00 Women’s 2nd Nov 4+

9:15 Break

9:30 Men’s 2v4+

9:45 Women’s 2v4+

10:00 Women’s 2-

10:15 Men’s 2-

10:30 Break

10:45 Women’s Nov 4+

11:00 Men’s Nov. 4+

11:15 Women’s 2nd Nov 8+

11:30 Women’s Vars. Lwt 4+

11:45 Men’s Var. Lwt 4+

Lunch

12:45 Women’s 3V8+

1:00 Women’s 1v4+

1:15 Men’s 1v4+

1:30 Women’s Nov. Lwt 4+

1:45 Women’s Novice 8+

2:00 Men’s Novice 8+

On April 9th the Viking rowers welcomed Alumni and parents to the Boathouse at Lakewood, Western’s Watersports Facility for Alumni and Parents Day.

Attendees of the Alumni/Parent Day

WWU’s Varsity 8 raced a 1k against a mixed boat of alumni rowers and current rowers, and then against the WWU JV 8. The weather got better as the event went on, but the rough water wasn’t ideal for parents wanting a taste of the sport. Instead parents and alumni stayed warm by the fire with food and coffee. Despite the less than ideal conditions, parents had a great time touring the boathouse and getting a firsthand view of Lake Whatcom.

On April 9th the Viking rowers will welcome alumni and parents to the Boathouse at Lakewood, Western’s Watersports Facility for Alumni and Parents Day.

Celebrations will start around 11 o’clock  with the current Varsity 8 racing a full eight of alumni at 11:30, followed by lunch and then ending the day with a parent/athlete row, when parents can get a taste of rowing with their son.

The event should wrap up sometime around 2 or 3.

We hope to see you there! As always any questions can be directed to wwurowing@gmail.com

Directions:

From I-5 take Exit 253 and follow Lakeway due east, as it turns parallel to Lake Whatcom before reaching Lakewood Lodge 6.3 miles from I-5.

Directions and Information about the facility can be found here.

With Spring season racing kicking into full gear, the Viking rowers head down to Seattle, WA to race against University of Washington’s Crew team.

The race will be held this Saturday, April 2nd with the following schedule:

1. 8:20 Men’s V8

2. 8:30 Women’s V4

3. 8:40 Men’s N8

4. 8:50 Women’s 2 V4

5. 9:00 Men’s N4

–Break–

6. 10:50 Women’s N8

7. 11:00 Men’s 2 V8

8. 11:10 Men’s V4

Come watch your rowers race through the renowned Montlake Cut!

The 2011 Daffodil Cup on Saturday marked the end of a grueling week of spring break training and the beginning of the Vikings’ competitive spring racing season.

WWU Men’s Crew headed down to American Lake in Tacoma to race several conference rivals along with other local collegiate crews. The Vikings Fielded a Varsity 8, Novice 8, JV 4 and Novice 4.

The Varsity 8 took 2nd place, narrowly losing a lead to Louis and Clark in the final 250m while earning decisive victories against boats from conference rivals UPS, Willamette and PLU as well as defeating a strong crew from WSU.

A highlight of the day came when The Viking Novice 8 got their first taste of spring racing. The boat earned 2nd place and defeated all conference rivals. A strong WSU novice crew took first place while the Western Freshmen rowers held a comfortable second, demonstrating their position as one of the fastest novice crews among small colleges in Washington.

The Viking Novice 4 also pulled a strong race, taking second in a crowded field of athletes.

WWU Men’s Crew ended the race with a victory in the JV4+ race, taking an open water victory to end the regatta.

With their first race now behind them, the Viking rowers look ahead to next weekends race on Lake Washington versus a strong Husky crew and to the conference championships which lay ahead on April 23. With such strong performances at daffodil, a 1st place overall finish in the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference remains in sight.

Full results are available at: Row2k

Lineups:

Varsity 8: Coxswain Danni Armstrong, Stroke Jeff Nesbitt, No. 7 Brandon Heller, No. 6 Andrew Lapidus, No. 5 Matt Reider, No. 4 Joe Gregerson, No. 3 Cameron Kaulia, No. 2 Zach Murphy, Bow John Davis

Novice 8: Coxswain Zac Johnson, Stroke: Nathan Drapela, No. 7 Zack Balonick, No. 6 Zach Murphy, No. 5 Cameron Kaulia, No. 4 Joe Gregerson, No. 3 Kyle Hiebert, No. 2 Tanner Steffan, Bow: Josh Cole

Novice 4: Coxswain Parker Slater, Stroke: Nathan Drapela, No. 3 Jake Burgess, No. 2 Shaun Lewis, Bow: Josh Cole

Junior Varsity 4: Coxswain: Parker Slater, Stroke: Jeff Nesbitt, No. 3 Matt Reider, No. 2 Thomas Downey, Bow: Brandon Heller

The vikings are getting set for their first race of the season, The Daffodil Cup on American Lake in Tacoma. The race will be held on Saturday, March 26th with the following schedule.

1 9:00 Women’s 2N8/3V
2 9:30 Men’s V8
3 9:45 Women’s V8
4 10:00 Women’s 2V8
5 10:15 Men’s 1N4
6 10:30 Women’s 1N4
7 10:45 Men’s 1V4
8 11:00 Women’s 1V4
9 11:15 Men’s N8
10 11:30 Women’s N8
11 11:45 Men’s 2V4
12 12:00 Women’s 2V4

The Vikings will be entering a boat in every category. Come and cheer on the viking rowers in their first test this spring season!

Directions to American Lake

From I-5 either direction take exit 123 Thorne Lane.
Turn west and proceed on Thorne until it curves to the left (south).
Immediately turn right (which is still Thorne).
It will begin to curve left (south) again and will become Woodlawn.
The park is on your right, proceed to the main parking lot entrance at the break in the chain link fence.

With snow flurries whipping about and wind chills well into the single digits, the Men’s Crew Team took a change of course from the usual Saturday practice. Instead of rowing on Lake Whatcom or running Taylor Hill, the team drove up north to Sumas, WA to take part in a Habitat for Humanity housing project. Unlike on the water, members of the crew team were taking a different kind of stroke: the stroke of a steady paint brush.

Working in a heated yet unfinished house, the volunteers helped transform the barren white walls and drywall dusted floors into something a little more like home. The site supervisor and veteran volunteers (along with the candidates for the house) were eager to teach the rowers a thing or two about painting. Along with the paint job, a few members of the team worked under the house securing insulation material. With valuable trade skills and the gratification of helping others, the team had a great time helping out with the project. We would like to thank Mateo, Chris, Jake, Kim, Victor and Jessica for allowing us to be part of such a great program. We wish the best of luck to the future homeowner Victor and his family.